Dr. Ruiz, Rep. Swalwell Introduce FRUGAL Act to Save Taxpayers Money, Improve Government Efficiency

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) and Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-15) introduced the Fiscal Responsibility Using Government Accountability Laws Act, or the FRUGAL Act. This bill aims to save taxpayers millions of dollars by improving government efficiency.

"Here in the Coachella Valley, middle class families work hard to live within their means, and so should the Federal Government," said Dr. Ruiz. "This bill takes firm steps to save taxpayers millions of dollars by cracking down on offshore tax evaders, maximizing competition and savings in government contracting, and reigning in the costs of managing our Nation's coin supply. This is a common sense, fiscally responsible bill that will cut wasteful spending and streamline government. I will continue to work to find pragmatic ways to trim government waste and make government work more efficiently for the people."

"While countless dollars are leaving our country to illegal offshore accounts, middle class families struggle to get by," said Swalwell. "The FRUGAL Act is commonsense legislation that will save middle class taxpayers millions by ensuring everyone pays their fair share and improve how our government spends its funds."

The FRUGAL Act seeks to make government more efficient and save taxpayer funds in three innovative ways:

• Requires the Treasury Department to crack down on people taking advantage of offshore tax loopholes and improve programs to close those loopholes, potentially saving taxpayers millions.

• Maximizes competition, quality, and savings in government contracting by standardizing reverse auctions for federal acquisitions and requiring protections for small businesses to give them more opportunities to win government contracts in reverse auctions. A reverse auction is conducted when sellers compete to determine who is willing to offer their supplies or services at the highest quality and lowest price.

• Reigns in the costs of managing our Nation's pennies, nickels, and dimes by ensuring processes are more efficient. The cost of managing our coin supply increased by 69 percent between 2008 and 2012.

Other co-sponsors include, Rep. Ann Kuster (NH-2), Rep. Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-9), and Rep. Pete P. Gallego (TX-23).

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