Eric Burlison

“I want the House to pass this bill. It protects government contractors from being punished when they report wrongdoing.”

“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5578) to ensure that whistleblowers, including contractors, are protected from retaliation when a Federal employee orders a reprisal, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It requires agencies to report government projects that are five years late or one billion dollars over budget. This will help Congress find and stop wasted taxpayer money.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, Congress cannot sit on the sidelines while government projects continue to soar above cost projections and run behind schedule. Each year, the Government Accountability Office reports on such projects, including Federal information technology programs and National Nuclear Security Administration projects. However, there are likely additional government boondoggles flying under the radar, falling years behind schedule, or running billions of dollars over budget. The Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act will keep policymakers and the public better informed about government-funded projects that are significantly behind schedule or over budget. We cannot fix what we do not know is broken. This bill directs agencies to report on projects that are more than 5 years behind schedule or have expenditures that are at least $1 billion more than the original cost estimate. The Office of Management and Budget is then required to submit an annual report to Congress summarizing these troubled Federal projects. Congress has a duty to oversee the Federal Government for inefficiency and waste. This bill informs policymakers and allows Congress to address failing government projects before further taxpayer dollars are misused. A similar bill passed the House in the 118th Congress as S. 1258, and the identical bill, S. 766, sponsored by Senator Joni Ernst, passed the Senate in December 2025. I thank Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Yassamin Ansari for their work on the House companion bill. It is time to get this bill sent to the President’s desk. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It requires a yearly report on government projects that are late and cost too much money.”

“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1722) to require an annual report of taxpayer-funded projects that are over budget and behind schedule, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It lets federal agencies give moving workers a single cash payment instead of paying back individual moving costs. This cuts down on paperwork and will save the government 306 million dollars over five years.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, relocating Federal employees who receive assignments to change official duty stations is a costly and bureaucratic process. According to the General Services Administration, which manages such relocations, in fiscal year 2024, the cost for employee relocation across agencies ranged from $11,000 to a staggering $143,000 per employee. This high cost contrasts with the private sector, where relocation costs are considerably less. In fact, current law and regulations require seven categories of mandatory relocation entitlements and another six discretionary. This complexity diverts Federal agency resources that could otherwise be available for other mission-focused priorities. It also comes at the expense of Federal employee satisfaction, as those relocating are forced to navigate a prolonged bureaucratic maze of document filings and payment processes. Fortunately, there is a tested alternative to the current system, as demonstrated by agencies such as the Fish and Wildlife Service and Customs and Border Protection in a recent pilot program. Those agencies have utilized this pilot program to provide negotiated, lump-sum payments to relocating employees who are then responsible for moving themselves. The simplified lump-sum payments and processes have already been demonstrated to reduce agency costs while boosting employee satisfaction. This bill would expand and codify the successful pilot program to allow all agencies to provide these lump-sum payments to relocating employees when such alternative is the most cost-effective option. Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that enacting H.R. 6330 would save the government $306 million over 5 years. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for offering this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor. I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It lets federal agencies give employees a single lump-sum payment when they move for work.”

“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6330) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for lump-sum relocation payments for Federal employees relocated in the interest of the Government, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: ``5739a. Authority for lump sum payment for relocation.’’.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes buying technology easier and cheaper for the government. It trains workers better and cuts paperwork so small purchases can happen faster. This will save taxpayers money.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the FIT Procurement Act. Hardworking taxpayers expect the Federal Government to be a responsible steward of their hard-earned dollars. They make tough financial decisions every day, and they rightly expect Washington to exercise the same discipline and restraint. Too often, however, our Federal procurement system does the opposite. It rewards inefficiency, layers on unnecessary administrative burdens, and slows down agency operations, all at the expense of the taxpayer. These inefficiencies drive up costs and limit agencies in their ability to deliver timely and effective results. My bill, the FIT Procurement Act, addresses these challenges through targeted, commonsense reforms in the Federal procurement process. The legislation focuses on reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, improving coordination across agencies, and strengthening the acquisition workforce through better training and clearer guidance. To improve workforce capability, the bill requires the Director of Federal Acquisition Institute to develop and implement cross-functional information and communications technology training for acquisition professionals. This ensures those responsible for purchasing information and communication technology have the tools and knowledge needed to make smart, cost-effective decisions. The FIT Procurement Act also increases efficiency by expanding the use of simplified, commercial-style purchasing. It raises the micro- purchase threshold from $10,000 to $25,000 and the simplified acquisition threshold from $250,000 to $500,000. Purchases under the micro-purchase threshold require no contracting officer involvement and significantly reduce the administrative overhead. Raising this threshold alone is estimated to save more than $40 million annually while allowing contracting officers to focus on larger, higher-risk acquisitions where oversight matters the most. Increasing the simplified acquisition threshold further reduces administrative costs and improves economic efficiency for small businesses that are competing for Federal contracts. In addition, the FIT Procurement Act authorizes advanced payments for cloud computing services, allowing Federal agencies to access the same upfront payment discounts that are commonly available in the private sector, delivering additional savings to our taxpayers. Taken together, these reforms streamline procurement, reduce wasteful spending, and improve accountability without expanding government or creating new bureaucracy, ultimately leading to disciplined acquisition practices and real savings for the American taxpayer. I thank Chairman Comer for his leadership and commitment to advancing this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill to improve how the government buys technology.”

“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4123) to improve Federal technology procurement, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”

“I support this bill. Right now, government agencies spend billions of dollars through special deals that they do not have to report to the public spending website. This bill requires them to report that spending so taxpayers can see how their money is used.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I support this bill, H.R. 2069, the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, which requires Federal agencies to report complete and accurate information to USAspending.gov. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, as later amended by the DATA Act of 2014, established USAspending.gov, a public database of all government spending. It is critical that government spending is transparent to the American people so that they can be assured that agencies are appropriately using their hard-earned tax dollars. Transparency is fundamental in building trust in government. For 20 years, agencies have been required to be more transparent with how they are spending taxpayer dollars, but, unfortunately, gaps have been identified in what gets reported to USAspending.gov by Federal agencies. Increasingly, Federal agencies have relied upon spending authorities known as other transaction agreements, or OTAs. OTAs are not subject to certain Federal acquisition laws and requirements and, most importantly, are not required to be reported to USAspending.gov under current law. Agencies use different methods to report the billions of dollars in spending related to OTAs, according to the Government Accountability Office. This has led to inconsistent reporting and unreliable information, resulting in a lack of full transparency over how billions of dollars are spent by Federal agencies. To be clear, the DATA Act of 2014 intended for all Federal spending to be captured on USAspending.gov. The Stop Secret Spending Act corrects this issue by requiring OTA spending to be reported to USAspending.gov. The bill also requires agencies to report annually on types of funding that previously were unreported for a variety of exemptions. Lastly, it restores the requirement for agency inspectors general to review the entirety of data submitted to USAspending.gov to ensure that it is complete and accurate. H.R. 2069 will provide more transparency to the American people. It allows taxpayers to hold agencies accountable for how they spend your money. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this very commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes government agencies list all their special spending agreements on the USAspending website.”

“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2069) to amend the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to ensure that other transaction agreements are reported to USAspending.gov, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes the government adjust its buying rules for inflation every three years instead of every five years. This will save taxpayer money and make it easier for small businesses to compete for government work.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Ensuring Federal Purchasing Efficiency Act is a simple, commonsense reform to government procurement. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council is required to adjust certain dollar thresholds, such as the simplified acquisition threshold, every 5 years. However, everyone has seen how quickly the value of money can move in just 5 years. This bill would simply require these thresholds to be updated every 3 years instead of every 5 years. These dollar thresholds define the applicability of different policies, procedures, and restrictions to the procurement of property or services needed by Federal agencies to achieve their missions. Raising these dollar thresholds more frequently saves taxpayer dollars on administrative costs and increases competition to do business with the government, especially for small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important government efficiency reform legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7283) to amend title 41, United States Code, to amend the time period for certain acquisition-related dollar thresholds. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”

“I want the House to pass this bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1118) to amend title 41, United States Code, and title 10, United States Code, to provide best value through the multiple award schedule program, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”