RALEIGH - U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) issued the following statement on President Obama’s Call for Consolidation Authority:

 “In last year’s State of the Union, President Obama pledged to shrink the federal government and eliminate government waste by proposing to merge and consolidate federal agencies.  Yet until now, he has remained silent on the issue while Senate Republicans introduced bills that would dramatically reduce the staggering amount of money wasted annually on duplicative programs within the federal government.

“Last May, I introduced two bills that would advance the President’s proposal – a bill to consolidate the Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce into a single, new agency called the Department of Commerce and the Workforce (DOCW), and a bill that would consolidate the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency into a single, new agency called the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE).  These bills would provide cost savings by combining duplicative functions while improving the administration of economic, energy and environmental policies by ensuring a comprehensive, coordinated approach.

“We welcome the President back to the conversation, and look forward to Senator Reid allowing votes on these important bills that would initiate permanent reorganization of agencies.”