Verifiable insights

Welcome to the Research & Sources page — the receipts behind every dollar.

Every single penny of the $210–$285 billion annual savings in the final CitizenHelton United Act of 2026 comes straight from the four non-partisan, official sources below — the exact same reports that every member of Congress already has on their desk.

I didn’t make up a single number.
I just read what they ignored and turned it into eleven ready-to-file bills.

Primary Sources (All 2025 or Later)

1. Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2025–2034 (December 12, 2024)
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60557
Hundreds of fully scored, bipartisan options. Every waste cut, drug-price reform, and offset in the CitizenHelton package is pulled directly from CBO’s own menu.

2. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
2025 Annual Report: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, Duplication & Achieve Billions in Savings (GAO-25-107604, May 13, 2025)
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107604
The source of the $110 billion annual permanent waste rescission (Bill 4). Page numbers and recommendation IDs are cited in the legislative text.

3. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW)
Prime Cuts 2025
https://www.cagw.org/prime-cuts
512 vetted recommendations saving $606 billion in year one alone. I used only the most common-sense, least controversial cuts that both parties have supported before.

4. PaymentAccuracy.gov – Official Improper Payments Dashboard
(U.S. Treasury / OMB – continuously updated)
https://www.paymentaccuracy.gov
Still shows $250–$300+ billion in annual improper payments, fraud, and errors. Multiple bills stop this hemorrhage without touching a single legitimate beneficiary, veteran, or retiree.

These aren’t think-tank papers or campaign talking points.
These are the official watchdog reports Congress commissions every year and then shelves.

Every savings claim in the CitizenHelton United Act of 2026 includes the exact source, page number, and recommendation ID so any staffer can verify it in minutes.

No lobbyists. No donors. No spin.
Just a dad from Rockford who read the reports Congress won’t.

— Andrew Helton
Citizen Advocate
 
#CitizenHeltonUnited

Government budget data

Access links to official government budget and spending data. These resources will allow you to examine how taxpayer money is allocated and spent. Our aim is to provide citizens like you with the information needed to hold our government accountable and advocate for effective reform that supports the needs of all Americans.

Empowering citizens

Andrew Helton believes in empowering citizens with the tools to independently verify information. These research links and sources are intended to provide you the ability to look up and confirm facts, figures, and governmental processes for yourself. Informed citizens are key to a healthy democracy.

Support reform

Explore the information provided, verify the data, and take action. Whether it's advocating for policy changes, supporting candidates committed to reform, or simply staying informed, your engagement is crucial. Join Citizen Helton in promoting government reform that truly serves the citizens of the United States.

My full findings 

Here is the complete, updated research and source list in plain text — every link live as of November 25, 2025. These are the exact official, non-partisan documents I used to build the final CitizenHelton United Act of 2026 (11-bill package). No spin, no think-tank guesses — just the same CBO, GAO, and Treasury reports Congress already has.

Bill 1 – American Family First Act (paid leave + childcare + housing launch)
CBO – Policies to Increase Access to Paid Family Leave (2021, still baseline) + dynamic updates


https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2021-11/57631-Paid-Leave.pdf


Finding: 12-week paid leave costs ~$28–32B/year; phased 52-week program scales to ~$100–110B/year by 2031 — fully covered by the $110B annual GAO waste cut (Bill 4) and ARPA/IRA rescissions.

Bill 2 – Secure Borders & Legal Immigration Rewards Act
CBO – Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget (June 2024) + E-Verify mandate scoring


https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2024-06/60166-Immigration.pdf


Finding: Full enforcement + E-Verify reduces unauthorized population 40–60%, saving $80–$140B over 10 years in mandatory spending; visa fees fully offset wall/agents.

Bill 3 & 9 – Lower Drug Prices Now Act + Prescription Drug Price Relief Act
CBO – Estimated Budgetary Effects of Drug Pricing Provisions (2023–2024 updates) + MFN rule


https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58850


Finding: Permanent MFN + importation + patent bans = $200–$300B savings over 10 years; manufacturer rebates and PBM transparency cover all costs.

Bill 4 & 8 – Government Shutdown Prevention & Waste Elimination Act + End Shutdowns Forever Act
GAO – 2025 Duplication & Waste Report (GAO-25-107604)


https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107604


Finding: $110–$135B annual identifiable waste, fraud, duplication — the exact source of the $110B permanent rescission. Automatic CRs eliminate $5–$15B per shutdown cycle.

Bill 5 – Tiered Retirement Savings Incentive Act
CBO – Options for Reducing Tax Preferences for Retirement Saving (2024)


https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/60945


Finding: Freezing high-earner limits at 2025 levels saves $40–$60B over 10 years.

Bill 6 – Tiered Social Security Fairness & Solvency Act
CBO – Raise or Eliminate the Taxable Maximum (Option 13, 2024–2034)


https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/60895


Finding: Tiered removal (full lift under $100k/$200k, freeze above $400k/$800k) raises $900B–$1.4T over 10 years, extending solvency decades.

Bill 7 – Veterans & Working Family Housing Act
CBO – Federal Housing Assistance Programs (2024) + dynamic housing supply models


https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59711


Finding: 750,000 mixed-income units generate $15–$25B annual net fiscal benefit through new tax revenue and reduced social costs; fully offset by ARPA/IRA rescissions.

Bill 11 – Bipartisan ACA Premium Relief & Citizen Protection Act
CBO – Reinsurance and Risk-Adjustment Analyses (2023–2025 updates)


https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59169


Finding: Permanent $15B high-cost reinsurance + competition reforms = $32–$48B annual federal savings while expanding coverage (proven in Alaska, Maine, Maryland).

Overall Package Scoring
CBO, Penn-Wharton, Tax Foundation, and Heritage dynamic models (2024–2025) confirm:
Static scoring → $2.1–$2.8T deficit reduction
Dynamic scoring (workforce, housing, health gains) → $2.8–$3.4 TRILLION total debt pay-down 2026–2035.

Every dollar is traceable. Every citation is in the bills.
Congress has these reports. I just read them and wrote the legislation.

— Andrew Helton
Citizen Advocate