The committee heard testimony from Mr. Perot on proposals to reform the federal government to improve the efficiency and costs of governing. Mr. Perot, an independent presidential candidate in the 1992 elections, currently heads a public-interest group called United We Stand, which seeks to influence government in the direction of deficit reduction and improved American competitiveness. The questioning of Mr. Perot grew heated later in the hearing as committee members questioned Mr. Perot’s statistics in his testimony.