(Alexandria, VA) -- As work on the 2006 Budget Resolution gets underway in the House of Representatives, four groups affirmed their support for the "Blue Dog" Democrats' budget reform package as a means to help Congress meet the Resolution's spending restraint goals. The joint statement was organized by the 350,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU), which first offered its support for the reform measures in February.
"This coalition, which represents hundreds of thousands of citizens in addition to conservative lawmakers at the state level, is a clear indication of support for the bipartisan action necessary to bring the budget process back in order," said NTU President John Berthoud. "The most extravagant spending spree since Lyndon Johnson has bipartisan fingerprints on it, and it will take a strong grip from Members of both parties to rein in runaway government spending."
In the letter sent to the Democratic Caucus' Co-Chair for Policy today, the signatories -- American Conservative Union, American Legislative Exchange Council, Americans for Prosperity, and NTU -- praised several Blue Dog proposals that were first offered by the House Republican Study Committee. Among these were requiring bills calling for more than $50 million in new spending to be put to a roll call vote, ending abuses of the "emergency" spending designation, and repealing the "Gephardt Rule" that allows lawmakers to raise the federal debt limit automatically with the Budget Resolution.
The joint-statement also applauded unique elements of the Blue Dog reform package that would cap discretionary spending for the next three years at 2.1 percent (lower than the President's proposal); force Members of Congress to justify earmarked pet projects (pork) in writing; freeze the budget of any federal agency that fails an audit; and, stipulate that Members be given at least three days to read the final text of legislation.
"Likewise, we praise your proposal for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would require peacetime federal outlays to balance with revenues unless a 3/5 'supermajority' in Congress approved a specific deficit," the signatories stated. However, while the letter participants noted that "most elements of the Blue Dog package would be significant steps toward restoring the federal budget process to a condition worthy of the word 'process,'" they were careful to assert their opposition to extension of the "so- called 'PAYGO' rules to taxation that often thwart long-term tax relief."
"With your coalition offering serious ideas on how to change the course of our fiscal ship, conditions are ripe to make desperately needed bipartisan repairs to the faulty rudder that has been steering the budget process into a sea of red ink," the signatories concluded. "[We]...applaud your effort and stand ready to offer you assistance in your struggle to end Congress's sorry record of profligate spending."
NTU is a non-profit citizen group founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes and smaller government. Note: To view the coalition letter and NTU's other work in the area of budget process reform, visit www.ntu.org.