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an effort to create searchable online databases for government expenditures
a tool to highlight the hypocrisy of tax hikers
Constitutional or statutory requirement to rein in growth of revenues end expenditures
a commitment made by elected officials and candidates for elected office never to raise taxes
Raising the bar for tax increases
Requiring a cool-off period for all bills with a fiscal impact
pork-barrel spending - the broken windows of the budget
CFA Supports Coburn PAYGO Transparency Amendment
Thursday, March 4, 2010 12:04 PM
Remember PAYGO? Yes, the bill Congress just had to pass as a fig leaf for higher spending and higher taxes. Yet, only two weeks after the Statutory PAYGO Act was signed by President Obama, the Senate had already spent $22 billion that was not paid for (make that nearly $120 billion if the tax extenders bill passes).
Senator Coburn has offered an amendment to the Baucus substitute to the tax extenders bill that requires the Senate to at least publicly disclose their spending decisions on the Senate website, an amendment we support. From our vote alert:
Sen. Coburn’s amendment would require the Senate to publicly disclose (and to update weekly) on the front page of its website detailed information on its spending decisions made this year, so that taxpayers can get a clear, current and accurate picture of the path of federal spending and how it relates to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010.Specifically, the bill requires the itemized online posting of the following:
The total amount of discretionary and direct spending by the Senate that has not been paid for, including emergency designated spending or spending otherwise exempted from PAYGO requirements.
The total amount of net spending authorized in legislation passed by the Senate, as scored by CBO.
The number of new government programs created in legislation passed by the Senate.
The totals for the first three bullet points as passed by both Houses of Congress and signed into law by the President.
Given that in less than two weeks after the Statutory PAYGO Act was signed into law, the U.S. Senate had already spent $22 billion that was not paid for (a tally that will shoot up to nearly $120 billion if the tax extenders bill passes), it is all the more important that taxpayers are being given a window into the Senate’s spending decisions.
Click here for a PDF of the vote alert.
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