TCS Letter to the Speaker: Make the Supplemental Spending Bill Transparent

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Taxpayers for Common Sense is concerned that the Fiscal Year 2008 Supplemental spending bill you will be considering Thursday has not yet been made publicly available and apparently will not proceed through the normal committee process.

Now, six years into the Global War on Terror, it is clear that additional spending is a relatively predictable and should be included in the annual spending bills. The emergency designation is only a convenient means to avoid considering the funding under existing budgetary rules. By rushing the bill to the floor without public or committee review, you are contributing to the notion that this is an emergency.

In fact, the emergency appropriations for the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Katrina, and 9/11 all were sent through the Appropriations Committee. All of these were unforeseen emergencies and yet the House decided to honor the normal committee process. We urge you to send the FY08 Supplemental spending bill through the Appropriations committee and make the bill available to the public at least 48 hours prior to consideration. Failing to follow the established legislative process represents a slippery slope that could damage the integrity of the House.

Ms. Ryan Alexander
President

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