KinG:
every
taxpayer
should
know
where
every
single
dollar
is spent
WASHINGTON
- In his
ongoing
effort
to see
taxpayer
dollars
spent
efficiently
and
reduce
spending
by the
federal
government,
U.S.
Congressman
Steve
King
(IA-05)
this
week
voted
for
disclosure
of all
earmarks
and is
calling
on his
colleagues
to allow
the
public,
through
their
representatives,
cut
wasteful
projects.
This
week,
with
King's
support,
the
House
passed
S.2590,
the
Federal
Funding
Accountability
and
Transparency
Act,
which
would
put
every
federally
funded
project
on the
internet
to be
easily
searched
by the
public.
The
website
would
track
all
federal
financial
assistance
and
expenditures
including
grants,
contracts,
subgrants,
subcontracts,
loans,
awards,
cooperative
agreements,
purchase
orders,
task
orders
and
delivery
orders.
"Every
single
taxpayer
should
have
access
to where
every
single
dollar
is spent
by the
federal
government,"
said
King. "I
say
eliminate
secret
earmarks
and let
the
people
be the
watchdogs
on their
Members
of
Congress."
Also
this
week,
King
voted
for
H.Res.
1000, to
have
every
funding
earmark
in
federal
spending
bills to
be
listed
with the
name of
the
Member
of
Congress
it was
requested
by.
Currently,
earmarks
can be
anonymously
slipped
into
spending
bills
without
the
opportunity
for
Congress
to vote
on the
additional
spending.
Sometimes
taxpayers
do not
find out
about
the
existence
of these
earmarks
until
after
the bill
has
passed,
making
it too
late for
taxpayers
to have
a voice
in the
process.
This
summer
King
authored
the
Cut the
Unnecessary
Tab Act
(CUT
Act),
H.Res.
975 to
bring
transparency,
accountability
and
better
control
to the
federal
spending
process
by
bringing
every
single
spending
item up
for
consideration
for
cuts.
The
CUT Act
allows
any
Member
of
Congress
to
demand a
vote on
any
spending
item,
even
after
the
appropriations
bills
become
law.
Savings
from
this
process
are
returned
to the
general
fund and
cannot
be used
for new
spending.
In
addition,
the bill
would
make the
process
open to
the
public
and
easily
searchable
on the
internet
so
Americans
can
contact
their
Member
of
Congress
and make
their
views
known
before
votes.
