As noted by others who are more observant of national trends than me, a new fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party is well underway. The combatants are the Big Government Republicans who have dominated Congress and the Presidency post Clinton and post Gingrich v. the resurgent Good Government Reformers.
Congressman Brian Bilbray (disclosure: a client of Coronado Communications) made a pretty good argument for the Reformers’ position last week in the North County Times:
Changing Culture Requires Real Reform by: CONGRESSMAN BRIAN BILBRAY
San Diegans believe that the accountability and transparency they expect from their elected leaders has been replaced by backroom deals. When I left Congress in 2001, Congress had a balanced budget and a $155 billion surplus. Today, that surplus has turned into a $296 billion budget deficit. We need budget reform, and Congress must balance the books.
For months, the American people have been waiting for Congress to follow through on the promise to bring more transparency and accountability to the budget and earmark process. Congress has responded by taking a few first steps in the right direction but stopping well short of the definitive reforms that will make a lasting impact. No doubt, real reform is needed.
Wednesday, I introduced House Resolution 6201, the Budget and Transparency Act of 2006. Recent years have seen Congress embrace a system that fosters waste, fraud and abuse, with special interests gaining too much influence in the budget and appropriations process. Funding decisions should be made in public view. The public has a right to know what is happening with its tax dollars.
That is why I am calling on Congress to adopt a two-year budget cycle, so that election-year politics won’t influence budget and appropriations decisions. Decisions about government funding should be made after elections, not before them. The appropriations and budget process have become a mechanism for unnecessary pork-barrel spending. Adopting a two-year budget cycle will help create more oversight, transparency and accountability.
If we are truly committed to changing the culture of secrecy in Washington, then we must adopt long-lasting earmark reform. We need to open the doors of Congress so that the American people can see for themselves how their tax dollars are being spent. My legislation would require full disclosure for all appropriation, authorizing and tax earmarks.
The American people have overwhelmingly rejected the status quo. They are demanding more oversight and accountability from their elected leaders. My legislation is not just about restoring fiscal accountability and transparency to Congress: It is a first step in a larger effort to regain the trust and confidence of the American people.