House Rules Reforms Would Help Rein in Federal Spending Says Nation's Largest Taxpayer Group

(Alexandria, VA) – The House of Representatives rules changes proposed by the Republican Study Committee (RSC) could help improve Congressional stewardship of hard-earned – but easily spent – tax dollars, according to an issue brief released by the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU) today.

“What most taxpayers and even some avid followers of politics don’t know is that Congress’s own rules create significant incentives for higher levels of spending, and make it exceedingly difficult for lawmakers to maintain oversight of the massive federal budget,” said NTU Director of Government Affairs and study author Paul Gessing. “The RSC’s reform proposal deserves support from across the political and fiscal spectrum.”

In a December 15 letter to the House, NTU noted that while the RSC proposal has natural appeal to fiscal conservatives, “…[T]hose who are concerned with preserving adequate funding levels for effective government programs also have incentives to ensure that Congress’s own rules make it easier to keep track of the money it spends and eliminate waste.” Among the proposals:

* Protect “Points of Order” (parliamentary objections that a pending proposal or proceeding is in violation of a rule of the House). Congressional leaders have been able to successfully circumvent fiscal benchmarks by waiving points of order and the vote they would require. Creating a separate point of order against such waivers would give federal budget rules more force.

* Cap Entitlements by creating a point of order against legislative increases in direct spending (which could only be overridden by a three-fifths “supermajority” vote). This would not apply to any measure that would decrease the long-term unfunded liability of an entitlement program.

* Lock Away Savings by establishing a Family Budget Protection Account, so that amendments offered on the House floor can result in actual savings by lowering spending allocations (instead of merely shifting funds to other programs).

* Unveil Hidden Debt Votes by repealing the so-called “Gephardt Rule” that provides for the automatic passage of a House joint resolution changing the public debt ceiling to conform with the budget.

* Learn the Cost of Legislation by requiring every bill (including unreported bills and conference reports) to be accompanied by cost estimates.

“None of these proposals could be considered ‘radical’ or even ‘major,’ but they can do a great deal to make Congress a more responsible steward of taxpayers’ money,” Gessing concluded. “It is time to fix a broken system, and the RSC’s rules reforms can provide many necessary tools for the job.”

NTU is a non-partisan citizen group founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, smaller government, and more accountability from elected officials at all levels. Note: NTU Issue Brief 151, Ten Simple Rules for Returning Sanity to Washington, and NTU’s letter are available at www.ntu.org.