Thank You!
This is the last Weekly Update of 2019. Wow, what a year. I want to thank the hard-working folks at TPA for their unrelenting dedication to holding ALL politicians accountable. Tim Andrews (Executive Director), Ross Marchand (Director of Policy), and Grace Morgan (Director of External Relations) were on the front lines of the fight this past year. We also had some amazing intellectual firepower with our Senior Fellows Johnny Kampis, Jeff Stier, and Chip Baltimore. We have the best and brightest team in the country. I also want to thank you for being a part of the team by supporting the work that we do. Your support means the world to me and the whole organization.
We criticized Republicans and Democrats. We gave credit where credit was due to both Republicans and Democrats. TPA had some major victories, such as ensuring that a new round of spectrum sales would be conducted by the Federal Communications Commission so that taxpayers are made whole and the digital divide could finally be bridged. We were successful in temporarily halting surprise billing legislation that would have extended the government’s reach into healthcare. We were also successful in stopping the renewal of electric vehicle subsidies, which went primarily to wealthy folks such as Eva Longoria. We had some disappointments as well, but we are ready for 2020 with a few tricks up our sleeves.
Earmarks – Nope, They’re Not Gone
Congress eliminated earmarks in 2011. Or, so they said they did. We all know that was a bunch of malarkey (h/t Joe Biden). In fact, we uncovered 785 earmarks totaling $16.1 billion in Department of Defense appropriations passed this week. These earmarks were inserted into the bill by members of Congress from both parties, despite the Pentagon not requesting these spending increases. This year’s tally confirms that pork-barrel spending is a serious bipartisan problem. Top travesties for 2020 include: $1.2 billion for fourteen additional F-35 planes, $541 million for three additional P-8A Poseidon aircraft, and $200 million extra for “National Security Innovation Activities.” It’s especially jarring that the largest single earmark was devoted to the F-35, given the abysmal failures of the program. The lifetime cost of the F-35 program now exceeds $1.5 trillion, but despite this budget-busting total, planes regularly require spare parts from other aircraft to remain operational. Even with stratospheric spending, the Pentagon cannot manage to secure an adequate parts pipeline for its fleet.
This year’s appropriations process was once again a travesty and a sham. We know that the House was responsible for 298 earmarks worth $7.2 billion, but the public was never able to determine which earmarks were added by the Senate or in conference because the Senate never publicly released their Defense Appropriations report. The Senate had ample time to publish their report but failed to do so. As members of Congress mull over their New Year’s resolutions, lawmakers should resolve to slash earmarks and save future generations from a lifetime of debt. The failed status-quo of hundreds of earmarks per year stuffed into appropriations bills simply cannot continue. Taxpayers are looking for real leadership from Capitol Hill, not reckless spending and hidden kickbacks to cronies.
You can see the full list of 785 earmarks here.
Earmarks are alive and well and you can blame both parties.
Blogs:
Monday: Taxpayers Cough Up For More F-35s The Pentagon Didn’t Ask For
Monday: Watchdog Praises Lawmakers for Not Rushing on Surprise Billing Solution
Tuesday: Watchdog Slams Wasteful and Reckless Spending Bill
Wednesday: BREAKING: Watchdog Uncovers $16.1 Billion in Defense Earmarks
Friday: Watchdog Slams Proposed Reimportation Rule
Media:
December 13, 2019: The American Journal of Transportation mentioned TPA in their article, “Statement of Chairman Ajit Pai on use of 5.9 GHZ band.”
December 16, 2019: Catalyst ran TPA’s op-ed, “An Alzheimer’s Cure May Be On the Horizon—But Only With Right-Sized Regulations.”
December 16, 2019: I appeared in NBC-4’s (WRC-TV; Washington, D.C.) story, “Virginia Sheriff’s Charity Potentially Violated Federal Tax Rules.”
December 18, 2019: Townhall ran TPA’s op-ed, “Bloomberg Just Another Also-Ran with Fat Wallet and Bad Ideas.”
December 18, 2019: I appeared on “The Dale Jackson Show” on News Talk 770-AM (Athens, Ala.) to talk about surprise medical billing and earmarks.
December 18, 2019: I appeared on American Family News to talk about the bloated spending bill and earmarks.
December 19, 2019: I appeared on WBOB Radio (600 AM and 101 FM; Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about earmarks and healthcare.
December 19, 2019: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the bloated spending bill and earmarks.
Have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for your continued support.
Best,
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org
