July 26, 2006
An Open Letter to the United States Senate:
Make Budget Justifications Public!
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the millions of citizens represented by the
organizations below, the National Taxpayers Union and OMB
Watch strongly urge you to support efforts to make all federal
departments’ budget justifications publicly available. These
detailed reports, currently furnished only to the Appropriations
Committees, explain agencies’ spending priorities and outline
budget allocations from previous years.
Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) plans to introduce amendments
that would make those documents a matter of public record,
while still excluding information that could compromise
national security. Under such legislation, each department
would be required to post its entire budget justification online
within 48 hours of submitting it to the Appropriations
Committee. This requirement would further open the budget
and appropriations process to public scrutiny at virtually no cost
or effort to the agencies.
As advocates from diverse political perspectives, we concur
that government transparency is vital to the health of our
political system. Regardless of our views on the appropriate
role of the federal government, we believe government must
publicly disclose its spending decisions and the rationale behind
them. Such disclosure will help encourage a more actively
engaged citizenry, resulting in a more effective and efficient
government.
American taxpayers should not be kept in the dark about
spending decisions, and yet there are obstacles at every
turn. Shadowy policymaking climates often lead to adverse
results, as recent bribery investigations of several Members of
Congress demonstrate. Disclosing agency budget justifications
is a key step in shining sunlight on the appropriations process
and should be accessible to any American. Moreover, the
availability of such information will help the electorate better
understand the decisions that Members of Congress make.
We realize this proposal may draw resistance from federal
agencies and possibly within Congress. Yet bureaucratic
conflicts and congressional turf wars are not sufficient reasons
to withhold this information from the public. In the interest of
Arizona Federation of
Taxpayers
Arizona Free Enterprise Club
good governance and democratic principles, we urge you
to unite in support of legislative efforts to disclose budget
justification documents.
Sincerely,
John Berthoud
President
National Taxpayers Union
Gary D. Bass
Executive Director
OMB Watch
Big Island Sustainable
Communities (HI)
Helena R. Berger
Chief Operating Officer
American Association of People with Disabilities
J. William Lauderback
Executive Vice President
The American Conservative Union
Center for Individual Freedom
Amy Isaacs
National Director
Americans for Democratic Action
Citizens Against Higher Taxes
Barbara Polk
President
Americans for Democratic Action (Hawaii Chapter)
Dick Patten
Executive Director
American Family Business Institute
Charles Loveless
Director of Legislation
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME)
Congressional Accountability
Project
John Tillman
President
Americans for Limited Government
Tim Phillips
President
Americans for Prosperity
The Conservative Caucus
Tom Jenney
Executive Director
Arizona Federation of Taxpayers
Steve Voeller
President
Arizona Free Enterprise Club
The Council of Professional
Associations on Federal
Statistics (COPAFS)
Eagle Forum of Alabama
Timothy Wise
President
Arlington County Taxpayers Association
William Rice
President
Big Island Sustainable Communities Association (HI)
Jeffrey Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom
Jim Broussard
Chairman
Citizens Against Higher Taxes
FreeNYS.org
Barbara Anderson
Executive Director
Citizens for Limited Taxation
Chuck Muth
President
Citizen Outreach
Gary Ruskin
Director
Congressional Accountability Project
Kansas Taxpayers Network
Law Review Project
Howard Phillips
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus, Inc.
Thomas A. Schatz
President
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Edward J. Spar
Executive Director
Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics
Eunie Smith
President
Eagle Forum of Alabama
Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks
Mark Bitz
President
FreeNYS.org
Mary Brumder
Executive Director
Government Accountability Project
Kevin McLaughlin
President
Iowans for Discounted Taxes
Karl Peterjohn
Executive Director
Kansas Taxpayers Network
National Advocacy Center
Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Leon Louw
CEO
Law Review Project
Michael D. Ostrolenk
National Director
Liberty Coalition
Daniel Weiner
Secretary
Libertarian Party of California
Richard Falknor
Executive Vice-President
Maryland Taxpayers Association
Shela Silverman
Mental Health Association of New Mexico
New York Tax Reform Organization
Forest Thigpen
President
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Sister Gayle Lwanga
National Coordinator
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good
Shepherd
Leroy Watson
Legislative Director
National Grange
Lewis K. Uhler
President
National Tax Limitation Committee
Fred Lane
Founder and Chair
New York Tax Reform Organization (NYTRO)
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Bill Sizemore
Executive Director
Oregon Taxpayers United
Reverend Jennifer Kottler
Deputy Director
Protestants for the Common Good
San Diego Tax Fighters
Dr. Don Racheter
President
Public Interest Institute
Geoffrey Segal
Director of Government Reform
Reason Foundation
Paul Gessing
President
Rio Grande Foundation (NM)
Nick Sauvie
Executive Director
ROSE Community Development (OR)
Richard Rider
Chair
San Diego Tax Fighters
Ellen S. Miller, ED
Executive Director
Sunlight Foundation
Steve Ellis
Vice President of Programs
Taxpayers for Common Sense
David Strom
President
Taxpayers League of Minnesota
Rick Durham
President
Tennessee Tax Revolt, Inc.
United Californians for Tax
Reform
Jeff Blum
Executive Director
US Action
Roland Boucher
Chairman
United Californians for Tax Reform
Al Aitken
Chairman
Virginians Over-Taxed On Residences (VOTORS)
W CTA
Wayne County Taxpayers Association, Inc.
Rose Bogaert
Chair
Wayne County Taxpayers Association, Inc.