This editorial board supports USA Act

The largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, endorses Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ “strong proposal” to make the federal government more accountable to the voice of “We, the people.”

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers represents Eastern Washington’s 5^th Congressional District and serves as the Chair of the House Republican Conference. Her bill, the USA Act, eliminates unauthorized spending — any spending on government programs that hasn’t been authorized by the people’s representatives.

Here is an excerpt from the endorsement:

“One of the many bad habits our Congress has is its insistence on passing “continuing resolutions” that keep our government funded when its members should instead be voting on individual spending bills. Congress is required to pass a dozen discretionary bills, but hasn’t done so since 1994. Republicans pledged things would change when they held the House and regained control of the Senate in November 2014, but they’ve made little progress.

“Arguably the most persistent problem with Congress’ inaction is that it helps needless programs continually get renewed federal funding, while technically never getting reapproved by Congress.

“Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., equates these programs with zombies that feed on our tax dollars and continue to exist long after they were supposed to die out. Rep. McMorris Rodgers says her new bill, the Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act of 2016 (or USA Act), would set in motion a pathway to sunset all unauthorized programs within three years, and require all new authorizations and reauthorizations to carry a sunset clause.

“‘We hear the frustrations of families and individuals whose power to make the best decisions for themselves has been taken away by a government that thinks it knows best and isn’t being held accountable,’ Rep. McMorris Rodgers said last week while introducing the legislation. ‘These frustrations are a symptom of the people losing their power to ensure every penny of taxpayer money is subject to citizens’ scrutiny and accountability. Too much of the government is currently on autopilot, and it’s time to challenge the status quo.’”

McMorris Rodgers’ legislation has received strong support from organizations across the country including, Americans for Prosperity, the National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, FreedomWorks, the American Conservative Union, the Hispanic Leadership Fund, the Black Economic-Security Trust, Generation Opportunity, and many others.

On March 14, 2016, McMorris Rodgers introduced the Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act of 2016 (H.R. 4730). Click here to learn more.