Washington, D.C. – Today, Eastern Washington’s Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Chair of the House Republican Conference, introduced legislation to restore the “power of the purse” to the American people as outlined in Article I of the Constitution. The USA Act eliminates unauthorized spending — spending on government programs that hasn’t been authorized by the people’s representatives.

“The Founding Fathers intended a government ‘deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”’ McMorris Rodgers said. “As we build a bold, forward-looking agenda, a top priority is to restore the voice of ‘We, the People.’ 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.

“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. 

“A big part of the problem is due to what people in Washington, D.C. call ‘unauthorized spending’ — spending on government programs that have not been authorized by the people’s representatives. This means that the American people are prevented from exercising their power of the purse. When unauthorized spending is stopped through the USA Act, it will reclaim power for every man, woman, and child in this country.”

In a CNN report on reauthorization, by Jake Tapper, this was described as “Zombie” government programs. CLICK HERE to view this short zombies-inspired video released by McMorris Rodgers on Friday, March 11,2016.

H.R. 4730, The Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act of 2016 puts all unauthorized programs on a pathway to sunset in 3 years and requires any new authorizations or reauthorizations to include a sunset clause. This means every government program will be routinely scrutinized and updated by the People’s representatives.

The following representatives have cosponsored McMorris Rodgers’ legislation: Price, Rob Bishop (UT), Brat, Buck, Byrne, Cramer, Davis, Farenthold, Flores, Franks, Hudson, McClintock, Messer, Mullin, Olson, Palmer, Ribble, Wagner, Walker, and Westerman.