Palmer Introduces Bill to Hold Federal Agencies Accountable

Press Release

Today Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL) introduced the Agency Accountability Act (AAA), requiring all fines, fees, penalties, and other unappropriated funds collected by federal agencies to be transferred to the Treasury, and subject to the appropriations process.

"This legislation will bring transparency and oversight back to our government," said Palmer. "Throughout the years, Congress has granted federal agencies the authority to collect fines, fees and other revenues outside of their appropriated funds, but Congress has had little or no say in the way a substantial portion of these monies are spent, which in some instances has led to agency abuse. Congress must begin reclaiming our Article I authority through the power of the purse and put the money back under Congressional oversight where it belongs. I look forward to the support of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle as we work to restore Article I appropriation and oversight authority to Congress."

A sizable portion of the fines, fees and other revenues are used by agencies to self-fund programs or operations outside of the normal appropriations process. For example, entities such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) receive no appropriated funds from Congress. According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in 2015 the federal government collected $516 billion in user fees alone. Last year U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) intended to fund President Obama's unconstitutional executive action on illegal immigration through fines and fees and circumvent the will of Congress. The Agency Accountability Act would allow Congress to effectively regain the power of the purse over the actions of federal agencies and bring more transparency and accountability to the federal government.

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