Blunt Rochester Introduces Common Sense Proposal Urging Transparency in Appropriation Process

Press Release

Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), introduced a proposal to amend the standing rules of the U.S. House of Representatives to ensure that the House Appropriations Committee provide spending parameters before the House takes any floor action on appropriations bills. The proposal, if enacted, would provide Members of Congress with the critical information they need to make informed decisions on upcoming appropriations legislation.

"If we are going to work toward rebuilding trust and confidence in government, we've got to do things differently," Congresswoman Blunt Rochester said. "My goal is to ensure the budget process is open, transparent and accessible to the American people, and this is a common sense step toward meeting that goal. Americans across the country are forced to make tough decisions as it relates to their purchasing power, and we should hold ourselves and our government to the same standard. There is simply no reason that the committees should be making spending decisions without knowing how much money is or is not available."

Rep. Blunt Rochester's proposal would amend Clause 2 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives ensuring Congress is provided with a full set of funding allocations from the Appropriations Committee before any votes are taken. Currently, the House Appropriations Committee has begun work on the twelve 2018 appropriations bills (which fund the federal government) without revealing its overall 2018 funding outline and hence the majority leadership in the committee is not being fully transparent about the fiscal tradeoffs they are making in the federal budget.

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