HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Boehner Endorses Mandatory Review Period for Major Spending Bills, Praises Work of Cantor-Led Anti-Waste Group

During a meeting today with representatives of organizations fighting government waste organized by House GOP Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), House GOP Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said that in addition to eliminating billions of dollars in wasteful spending that is currently in the federal budget, Congress should adopt a mandatory 72-hour public review rule for all major spending bills.  The 72-hour review proposal, which Boehner said would help to prevent taxpayer-funded outrages such as the empty “Airport for No One” in the congressional district of Democratic Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and huge bonuses for AIG executives, is a reform proposal that been advocated by nonpartisan organizations such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a coalition of reform-minded state legislators, and the pro-transparency Sunlight Foundation. 

Under the guidance of Rep. Cantor, the House GOP Economic Recovery Solutions Group is working on a list of recommended spending cuts and reforms to present to President Obama.  Boehner praised the work of the Cantor-led Solutions Group and suggested the mandatory 72-hour review could be included in this reform package along with the list of significant cuts in existing waste and unnecessary spending that Republicans are expected to recommend to the President.

Boehner said a 72-hour mandatory review period alone would “hardly be a cure-all” for preventing waste, but would be “a good first step toward greater transparency and accountability in congressional spending.”

During the debate over the controversial “stimulus” bill early this year, Leader Boehner tossed text of the massive trillion-dollar spending bill to the floor of the House in protest of the Democratic majority’s refusal to allow the American people to have even 48 hours to review the bill’s contents.  The video of Boehner’s floor speech has since received nearly half a million views on YouTube. 

It was later revealed that the “stimulus” spending bill included taxpayer funding for AIG bonuses.  Funds from the “stimulus” have also been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to repave the empty “Airport for No One” in the congressional district of Democratic Rep. John Murtha (D-PA).  Murtha is a close confident of powerful House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Transparency in Government. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Boehner Endorses Mandatory Review Period for Major Spending Bills, Praises Work of Cantor-Led Anti-Waste Group”

1. The Cloakroom » Hill Update: Busy months ahead & waiting periods for dangerous weapons Says:
   May 15th, 2009 at 7:01 am

   […] Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) are pushing for Congress to adopt a mandatory 72-hour public review rule for all major spending bills. This is an idea that is a long time coming. Too often spending bills […]

2. JT Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm

   I am glad to see that steps are being taken to improve things.

3. JP Says:
   May 19th, 2009 at 11:36 pm

   A mandatory review period is very much needed–especially when the legislation is a major spending bill or major change in public policy, i.e., health care. Rushing major pieces of legislation through Congress as the current administration and majority leaders haved done reflects a tragic disrespect for the principles laid by our counry’s founders. It’s good to see Republican leadership taking these steps.

4. Todd Dreyer Says:
   July 8th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

   The public and Congress should be given at least 48 hours to review all bills and amendments, not just spending bills. The only exception should be legislation addressing national or regional emergencies.

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