Letter to Speaker Boehner: Restore Fiscal Conservatives to Their Committees

Dear Speaker Boehner,

On behalf of our million-plus FreedomWorks members nationwide, I strongly urge you to restore Reps. Justin Amash (R-MI), Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), and David Schweikert (R-AZ) to their respective committees. Many in the grassroots freedom movement are angered and disappointed by the news that the House Republican Steering Committee has purged three strong fiscal conservatives from their assignments on key committees. While no public explanation has been given for their removal, nor have they have been directly informed of it, there is strong evidence that they were removed solely because their votes were not in lockstep with leadership. It seems plain that the leadership hopes to enforce party discipline by punishing dissent. When did it become a crime to stand up for fiscal common sense and constitutionally limited government?

These legislators are popular with grassroots freedom activists because of their commitment to limited government principles. Rep. Amash, who has been removed from the Budget Committee, has a 100 percent FreedomWorks lifetime rating. Rep. Huelskamp, removed from the Budget Committee, has a 96 percent FreedomWorks lifetime rating. Rep. Schweikert, removed from the Financial Services Committee, has a 96 percent FreedomWorks lifetime rating. These principled legislators have stood with the Constitution even when it was unpopular to do so and have routinely voted against big spending bills. They should be praised, not punished.

If the Republican Party wants to become the majority governing party, it must stop alienating the millions of grassroots citizens upon whom it depends and whose principles it claims to share. House Republicans should not ostracize their own members for holding the Republican view that Washington should not spend money it does not have.

We applaud these three constitutional guardians for taking principled stands against bloated bills that would cripple our economy and add to our national debt. These men are voting the way that they promised their constituents they would—on principle. I strongly urge you to restore Congressmen Amash, Huelskamp, and Schweikert to their respective committees.

Sincerely,

Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks
[Click here for a PDF version of this letter.]