FreedomWorks to Host Tea Party Debt Commission Field Hearings in Utah
WHAT: This week, FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe and select staffers will host four Tea Party Debt Commission (TPDC) field hearings across the state of Utah. Senator Mike Lee will join his constituents for the final field hearing in Provo, UT to participate in the ongoing discussion over how to rein in government spending. Local activists are expected to attend, and encouraged to bring their own proposals for specific cuts to the federal budget.
The Tea Party Debt Commission consists of twelve members, paralleling the structure of the new “super-committee” created by Congress as part of the recent debt ceiling compromise. Committee members are volunteer tea party activists from a variety of states across the country, including CO, CT, IN, NH, NV, NY, OH, PA, UT, and VA.
The committee’s goal is to create a budget plan that balances the federal budget within 10 years; reduces federal spending to 18 percent of GDP; reduces the national debt to no more than 66 percent of GDP; reduces federal spending by at least $9 trillion over 10 years (including $300 billion in the first year); and does not raise taxes.
WHEN & WHERE:
September 26, 2011: TPDC field hearing in Ogden, UT
Location: Weber County Library, Black Box Theater, Pleasant Valley Branch, 5568 South Adams Ave. Ogden, UT 84405
Time: Doors open at 6:30pm MT, events run from 7-9pm MT
September 27, 2011: TPDC field hearing in Logan, UT
Location: The Riverwoods, Cottonwood and Juniper Conference Room, 615 Riverwoods Parkway (80 East), Logan, UT 84321
Time: Doors open at 6:30pm MT, events run from 7-9pm MT
September 28, 2011: TPDC field hearing in St. George, UT
Location: St. George City Hall, Council Chambers, 175 East 200 North, St. George, UT 84770
Time: Doors open at 6:30pm MT, events run from 7-9pm MT
September 30, 2011: TPDC field hearing in Provo, UT with Senator Mike Lee
Location: Provo City Center, Council Chambers, 351 West Center, Provo, UT 84601
Time: Doors open at 6:30pm MT, events run from 7-9pm MT
WHY: FreedomWorks believes that President Obama’s “super-committee” will inevitably fall prey to special interest groups, shutting American taxpayers out of the discussion over how to reduce spending and balance the budget. The Tea Party Debt Commission was created to give the American people a platform to be heard, and to propose specific cuts to the federal budget.
The Tea Party Debt Commission began its grassroots outreach with email submissions and an online crowd-sourcing tool allowing voters to prioritize spending cuts. Each vote cuts a program, and projects the one-year and 10-year savings that cut would generate.
The first official field hearing took place on September 1st in Salt Lake City, UT, with over 250 local activists in attendance. The second field hearing took place in Orlando Florida, during the Florida CPAC convention. The committee plans to continue holding field hearings in key cities across the country, including Philadelphia, PA; Cincinnati, OH; Louisville KY; Columbia, SC; and Indianapolis, IN.
FreedomWorks recruits, educates, trains and mobilizes volunteer activists to fight for less government, lower taxes, and more freedom. Founded in 1984, FreedomWorks is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has over 1.4 million grassroots volunteers nationwide. For more information on the Tea Party Debt Commission, please visit http://www.freedomworks.org/tea-party-debt-commission.
