CSE Urges YES Vote on Sessions Amendment to FY04 Legislative Branch Appropriations

July 10, 2003

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the 280,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I urge you to vote YES on the proposed Sessions Amendment to the “FY04 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill”.

The Senate Appropriations Committee added $100 million in new funds for AmeriCorps. This money was not part of the President’s emergency supplemental request. Further, AmeriCorps operates on the failed premise that the United States government must pay its citizens in order to get them to volunteer. This program is not a federal responsibility, and in light of America’s pressing security needs, should be terminated completely.

The new AmeriCorps funding is classified as “emergency” spending, which makes it a budget buster since Congress will not have to find offsets in other programs to pay for it. This is a prime example of Congress moving to undermine the very budget it set for itself.

As we understand it, the Sessions amendment would strip out the new AmeriCorps funding or require that it be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. This is an appropriate step, and CSE supports Senator Sessions’ efforts to maintain budgetary discipline.

CSE will count the vote on the proposed Sessions Amendment to the “FY04 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill” as a KEY VOTE to be reported to our members in your state. This KEY VOTE will be used to determine your eligibility for our Jefferson Award, to be presented at the conclusion of the 108th Congress. This award is provided to those legislators that espouse the CSE principles of limited government, lower taxes, and more freedom.

Sincerely,

Paul Beckner,

President and CEO