Radical Plan to Kill or Realign Federal Programs

[rodeodance]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Radical Plan to Kill or Realign Federal Programs
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 12:26:20 -0400
From: Gary Bass <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: Gary Bass - OMB Watch <[e-mail]>
To: cccccccc


OMB Watch

--Please Circulate--
Radical Plan to Kill or Realign Federal Programs

"Sunset Commission" Bill Could Leave Public Powerless to Save Important Programs

Whether you care about safe workplaces or farmers' markets, public parks or domestic abuse shelters, the programs that you care about are at risk from a bill that would create a backdoor for their elimination. Without you or your representatives' say, programs and even whole agencies could be killed or restructured to the point of making their work impossible.

A threat is now building in the House of Representatives: some lawmakers are pushing legislation that would force all federal programs--from Head Start to Even Start; from EPA to OSHA; and from urban development to rural healthcare--to defend themselves before an unelected commission. This one "sunset commission" would make recommendations to kill, consolidate, or "realign" all programs (with rare exception), and would have the power to force its recommendations through Congress, limiting your representatives' ability to save important programs from the chopping block.

People who rely on these services and the nonprofit organizations that provide them could be left completely in the dark, with no way of knowing whether their programs are on the chopping block and no way to save them.

The threat is real. In the scramble for votes to pass the budget, a handful of conservative lawmakers were able to strike a deal with House leaders: in exchange for their votes, they were promised that a bill for sunset commissions would be put to a vote in the coming months. We expect this vote as early as June.

So get ready to get active!

OMB Watch is following these dangerous proposals and working with other groups to stop this radical plan. To learn more and stay on top of the latest developments, check out:

www.OMBWatch.org/sunset

We'll track the latest news, provide background, offer analysis and talking points, and much more, including this just-released paper on the sunset commission.

And keep your eye on:

www.OMBWatch.org/sunset

for actions to take in the coming weeks to stop Congress from putting federal programs on the "sunset commission" chopping block!

Yours truly,

Gary D. Bass
Executive Director
OMB Watch

1742 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
http://www.ombwatch.org

Promoting Government Accountability and Citizen Participation since 1983