This website uses cookies to improve your experience.

Please enable cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website

Sign the petition

to call for a

Convention of States!

signatures
Columns Default Settings

Check out these crazy "emergency spending" items in Congress's new bill

Published in Blog on July 30, 2020 by Article V Patriot

Never one to let an emergency go to waste, the U.S. House has unveiled its new "minibus" spending package -- a bill designed to keep the federal government funded in the short-term and already the second such bill proposed this year.

It's a $1 trillion behemoth that would go on top of the coronavirus spending already being proposed by Democrats and Republicans.

But here's the real kicker: the bill also includes $207 billion in "emergency spending" that proponents say is necessary to address the COVID-19 pandemic (as if the other aid bill isn't enough!). 

But much of this "emergency spending" doesn't have anything to do with the coronavirus outbreak, as The Daily Signal reports:

  • $17 billion for Army Corps of Engineers work on water infrastructure projects such as dams. This has nothing to do with the pandemic and would continue the “rob Peter to pay Paul” practice of subsidizing certain states and localities at the expense of others.
  • $23.5 billion for the Department of Energy, most of which would go toward “green” initiatives. This would be yet another attempt to jump-start the Green New Deal, which seeks to transform the economy by giving even more power and control to bureaucrats and politicians.
  • $61 billion in subsidies for expanding broadband internet service, primarily to rural areas. This is currently messaged as necessary to help children with remote learning as a result of school building closures. In reality, it would be a substantial subsidy to a rapidly shrinking number of households, and deployment would take far too long to help districts during the upcoming school year.
  • $26 billion for transportation infrastructure, which is promoted as an economic recovery measure. There are gaping holes in this plan. Infrastructure spending is ineffective as economic stimulus, since it’s slow-moving and tends to shift rather than create jobs. Worse, the spending is weighted toward mass transit, which represents a tiny portion of the nation’s transportation use. That means the spending would provide minimal value.
  • $49 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which would roughly double its spending. Nothing that this agency does has any meaningful relationship to addressing the pandemic, and the extra spending would primarily serve to subsidize people who choose to live in urban areas.

For those keeping score at home, this means $166 of the $207 billion in "emergency spending" is either wasteful and unnecessary or has nothing to do with COVID.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Daily Signal outlines a number of other problems in the minibus bill, which you can read about here

Congress has abused its taxpayer-funded credit card long enough. For decades, our representatives have used our money to advance their political agenda, their power-plays, and their career moves.

It's time for a change in D.C. An Article V Convention of States is called and controlled by the states and the people, and has the power to propose constitutional amendments that reform the way our money is spent in D.C.

These amendments can mandate a balanced budget while prohibiting Congress from simply raising taxes to match their irresponsible spending. With this kind of amendment in place (among others), the federal government will be forced to think carefully about what is truly necessary to protect life, liberty, and property. They won't be able to use taxpayer money to bribe states into implementing their top-down policies, and they'll be forced to get our spending and debt under control.

Millions of Americans have joined the movement, and 15 states have passed the Convention of States Resolution. Sign the petition below to join the movement!

Sign the petition to call for an Article V convention!

2,666,372 signatures

Petition your state legislator

Almost everyone knows that our federal government is on a dangerous course. The unsustainable debt combined with crushing regulations on states and businesses is a recipe for disaster.

What is less known is that the Founders gave state legislatures the power to act as a final check on abuses of power by Washington, DC. Article V of the U.S. Constitution authorizes the state legislatures to call a convention to proposing needed amendments to the Constitution. This process does not require the consent of the federal government in Washington DC.

I support Convention of States; a national movement to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution, restricted to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress.

I want our state to be one of the necessary 34 states to pass a resolution calling for this kind of an Article V convention. You can find a copy of the model resolution and the Article V Pocket Guide (which explains the process and answers many questions) here: https://conventionofstates.com/handbook_pdf

I ask that you support Convention of States and consider becoming a co-sponsor. Please respond to my request by informing the national COS team of your position, or sending them any questions you may have:

info@conventionofstates.com or (540) 441-7227.

Thank you so much for your service to the people of our district.

Respectfully, [Your Name]

By checking this box, you agree to receive text messages sent via an “autodialer”. Our text messages are intended to inform you of events, calls to action, volunteering opportunities, and other matters pertaining to self-governance. Text STOP to stop receiving messages. Text HELP for more info. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. View Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Provide your full address and we will deliver your petition directly to your state legislators now and again during the legislative sessions, Free of Charge. We Protect your privacy.

We welcome all US citizens to support our movement by signing the petition. To deliver the petition to your state legislators, you must enter your full address, which must be within one of the 50 states. For military personnel serving overseas, or for expatriates, enter your Voting Residence Address .

Please be sure to check the "Send me email updates" box, and include your phone number above.

How did you hear about us:

Click here to get involved!
Convention of states action

Are you sure you don't want emailed updates on our progress and local events? We respect your privacy, but we don't want you to feel left out!

Processing...