CFA has sent an alert to members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging opposition to the costly Foreign Affairs Authorization bill up for a vote today:
The Center for Fiscal Accountability urges all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote NO on H.R. 2410 the “Foreign Relations Authorization Act, FYs 2010/2011.”At a time when taxpayers bear the cost of several costly government bailouts and the trillion dollar spending and debt package, Congress should refrain from massive spending increases.However, according to the House Minority Leader’s office, this bill would authorize more than 19 billion in spending, and would increase funding levels by 13.9% over FY2009, which constitutes a significant jump.It would further expand the size and scope of government by creating about twenty new government entities, the cost of which will have to be picked up by taxpayers. In addition, taxpayers have every reason to question the need for a 35% raise in the State Department basic salary and operations account (which includes a 23% pay raise for Foreign Service Officers) at a time when the U.S. economy is hemorrhaging jobs and they are struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the merits of contributions to the UN and Peace Corps spending should be re-evaluated rather than simply increased by more than 30 percent.Taxpayers deserve better – vote NO on H.R. 2410!