Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette and Jonathan Bydlak at Roll Call:
There are several ways for Congress to regain power over our federal spending, one of which is to pass the Congressional Power of the Purse Act, a comprehensive reform bill that enjoys broad bipartisan support from civil society groups. The legislation would increase transparency around federal spending and strengthen the Government Accountability Office’s ability to oversee spending decisions and rein in executive branch emergency powers.
In light of severe congressional dysfunction, action on this and other pro-accountability reforms could not be more timely.
Americans just want to know that their government is not wasting their hard-earned resources. They want to trust that the government is acting in their best interest and is doing so ethically and effectively.
These ends require Congress stepping up to advance substantive changes that meaningfully restore the imbalance between the legislative and executive branches in the arena of spending. In an era of gridlock and intense partisan polarization, both in Congress and in the country at large, this is exactly the type of thing we should all be able to agree on. Only by doing so will we once again have the responsible and accountable government that we all want and deserve