Introducing the Taxpayer Protection and Anti-Fraud Act

Last week, I introduced legislation to keep your tax dollars from going to organizations that are indicted for voter fraud or related crimes, or that employ people indicted for such criminal behavior. Getting federal funds is not a right and organizations that want access your hard-earned tax dollars should have to meet high standards. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and groups that have repeatedly engaged in questionable activities have gotten millions of dollars.

 

For instance, in more than a dozen states, ACORN has been indicted, investigated, or forced into a consent decree for engaging voter registration fraud or employing people who engage in such criminal behavior. The prosecutors who bring the cases against them - both Republicans and Democrats alike - note that ACORN's very structure encourages such behavior.

 

These prosecutors are working to protect the integrity of the very core of our citizenship - the electoral process. Congress should follow their lead and ensure that only organizations that live up to the highest ethical standards are eligible for your tax dollars. ACORN has received about $53 million in direct federal funding since 1997, and it now has access to up to $8.5 billion more.

 

Particularly when money is tight and families across the country are tightening their belts, Congress needs to raise the bar and keep organizations with such a record from freely accessing your tax dollars. Taxpayer funding is not a right; it is a privilege and it must be earned. My bill would move the bar higher and keep Congress from funneling your tax dollars to groups that haven't earned your trust or the privilege to use your money.