INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE:
National Priorities Project Decries Congress's Failure to Follow Democratic Process
Executive Director Jo Comerford Available for Interviews re: Federal Appropriations Crisis
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In response to reports that Congress will again miss the Oct. 1st deadline for appropriations for the coming fiscal year and instead rely on a continuing resolution to temporarily fund government operations, National Priorities Project (NPP) decries this failure of democracy. Funding our nation on stop-gap spending measures not only diverts Congress's attention away from other critical issues -- such as the economy and jobs -- but also eliminates an essential step in the democratic process, where citizens get to weigh in on our nation's budget priorities.
As a non-partisan, non-profit organization with the mission to make the federal budget accessible and transparent for all Americans, NPP has tracked the ongoing lack of citizen participation in the budget process. In the last 10 years, not once has Congress passed a budget on time -- and the result is that the priorities of Americans are hardly reflected in decisions about how our tax dollars are spent.
"Congress has failed to meet its appropriations deadline of Oct. 1st for a decade, once again opting for last-minute, opaque appropriations by continuing resolution (C.R.). This seriously undermines the transparency of the process and Americans' ability to influence how their tax dollars are spent. Much has been made of the fiscal and economic impacts, but the damage done to the transparency of the appropriations process is far worse for democracy. Citizens need and deserve a process that is regular and clear so they can weigh in with their representatives about their priorities," said National Priorities Project Executive Director Jo Comerford.
Learn more about the National Priorities Project at nationalpriorities.org.
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National Priorities Project (NPP) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that makes our complex federal budget transparent and accessible so people can exercise their right and responsibility to influence how their tax dollars are spent. NPP believes the U.S. federal budget will reflect the values and priorities of a majority of Americans when all people have the opportunity and ability to participate in shaping our nation's budget.
