[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 173 (Friday, November 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16637-S16638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ENDING WELFARE FOR LOBBYISTS

  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, on the heels of welfare and lobby reform, 
Congress is just beginning to address the issue of welfare for 
lobbyists.
  Both Houses of Congress have passed legislation aimed at curbing the 
abusive practice of forcing taxpayers to subsidize lobbying activity. 
Even so, we are coming dangerously close to returning to business as 
usual in Washington.
  The Treasury-Postal appropriations conferees have been debating the 
welfare for lobbyists issue for weeks. The only agreement so far has 
been an agreement to disagree.
  Mr. President, each year, the American taxpayers give more than $39 
billion--that is ``billion,'' with a ``B''--to organizations which turn 
around and use those dollars to lobby Congress for more taxpayer 
dollars.
  Over the past several months, we have seen those 39 billion tax 
dollars hard at work here in Washington.
  During this summer's Medicare debate, one of the most vocal 
contributors to the Medi-Scare campaign of misinformation was AARP, an 
organization which received more than 70 million taxpayer dollars 
during a 1-year period between July 1993 and June 1994--70 million 
taxpayer dollars.
  Here are just a few other examples of American's hard-earned tax 
dollars at work: $250,000 went to the Child Welfare League of America, 
which turned around and launched a vicious ad campaign aimed at 
increasing welfare spending; its ad against the Contract With America's 
welfare reform proposal screamed, ``More children will be 

[[Page S 16638]]
killed. More children will be raped;'' another $1 million went to the 
American Nurses Association, which proudly announces their mission to 
``lobby Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues;'' 
$150,000 went to AFSCME, which denounced the recent welfare plan, 
claiming it ``will drive more families into poverty and turn its back 
on hard-working Americans who fall on hard times;'' $2 million went to 
the AFL-CIO, which, over the Memorial Day congressional recess, used 
that $2 million to pressure Members of Congress on labor issues. The 
union's ``Stand Up'' campaign included radio ads and direct mail.
  Now, Mr. President, I recognize that not all of the tax dollars used 
to subsidize these groups goes directly to political advocacy. And not 
all of these dollars go to organizations with a political agenda--many 
are directed to worthwhile charities that are doing the right thing in 
their communities.
  But many of these organizations are really lobbying and political 
front groups that are taking taxpayer dollars and spending them on 
political activities.
  All Americans are guaranteed the first amendment right to speak out, 
but they do not have the right to speak out at taxpayer's expense.
  Thomas Jefferson made this point nearly two centuries ago when he 
said, ``To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas 
he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.''
  Not only are we compelling taxpayers to pay for the propagation of 
ideas they do not believe in, we are doing it behind their back, and we 
are adding to the Nation's enormous deficit to do it.
  Mr. President, Americans work too hard for their money to see it 
spent for them promoting political causes they oppose. And they work 
too hard for their money to give it to lobbyists in the form of 
welfare.
  Now the evidence that this welfare for lobbyists really does exist 
was never more obvious than earlier this year, during the lobbying 
reform debate.
  When we came close to passing a strong provision in Treasury-Postal 
appropriations limiting taxpayer-financed lobbying--the compromise 
provision reached between Senator Simpson and our colleague in the 
House, Representative Istook--our offices came under siege from groups 
lobbying to protect their special interest.
  Now, this is not going to effect the efforts of many major groups 
such as the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the 
American Cancer Society, the United Way, and the hundreds of other 
organizations which still manage to lobby effectively without financial 
assistance from the taxpayers will attest.
  Mr. President, all the Simpson-Istook compromise does is require 
Federal grantees to act like true charities.
  It is important to understand that there is not an absolute 
prohibition on lobbying. The Simpson-Istook compromise recognizes that 
there are gray lines between activities such as providing information 
to Congress, and actually lobbying Congress.
  For this reason, no organization will be capped at less than $25,000 
and many organizations will still be able to spend up to $1 million for 
their lobbying activities here in Washington.
  Yet even with these generous limits, opponents have cranked up a 
propaganda machine unequaled in any debate this year. They have even 
formed the so-called Let America Speak Coalition, whose members have 
been quoted as saying that, ``If Istook passes, nonprofits will no 
longer draft [regulations]. * * *''
  Mr. President, why are nonprofits that receive taxpayer funding 
writing Federal regulations in the first place?
  These groups go even further by calling this legislation a gag rule 
that is unfair and un-American. But I would suggest to them that free 
speech is not free at all if Uncle Sam's taxpayers are footing the bill 
for it.
  The amount of disinformation being spread by these groups has been 
astounding.
  We have all heard how those who rely on Government assistance such as 
students, farmers, and welfare recipients will supposedly lose their 
right to lobby.
  The House language specifically exempts this type of Government 
assistance--yet the untruths continue.
  The Senate needs to pass strict reforms that will require full 
disclosure of all Federal money spent by grantees, reforms that will 
truly eliminate all Federal funding of political advocacy.
  We also need to stop the political games in which a grantee supports 
an affiliate who does the lobbying for them. And there needs to be 
tough penalties for organizations that knowingly violate the rules.
  Mr. President, I have no desire to limit the ability of people to 
exercise their right to free speech--as long as its with their own 
resources and their own money. But there is no place for taxpayer-
subsidized political advocacy in a truly free society.
  The hard-earned tax dollars that we ask working Americans to send to 
Washington should be reserved for those who truly need them, and not to 
provide welfare for these lobbying groups.
  I urge my colleagues to end the tyranny Thomas Jefferson warned 
against and support real reform that will put money in the pockets of 
taxpayers and keep those taxpayer dollars basically out of the pockets 
of lobbyists.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. The Senator from Alaska is recognized to speak up to 20 
minutes.

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