April 20, 2016

U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator,

            You will soon vote on H.R. 2028, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016.  On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I urge you to support the following amendment to the bill:

Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) amendment to eliminate funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority, the Denali Commission, and the Northern Border Regional Commission.  The Appalachian Regional Commission has received a total of $221.5 million in earmarks since fiscal year (FY) 1995, including $51 million in FY 2016, according to the 2016 Congressional Pig Book.  The Delta Regional Authority has received $30.8 million in earmarks since FY 2003, including $13,064,000 in FY 2016.  Through FY 2015, the Denali Commission had received $335 million in earmarks.  These federal programs are not only duplicative of other federal programs, but they also duplicate local projects occurring in the regions.

This amendment would eliminate or reduce taxpayer-funded programs that are no longer needed and that the taxpayers cannot afford.  All votes on H.R. 2028 will be among those considered in CCAGW’s 2016 Congressional Ratings.

Sincerely,

Tom Schatz
President, CCAGW