April 1, 2020

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

Dear Senator,

On behalf of the more than 1 million members and supporters of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), I offer the following 10 principles for any legislation related to the coronavirus and other emergency spending bills considered by Congress. These principles are based on CAGW’s 36 years of uncovering and eliminating government waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. 

The 10 principles are as follows: 

1. Emergency spending bills must be temporary and targeted. 
2. There must be transparency and accountability in how the money is spent, including regular audits by agency inspectors general and the Government Accountability Office. 
3. Every emergency spending bill enacted in response to healthcare, financial, or physical disasters should be free of extraneous provisions. 
4. Taxpayers must be protected by ensuring that the money is spent only for the purpose at hand through an online tracking and reporting system. 
5. The federal government should use its powers to determine what should be produced to meet emergency needs in only the direst circumstances, and such actions must be temporary. 
6. To prepare for the next healthcare, financial, or physical emergency, every level of government should be reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, as well as setting aside money in rainy day funds and supplies in emergency stockpiles. 
7. Legislation in response to national emergencies must not threaten or reduce Americans’ personal freedom and liberty. 
8. The government should not impose price controls on the healthcare industry because that will result in fewer new innovative drugs and medical devices. 
9. Initiatives to loosen regulations and remove red tape that are expediting the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis and other emergencies should be evaluated to determine whether permanent changes would continue to encourage the development of new technologies, medicines, and the deployment of goods and services to better prepare the nation for future healthcare, financial, or physical disasters. 
10. Any effort by Democrats or Republicans to use the coronavirus crisis or other emergencies as an excuse to institute unrelated reforms or restructuring to promote a political agenda must be vigorously opposed and defeated. 

Thank you for your consideration of these 10 principles during this difficult time in American history.

Sincerely,

Tom Schatz
President, CAGW

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CC: U.S. House of Representatives