Gerlach Says Taxpayers Should Not Be Forced To Subsidize ACORN Activities

Press Release

Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) on Tuesday co-sponsored legislation aimed at protecting taxpayers from wasteful spending by cutting off all federal funding to the liberal interest group ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

"We owe it to American taxpayers to make sure that the federal government is not subsidizing the potentially illegal activities of ACORN or any other organization," Gerlach said. "Congress cannot afford to sanction wasteful spending on an organization that year after year faces widespread allegations of voter registration fraud and engaged in activities questionable enough to prompt the U.S. Census Bureau to sever its ties with ACORN."

Video of ACORN employees in New York and Maryland giving illegal advice to two filmmakers posing as a prostitute and a pimp prompted the U.S. Census Bureau to end its partnership with ACORN on Friday. The Senate voted 83-7 on Monday to cut off Housing and Urban Development funding slated for ACORN.

ACORN has been the focus of voter-registration fraud investigations in recent years.

Locally, two ACORN workers in March 2008 pleaded guilty in Berks County Court and were sentenced to jail for creating phony voter-registration forms in order to collect cash from the organization, according to the Reading Eagle.

In July, Dauphin County election officials have investigated over 100 suspicious voter-registration applications submitted by ACORN

And In September 2006, nearly 100 fraudulent voter registration applications were filed in Delaware County, prompting the District Attorney's Office to issue an identity theft alert. All 100 applications were filled out by four individuals working for ACORN.

Source