Sensible Steps Toward A Balanced Budget Act

Floor Speech

Sensible Steps Toward A Balanced Budget Act

Mr. FLAKE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to commend my colleague from Arizona (Mrs. Kirkpatrick) for introducing this legislation. This would simply turn over to the Treasury for deficit reduction anything left over in our account that is used to run our offices. This is good legislation. It should move forward. I must say, however, that we should go much further than this.

Part of the reason there is money in a lot of people's accounts to turn back is that we are given more than we need, typically because most Members choose to send out thinly veiled campaign mail, I would assert, under the frank, or using taxpayer dollars. If I were to hold up in an election year--now there are blackout dates, so you can't send too close to an election. But still, spending goes up considerably in Member offices during a campaign year or an election year. If I were to hold up one of my campaign pieces of mail that I pay for with my campaign and something that's sent out that has the little words on there, Paid for at taxpayer expense, they're both four color, they're both colorful, nice pieces, lauding the Member of Congress for what he or she is doing, I defy anybody to tell the difference between regular campaign mail paid by campaign funds and somebody's taxpayer mailings. We shouldn't be doing this. And it seems that we get in our offices just an increased amount that is used because nearly every office does it.

We ought to lower that amount that every office receives or in some way ban the use of these colorful four-color mailings that go out. I am certainly not asserting that Members of Congress shouldn't be able to use the frank, and a lot of the mass mailings that go out are simply to inform constituents of town hall meetings or other events that are coming up. That is proper and right. But when Members of Congress are able to send out what is basically campaign mail at taxpayer expense, that's simply not right, and it's a practice that we ought to get away from.

I should note that over the past several years, it seems to be more blatant and more blatant and more blatant. There are certain words you cannot use describing yourself. There are things that are supposedly in there to prevent this from being blatant campaign mail. But again, if I held up two pieces, one piece of campaign literature and one piece mailed at taxpayer expense, I think the average constituent would have a hard time telling the difference. And that money that we save from getting rid of that practice should be applied against the deficit as well. Again, I thank the gentlelady for introducing this legislation. I hope that in the future we can go further.

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