Groups Urge House to Vote Against the Doolittle Amendment

Enclosed for your information is a letter that reform groups sent today to all House members, urging Members to oppose an amendment expected to be offered today by Representative John Doolittle (R-CA) to the Transportation, Treasury and HUD Appropriations bill.

The amendment is designed to kill the presidential public financing system through backdoor, irregular parliamentary manipulations.

The reform groups include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

VOTE AGAINST DOOLITTLE AMENDMENT TO KILL PRESIDENTIAL
FINANCING SYSTEM THROUGH BACKDOOR, IRREGULAR MANIPULATIONS

Dear Representative,

Our groups strongly urge you to oppose an amendment that may be offered today by Representative John Doolittle to the Transportation, Treasury and HUD Appropriations bill. The amendment is designed to kill the presidential public financing system through backdoor, irregular parliamentary manipulations.

The groups include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

The presidential financing system has served the country well for three decades in helping to prevent corruption of the presidency. The system has been used by almost all of the presidential candidates from both major parties and by every president elected since 1976. It has also been used by both major parties since 1976 to fund their national nominating conventions. The system should be improved and strengthened, not killed.

The Doolittle amendment is a blatant and inappropriate effort to circumvent and evade regular order and any serious consideration of the presidential system on its merits by using a backdoor manipulation on an appropriations bill to kill the system. The presidential financing system and its funding are not subject to the appropriations process and are not within the jurisdiction of the Appropriations Committee.

We strongly urge you to vote against the Doolittle amendment and thereby vote to prevent the misuse and abuse of the legislative process to kill an important campaign finance reform enacted to protect the American people from government corruption.

Campaign Legal Center
Common Cause
Democracy 21
Public Citizen
U.S. PIRG

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