FreedomWorks' Dumpster Fire of the Month for April 2019, the "Democracy Dollars" Act, H.R. 1613

FreedomWorks’ activist-chosen dumpster fire of the month for April 2019 is the “Democracy Dollars” Act, H.R. 1613, introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.). This bill is actually a portion of February’s dumpster fire of the month, the “For the People” Act. Jayapal’s bill would grant $25 to each voter to donate to the congressional candidate of their choosing. This means that your tax dollars could be subsidizing candidates with whom you disagree.

The other nominees in our last live stream were the “Save the Internet” Act, a bill to reinstate burdensome Internet regulations, the DAIRY PRIDE Act, a bill to restrict use of terms like “almond butter” and “soy milk,” and the “SAFE Kids” Act, a bill to regulate and ban smoking alternatives. As always, all of our nominees demonstrate just how misleading short titles can be hen pitching legislation to the public.

However, in terms of absurdity, our activists have pointed out that the “Democracy Dollars” Act stands above the rest. This bill would dedicate taxpayer dollars to election campaigns and creates a brand new subsidy for campaigns. This is another typical proposal by Democrats to line the pockets of entrenched career politicians with more taxpayer money. If, as Democrats say, big donors to campaigns have all the power, then they are issuing a clear statement that they want the federal government to have all of the power in our society. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to fund attack ads and bumper stickers with your money.

Furthermore, candidates would stop spending time trying to earn votes, and spend more time trying to earn money. Turning every voter into a potential $25 donor will lead candidates for office to make promises they either cannot keep or that will violate the Constitution. They will spend less time developing policies that will actually help the country, and develop stump speeches with pie in the sky ideas. Our leaders should not be those who were able to lie most effectively, but the ones with the best vision for America. H.R. 1613 would change that.

It is also rather appropriate that this bill derives its language from H.R. 1 or, as we call it, the “Incumbent Protection” Act. Incumbents often launch their campaigns earlier than challengers and have more name recognition in the early going. This will help them flood these vouchers into their campaign coffers and inflate the advantage that they already have. This bill is an inexcusable betrayal of grassroots politics masquerading as an effort to give power to the people.

Quite obviously, H.R. 1613 will be expensive. A proposal that would give $25 to eligible voters would cost billions every election cycle. Our nation is trillions of dollars in debt and the deficit continues to rise each year. Our leaders in Congress should be finding ways to reverse these trends, instead of finding new proposals to throw billions toward. The national debt is a threat to our nation’s security and should be treated as such.

Stay tuned next month for our next set of nominees for dumpster fire of the month, where we take some of the most absurd ideas from the D.C. swamp and lay them out for activists nationwide.