Earlier this spring, we called for support in promoting a moral budget that protects low-income families, the elderly, and children, through funding child care, affordable housing and nutrition programs. Currently, the House of Representatives is looking at several sunset commission proposals, plans that would make the existence of programs that help those in need tenuous. Several proposed bills in the House, and in the Senate, would create an unelected commission that would decide if these federal programs would continue or end. These programs are vital to low-income families! Please write to your senators and representative and tell them that you do not support sunset commissions.

Letters that have personal thoughts and stories are the most effective, so we encourage you to edit the letter below to reflect what you are thinking.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a person of faith, I am writing to oppose any legislation for sunset commissions.

Whether the vehicle in question is H.R. 5766, H.R. 3277, H.R. 3282, the sunset commission sections of S. 3521, or some provision still to be unveiled, I am concerned by the prospect of forcing federal programs to justify their continued existence in front of an unelected commission with the power to recommend whether they live, die, or get realigned. Many of these federal programs support low-income families, and it is vital that we continue to protect those most in need in our society.

Decisions on federal programs that inspect the safety of our food and drugs, keep workers safe on the job, enforce environmental and civil rights protections, help educate our children, provide needed social services such as healthcare and food assistance, and much more are too important to be left to an unelected, unaccountable panel. Congress has the obligation and authority to conduct oversight of federal agencies. This power should not be abdicated to the executive branch.

There is no need for these sunset commission proposals. Congress already has the power to decide that programs should be eliminated or reorganized. Mechanisms already exist to evaluate these programs; beyond Congress's own oversight authority, the Government Accountability Office, the Inspector General's office, the Congressional Research Service and the Office of Management and Budget all conduct evaluations of agency effectiveness.

Moreover, there are many programs for which there is simply no question of their worth. Forcing programs to conduct even more costly analysis to justify their existence would be a waste of resources - resources that should instead be spent on meeting their missions to serve the public.

I am also troubled by any provision that would force the recommendations of unelected sunset commissions through Congress on a fast-track, take-it-or-leave-it basis, with little opportunity for debate and no opportunity for amendment. Questions as crucial as the very function of government programs are too important for debate to be muzzled.

Sunset commission proposals do not address government waste. Instead, they would force programs targeted in budget cuts to face the chopping block for a second time. I cannot support this dangerous concept. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 09, 2006