I wish this was an April’s Fool’s joke, but it isn’t.
Two bills have been (or will be) introduced in Congress that would provide public (i.e. taxpayer) campaign funding for members of Congress.
It doesn’t appear to have the unconstitutional matching fund provisions that NC has (even Congress knows they are unconstitutional).
Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Specter (R-PA) have introduced the Senate bill. The House bill will be introduced by North Carolina’s own Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC).
The legislation may avoid the unconstitutional matching fund provisions, but it still has all the same problems with taxpayer financing of campaigns. It is an incumbency protection plan that provides political welfare for members of Congress.
From CQ: “The system is projected to cost $1 billion or more a year and would be funded with a tax on federal contracts. The tax of 0.5 percent would be capped at $500,000 per contractor.”
Members of Congress now want taxpayers to pay them to run for office! At least they also admit, through requiring the tax, that the public doesn’t support taxpayer financing so the only way to secure political welfare is through a new tax.
