Letter to Sen. Coburn

March 18, 2011

Hon. Tom Coburn
United States Senate
172 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Tom:

I ask you to consider a change in Federal law, replacing the current statute which provides that, if a state refuses a Federal grant, the funding remains available and is reallocated to other states. This is what happened in Florida after the state government refused a high-speed rail grant.

Of course, this policy makes it much more difficult for governors to reject Federal grants. It leaves them vulnerable to the charge that they have done nothing to reduce Federal spending or the deficit. The rejection simply means that the taxpayers in the state are failing to obtain any benefit from a program that their taxes finance.

Federal laws can be changed to require that any funds rejected by a state would automatically be subtracted from the appropriation. This would allow governors to actually have an impact on the deficit when they refuse to accept unnecessary or harmful grants.

I hope you will take up this cause. In any event, I appreciate your consideration and admire the leadership you provide on so many fronts.

With personal best wishes, I am

Sincerely,

Howard Phillips
Chairman