Reform Groups Urge Senators to Vote No on House-Passed “Fig Leaf” Bill

Reform groups today sent a letter to the Senate urging Senators to oppose H.R. 2019, sponsored by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) and passed last month by the House. The legislation purported to provide funding for a 10-year pediatric research initiative and to pay for this by repealing a portion of the presidential public financing system.

The groups include Americans for Campaign Reform, Brennan Center for Justice, the Campaign Legal Center, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Common Cause, Democracy 21, Demos, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S PIRG.

According to the letter, H.R. 2019 is not a real effort to increase funding for pediatric research:

The bill purports to provide for a 10-year pediatric research initiative, but in reality the bill does not provide any actual increased funds to conduct pediatric research.  At the same time, the bill repeals a portion of the presidential public financing system purportedly to pay for the pediatric research.

H.R. 2019 is not a real effort to increase funding for pediatric research, but rather the fourth attempt by House Republican leaders, beginning in the last Congress, to repeal the presidential public financing system, with H.R. 2019 being a part of this effort.

The reform groups call on Congress to repair, not repeal, the presidential funding system.