Patrick Leahy: “the Johnson amendment asks us to cede the power of the purse to public servants in the executive branch who are…”

“the Johnson amendment asks us to cede the power of the purse to public servants in the executive branch who are unaccountable to the voters. These public servants, dedicated though they may be, cannot possibly share the depth of knowledge we hold about our constituents and the communities in our States. I strongly urge the Members of this Chamber to reject abdicating the power of the purse-- given to the legislative branch under the Constitution--as the Senator from Wisconsin's amendment asks us to do. As a Senator from Vermont, I speak with community leaders, dairy farmers, small business owners, and Vermonters across my State every day. I have done this for 48 years. I have a deep understanding of Vermont and Vermonters. Through congressionally directed spending, we can use this knowledge to invest tax dollars directly back into taxpayer communities. We can make these investments in everything from infrastructure, to community health centers and workforce development, to afterschool programs. In fact, under rule X-L-I-V--rule 44--and additional rules that I established last year, we have unprecedented transparency and accountability for the congressionally directed spending contained in this bill--far more transparency than we have had at any time in my 48 years in the Senate. Congressionally directed spending is not a new concept.…”