Free-market groups argue to make CRS reports public
As a coalition of 12 conservative, free-market organizations we urge you to expand public access to Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.
Each year CRS receives $100 million in taxpayer funding to produce and update thousands of nonpartisan reports describing government agencies, explaining public policy and tallying government spending. They are an invaluable resource to Congress in its efforts to oversee our massive federal government and hold it accountable.
Members of Congress and their staff have easy access to CRS reports. So too do lobbyists and other Beltway insiders, who often pay for the reports through expensive subscription services. But taxpayers cannot easily get copies of CRS reports.
This policy is unfair and outdated. It also stands in stark contrast to other legislative branch agencies: both the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office release their reports to the public.
Making CRS reports easily accessible by the public will increase transparency in government, and allow everyday citizens access to important information that will better educate them on the issues before Congress.
The bottom line is taxpayers pay for these reports. It is only fair that they have easy access to them.
Sincerely,
Phil Kerpen
President, American Commitment
Grover Norquist
President, Americans for Tax Reform
Norm Singleton
President, Campaign for Liberty
Neil Bradley
Chief Strategy Officer, Conservative Reform Network
Tom Schatz
President, Council for Citizens against Government Waste
Adam Brandon
President and CEO, Freedom Works
Michael Needham
CEO, Heritage Action for America
Michael Ostrolenk
Co-Founder, Liberty Coalition
Brandon Arnold
Executive Director, National Taxpayers Union
Jerry Taylor
President, Niskanen Center
Kevin Kosar
Senior Fellow and Director of the Governance Project, R Street Institute
David Williams
President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance