Unsurprisingly, this has led to the slush fund being used by the Administration as a tool to push blatantly partisan, politicized policies.
Most alarmingly, a 2012 Inspector general alert raised concerns that these payments equated to taxpayer funded lobbying, while former Democrat Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) expressed concern that hundreds of millions sent to the fund have been diverted to encourage individuals to sign-up for Obamacare.
Members of Congress have the opportunity to repeal this slush fund by voting for H.R. 4725, the “Common Sense Savings Act,” introduced by Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.).
ATR President Grover Norquist recently sent a letter urging full support for this legislation found here.