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Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) joined 173 of his House colleagues in writing to Speaker Pelosi requesting a clean Defense Appropriations bill that only funds the troops and not a list of unrelated items that may have problems passing on their own merits. The letter was sent on the eve of news that Speaker Pelosi was considering using the Defense bill to authorize another $1.9 trillion in deficit spending. A copy of the letter can be viewed here. If approved, the $1.9 trillion in additional debt will raise the overall debt ceiling to $14 trillion, 60% above the $8.7 trillion limit in place the day that Rep Pelosi became Speaker.

“The Speaker needs to stop using the troops as an excuse to pass politically unpopular measures and massive deficits,” said Congressman Posey. “I’ve introduced legislation that would end this practice by requiring separate votes for items stuck into spending bills that have nothing to do with the subject matter of the underlying legislation. Let them stand on their own merit.”

Last October, the Majority hijacked the Defense Authorization bill with a hate crimes provision despite the fact that both the House and the Senate had already passed the Hate Crimes legislation earlier in the year. In June, the Defense Appropriation Supplemental was loaded up with $5 Billion for the International Monetary Fund, $420 million for Mexico, $1 Billion for Cash for Clunkers and $660 Million for Hamas in the West Bank in Gaza.

Posey’s bill, H. Res. 819, would require separate votes be taken on these unrelated spending measures. Many state legislatures, including Florida’s state legislature, have similar single issue rules. Posey said he thinks this will make our federal government more transparent, more efficient and less partisan.