 | Posted by Matt Hawes on 07/06/09 7:46 PM Last updated 07/06/09 9:50 PM [Newer: Ron Paul on Freedom Watch] [Older: "U.S. Lurching Towards 'Debt Explosion'"] |
Today, our battle to pass Audit the Fed through the U.S. Senate has been joined. The first shot was fired on the floor of the Senate tonight by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.
Senator DeMint has a well-deserved reputation for taking the battle to the other side in the Senate, and tonight he once again proved why he is such a valuable ally in our fight to bring transparency and accountability to the Federal Reserve.
Occasionally, a chance comes along to take quick action on a bill, and Senator DeMint took just such an opportunity.
A little while ago, the Senate voted to pass HR 2918, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. This $3.1 billion bill contains, among many other things, provisions for GAO audits on certain agencies.
With this in mind, Senator DeMint attached the full text of S 604, the Senate version of Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill, to HR 2918 as Senate Amendment 1367 before it was considered for final passage.
However, Senate Democrats refused to even allow a vote on the amendment! Instead of giving it a chance to stand before the Senate, they swept it under the rug with a parliamentary tactic.
After Senator DeMint brought Audit the Fed to the floor, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska raised a "point of order" to prevent a vote, claiming that the amendment violated Senate Rule 16 by "legislating" on an appropriations bill. The Senate president agreed, and the amendment was shot down.
Senator DeMint did not back down, though, and directly challenged Senate leadership by pointing out the other GAO audits contained in the bill. As Senator DeMint listed them off, the Senate president was forced to agree with Senator DeMint that each one he described, all of which would be left in for final passage, also violated Senate Rule 16.
So the issue wasn't about "legislating" on the bill or violating the Senate Rules (which is commonly done), it was about preventing a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve for the first time in its history!
Senate leadership is hoping this issue will just fade away so they can get on to what they deem to be more important business, like dictating what kind of healthcare plan you and I can carry or passing destructive Cap-and-Trade legislation.
But the American people deserve answers on what the Fed has done with trillions of our tax dollars and what they are committing us and future generations to as part of their secret deals with foreign central banks and governments.
The leadership could have taken a crucial, historic step toward achieving such accountability today, but they turned their backs on transparency. This fight, though, is just beginning.
As Senator DeMint noted from the floor, the Audit the Fed bill has wide bipartisan support, and he rightly warned the Senate even if they delay today, they WILL have to deal with the issue on the floor.
It is up to you and me to back up Senator DeMint's words by making sure the momentum continues to build and the bill comes up for a final vote.
The rejection of the Audit amendment is just the first battle in our war. Now is the time to really put the pressure on the U.S. Senate to Audit the Fed!
Senator DeMint fired the opening salvo and showcased the hypocrisy of the Senate for allowing other GAO audits to be included in the bill while refusing to even allow a vote on Fed transparency.
Again, we're just getting started. Senator DeMint will keep fighting to pass Audit the Fed on its own or as an amendment, and we need to continue putting pressure on our senators to do everything in their power to achieve a floor vote! Visit our Audit the Fed action page to call, write, and fax your senators tonight and urge them to support S 604 and to push for a final vote.
Be sure as well to sign our online petition calling for action!
Update: (And check out Senator DeMint using our fact sheet on the Senate floor!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tRQHsXujpo
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