Reform Party of Arizona
Budget Platform for National Candidates

The Executive Committee and at least 70% of the entire State Committee of the RPA have provisionally approved this document for publication. It is proposed for formal approval at the next Reform Party of Arizona State Convention. This platform applies to candidates seeking to represent Arizona in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. In recognition of the distinctly different constitutional roles played by national and state/local elected officials, a separate platform will be developed for state and local candidates.

Please address all questions, comments, and suggestions to: weyrich_comp@yahoo.com.

Preamble

America is being bankrupted by a bloated federal bureaucracy that now squanders more of our tax dollars than at any point in our nation's history. We are an over-regulated, over-taxed, and over-governed society. The RPUSA supports the following changes in budgetary policy:

Balanced Budget Amendment

Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment

Retrenchment

The overall budget of each department of government, as well as each line item of the Federal Budget, shall be prioritized such that if unexpected costs arise, or revenue does not meet projections, there will be orderly retrenchment without deficit spending.

Eliminate the Federal Debt

Pay down the Federal Debt as quickly as possible, consistent with honoring Federal commitments made to bondholders, until the principal balance is zero and American taxpayers no longer have to pay interest on the debt.

Budget Surpluses

Budget surpluses shall be applied to eliminating the Federal debt, improvement of defensive military capabilities, and funding tax reductions. In no event shall budget surpluses be used to expand existing Federal entitlement programs or to create new ones.

Cost and Benefit Control

All Federal programs shall include in their enabling legislation:
  1. Cost estimates.
  2. A mechanism for tracking actual costs;
  3. Provisions for the orderly scaling back of the program if costs exceed estimates;
  4. A clear statement of a quantifiable expected benefit that is expected to accrue to the taxpayers from the program;
  5. A mechanism for measuring the benefit attainment actually realized.
The executive branch shall be charged with publishing an annual report detailing the actual cost and attainment statistics for all programs. Any program that fails to deliver at least 75% of its stated benefit shall become null and void after two consecutive years of non-attainment.

Effectiveness Reviews

Review existing government programs every 5 years for effectiveness. Programs that are not accomplishing their initial goals will be eliminated.

Trust Funds

Remove all trust fund balances from the budget deficit calculations, so that the true size of the federal deficit is made clear to the American people. Report all trust fund balances according to the same generally accepted accounting practices that businesses must comply with.

Audits

Every Department of the Government must and will be audited annually.

Treasury Bank

As a sovereign Republic and a self-governing nation we call for the reestablishment of a United States Treasury Bank. Therefore, as provided for in their original charter, the privately owned Federal Reserve Banks shall be purchased by the United States government and United States Treasury Notes shall be reinstated, replacing Federal Reserve Notes as the official currency of the United States of America.

Foreign Aid

As long as the United States has a national debt, a trade deficit, or unfunded long-term commitments to Social Security, it violates the fiduciary responsibility of the Federal government to our own people to make any loan or grant to any foreign entity. Therefore, the Federal government shall make no further loans or grants to foreign entities from taxpayer funds. However, recognizing the innate generosity of the American people and the Federal government's Constitutional role in dealing with foreign affairs, Congress may establish trust funds for the purpose of funding various foreign aid programs; these trust funds shall be funded solely by voluntary, non-tax deductible contributions.

United Nations

Eliminate funding for the United Nations and other international organizations, except via trust funds as described above.

Humanities and Education

Whereas the Federal government has no Constitutional authority to expend funds for the propagation of ideas, we call on Congress to eliminate funding for: the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and all similar activities buried within other Federal budget items. Furthermore, we call on Congress to dismantle the Department of Education and return the responsibility of our children's education to state and local control.

HUD

Dismantle the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Special Interests

End corporate welfare and special interest subsidies.

User Fees

Whenever possible, services provided by the Federal government shall be supported by user fees. Such user fees shall be used to fund the service provided, and not be used as revenue sources for other programs.