Ed Bryant’s unconstitutional Corporate Welfare votes.

Ed Bryant’s unconstitutional Corporate Welfare votes. Our founding fathers never intended for taxpayers to finance private corporations. Elimination of OPIC, Amendment to H.R. 1868. Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT) offered this amendment to abolish the federal Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), leaving $1 million for the State Department to close the agency. Sanders argued that “the issue here is whether or not multibillion-dollar corporations … need [tax-payer] subsidies and incentives to start factories and plants in other countries[.]” (June 27, 1995 Congressional Record, pages H6336-37, roll call 421) Ed Bryant voted against this amendment. (Source: The New American January 22, 1996) Elimination of the Market Promotion Program, Amendment to H.R. 1976. Representative Dick Zimmer (R-NJ) offered this amendment to eliminate the $110 million in the bill slated for the Market Promotion Program (MPP). Zimmer explained that the MPP “epitomizes corporate welfare and congressional pork at its worst. Since 1986, one and a quarter billion taxpayer dollars have been used by MPP to underwrite the overseas advertising budgets of some of America’s largest and most profitable businesses like Gallo, Blue Diamond, McDonald’s, Burger King, Jim Beam, Hershey’s. “ Noting that the current Congress had given extensive consideration to getting the poor off of welfare, Zimmer reasoned that “it is time we showed the same commitment to getting the rich off welfare.” (July 21, 1995 Congressional Record, Pages H7426-27, roll call 550) Ed Bryant voted against this amendment. (Source: The New American January 22, 1996) Abolition of the Economic Development Administration, Amendment to H.R. 2076. Representative Joel Helfley (R-CO) offered this amendment to the Fiscal 1996 Commerce, Justice, and State Departments appropriations bill to eliminate the $348.5 million funding for the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA makes public works grants and loan guarantees for private corporations in economically distressed areas. Representative Wayne Allard (R-CO), a supporter of the amendment argued: “When we pass out federal dollars or government dollars and then businesses go ahead and compete, it becomes a system of grantsmanship: Who can write up the best grant, who can plead the hardest for what they need.” (July 26, 1995 Congressional Record, page H7751, roll call 579) Ed Bryant voted against this amendment. (Source The New American January 22, 1996) Eliminate Corporate Welfare (Market Access Program), Amendment to H.R. 4101. “This program provides $90 million in taxpayer subsidies per year to agribusinesses to support their international advertising. This is a relic,” Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) said of the USDA’s Market Access Program. (June 24, 1998 Congressional Record, page H5197, roll call 262) Ed Bryant voted against this amendment. (Source: The New American October 26, 1998 Amendment to H.R. 2606 prohibiting corporate subsidy programs. This measure proposed by Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) would prohibit federal funding of three corporate export subsidy programs: The Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Trade and Development Agency. The Export-Import Bank alone has approximately $6 billion in outstanding subsidies sunk into Communist China, and Rep. Paul noted that “67 percent of all the funding of the Export-import Bank goes to, not a large number of companies, [but] to five companies… We give them the money. But where do the Goods go? Do the goods go to the American taxpayers? No. They get all of the liabilities. The subsidies help the Chinese.” Hypocritically, several representatives who had supported Normal Trade Relations (MFN) for China on the basis of “free trade” opposed the Paul amendment. To that opposition, Paul exclaimed, “please do not call it free trade anymore. Call it managed trade. Call it subsidized trade. Call it special interest trade.” (August 3, 1999 Roll Call 361) Ed Bryant voted against this amendment. (Source: The New American January 3, 2000) Small Business Administration Reauthorization. This legislation would reauthorize programs and funding levels for the Small Business Administration through fiscal year 2003. This corporate welfare program would be authorized to guarantee $77.3 billion in business loans (and to make direct loans) over a three-year period. The Congressional. Budget Office estimates that enacting this legislation would result in $3.5 billion in new discretionary spending by 2005. (March 15, 2000 Roll Call 49) Ed Bryant voted for this bill. (Source: The New American July 17, 2000) Amendment to defund corporate welfare. During consideration of the agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 2330), Rep. ED Royce (R-Calif).) offered an amendment to defund the Market Access Program. This program, a form of corporate welfare, provides businesses with funding to promote their agricultural products overseas. (July 11, 2001 Roll Call 220) Ed Bryant voted against this amendment. (Source: The New American December 3, 2001)