PRESS RELEASE Contact: Anna Oman, 202/234-8494, aoman@ombwatch.org Groups Ask Congress to Reject Program Sunset Proposals WASHINGTON, April 5 - Nonprofit groups spoke out today against sunset proposals now being pushed by House conservatives. The proposals could create a single unelected commission to review every federal program, and would mandate that all federal programs automatically "sunset"--completely cease--after a fixed period, unless Congress intervened. In a letter to lawmakers, national and local organizations representing the human services, environmental, labor, and faith communities called on Congress to reject sunset commission proposals. "Sunset proposals are a blatant attack on government and on the protections and social services it provides," explained Robert Shull, director of regulatory policy for OMB Watch, which was among the signers. "To try to lump sunsets together with needed budget process reforms is just disingenuous, and to consider policy that would threaten both American cornerstone programs and Congress's authority in order to appease a handful of hard-line party members is just bad leadership. We hope the rest of Congress will be more thoughtful." The letter's signers find sunset proposals unacceptable for a number of reasons. First, they divert agencies' time and resources--already in short supply thanks to relentless budget cuts--that should be devoted to protecting the public interest. Sunset proposals would also usher in a time when key battles won in the past over civil rights, human services, and more would have to be fought again and again every 10 years. Unelected sunset commissions, under some proposals, could even operate in secret and would have the power to ram proposals through Congress on a fast-track, take-it-or-leave-it basis. The letter to Congress came in response to reports that House conservatives are pushing for budget process changes, including sunsets, as a condition of securing their votes on the budget resolution. Many fear that the frayed GOP leadership in the House will give serious consideration to sunset proposals in order to pass a budget resolution this year. Signers to the letter represent a broad cross-section of the public interest and faith communities. Among the national organizations that signed are such groups as the AFL-CIO, Environmental Defense, Every Child Matters Education Fund, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Sierra Club, YWCA USA, and Public Citizen. ### Read the letter to Congress. Learn more about sunset proposals.