Does Reichert (WA-8) Really Support Transparency?
It is strange to see Dave Reichert’s (WA-8) absence from the list of congressmen cosponsoring the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009 (HR 1207). Based on his previous comments as a member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, one would expect to find him an energetic supporter of the bill.
What is causing the delay?
I have heard from many of his constituents in Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah and the rest of the 8th congressional district. They want him to cosponsor the bill. They have been calling his office, reaching out to their neighbors and delivering petitions in an attempt to get it. Reichert’s response? Nothing. He has declined to make any statement: nothing in support, nothing in opposition to the bill.
This silence is very surprising. He is on the record voicing the importance of transparency and fact collection. In March he made opening relevant remarks to this bill during a hearing on TARP oversight. From Reichert’s official YouTube channel:
one particularly troubling change is the apparent transfer of authority from treasury to the federal reserve without any new congressional oversight
without transparency we are left with outrageous abuses like bailout bonuses for companies surviving on the backs of taxpayers alone.
we have an obligation to [taxpayers] to find answers, to collect facts and data and to hold accountable the policies and people that lead to the abuses like those at aig
He voices the right words. Consider contacting Reichert and reminding him of those words.
Let him know that The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009 is a great opportunity for Reichert to join his colleagues and convert those words into action.