(Washington, D.C.) – Today in Washington, D.C. the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) agreed to support the bipartisan corporate welfare commission being proposed by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.).  CCAGW President Tom Schatz said, “These senators are taking on a difficult subject and creating a reasonable solution.  Estimates and definitions of corporate welfare vary, and reaching a consensus on what constitutes corporate welfare, while creating a list of programs on which Congress can ultimately vote, is an essential step in bringing under control the expenditure of our tax dollars on wasteful programs.”

Sens. McCain, Feingold, Thompson and Kerry proposed a “dirty dozen” amendment on corporate welfare in the 104^th Congress which only received 24 votes.  The commission is an important step in increasing public and congressional support for elimination of corporate welfare.

The corporate welfare commission will address the inequities of business subsidies that benefit a few companies or individuals at the expense of the general good.  In fact, many entrepreneurial U.S. companies oppose corporate welfare.  Cypress Semiconductor President and CEO T. J. Rodgers, in testimony before Congress, said that “corporate welfare does not work anywhere in the world because it penalizes a country’s winners with excess taxes in order to fund that country’s losers with inefficient government programs.”

CCAGW has led battles to eliminate corporate welfare programs such as the Gas-Turbine Modular Helium Reactor, privatizing the Helium program, and selling CONRAIL to the private sector.

“We look forward to providing the corporate welfare commission with all of the information at our disposal, and we will work diligently with members of Congress who are dedicated to this effort to ensure that when Congress votes on the list of corporate welfare, it is a successful vote,” Schatz said.

CCAGW is a 600,000 member lobbying organization dedicated to enacting legislation to eliminate frivolous government spending in order to balance the federal budget.  To schedule an interview with CAGW, please contact Leslie Paige at 202-467-5300.