ACORN Updates

Kerry Thomas writes a terrific summary: http://kerrythomas.com/Archives/ACORNFund.htm

Do Not Collect $8.5 Billion
by Kerry Thomas
September 17, 2009

During the 2008 Presidential election America was introduced to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, commonly known as ACORN. We’ve learned that members and employees of that organization and it’s more than 230 affiliated organizations have been investigated and charged with numerous crimes across the country ranging from voter registration fraud to financial mismanagement and embezzlement.

Recently investigative journalists James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles have come forward with undercover videotaped interviews, posted on biggovernment.com, which they conducted in ACORN offices in Baltimore, Washington, New York, San Bernadino and San Diego.

In these investigations the journalists posed as a pimp and a prostitute. ACORN members explained to the journalists how they could go about obtaining funding to buy a house that they would then use as a brothel, and how to claim underage teenage prostitutes as tax dependents. One ACORN member even went so far as to offer to assist the journalists in bringing teenage illegal aliens into the country to work as prostitutes. Another ACORN member revealed how she killed her husband.

In light of these reports linking ACORN to potentially criminal activity, on September 14 the U.S. Senate passed Senate Amendment 2355 to H.R. 3288 (the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010), prohibiting the use of federal funds to fund the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) by a vote of 83-7 (roll call vote 275).

Now the question comes before the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 3571, the Defund ACORN Act, has been introduced by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to stop federal funding of ACORN once and for all. This legislation would prohibit the federal government from awarding contracts, grants, or other agreements to, providing any other federal funds to ACORN.

As of September 17, this legislation already had 144 co-sponsors.

Additionally, a letter signed by 130 House Republicans has been sent to President Obama, asking him to take action to publicly disclose and terminate all taxpayer funding of ACORN.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) have urged the IRS to end any referrals to ACORN offices for tax preparation consultations.

The Census Bureau has announced it will end its partnership with ACORN in conducting the 2010 Census.

An analysis of federal data by Republican Leader Boehner’s staff determined that just 73 ACORN-affiliated organizations have received more than $53 million in direct funding from the federal government since 1994, and has likely received substantially more indirectly through states and localities that receive federal block grants.

ACORN-affiliated organizations are currently eligible to receive more than $8.5 Billion in federal taxpayer funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

It’s time to act. It’s time to contact your Congressman. Tell them it’s time to sever ACORN’s umbilical cord to the U.S. Taxpayer. Do not pass go. Do not collect $8.5 Billion.

UPDATE: On September 17 H.R. 3571, the Defund ACORN Act, was adopted as part of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. The House voted 345-75 to pass the legislation (roll call vote 718).

-----------------------------------------
Michele Bachmann urging for Executive Move to Defund ACORN (See Email Here)
(she says the votes to date do not ensure federal funds won't still go to Acorn)

-----------------------------------------
Blog Post shows how Obama Campaign Website whitewashed Acorn information (See Here)