Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, wants taxpayers to quit giving money to presidential candidates who never manage to cut the deficit and give the money directly to the deficit instead.
He is co-sponsoring a bill to eliminate the current $3 checkoff on income tax returns that gives money to presidential campaigns and replace it with a $3 checkoff to provide money to reduce the national debt."This is certainly not going to wipe out our $4.3 trillion debt by itself, but it would help and it would do a lot more good than spending taxpayers' dollars on presidential campaigns," Hansen said.
The presidential campaign fund provides dollar-for-dollar matching money to candidates who voluntarily limit spending. It is designed to lessen the role of special-interest money in presidential campaigns. It was increased from a $1 to a $3 checkoff this year because the fund was running out of money.
Hansen called the presidential checkoff "unsuccessful" and said replacing it would "send a message to the tax-and-spend crowd that we are serious about debt reduction."
Prospects for the bill appear dim.