Hidden NAT GAS Act

Blog Articles · Nov 27, 2011 · Budget and Spending

The NAT GAS Act (S.1863) was introduced in the Senate two weeks ago, by four Senators. It has since gained no new co-sponsors. In the House, the NAT GAS Act (H.R.1380) has lost 19 co-sponsors, something unheard of in Washington. Support for yet another market-distorting government handout is waning, but that may not stop the Washington Establishment from forcing it through.

In the coming weeks, the House and Senate will vote on an omnibus spending bill. In addition to funding the government for the remainder of FY12, it is likely to include an extension of the payroll tax holiday, unemployment insurance, the so-called "doc fix", and a host of other tax-related provisions.

Because the NAT GAS Act has no chance of passing either house of Congress - and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) wants it to - it is highly likely that the bill will be hidden inside the omnibus spending bill. Their hope is that it will get lost in hundreds (thousands?) of pages and get passed at the last minute.

This is how Washington operates. If a bill can't be passed in an open and honest legislative process, it can be stuck to a bill that - in the eyes of the Congress - must pass. It is the same type of backdoor legislating that brought us the infamous Bridge to Nowhere and it's toxic to our country.

Heritage Action has been leading the fight against muddying our tax code even further with subsidies that favor politically-favored enterprises.

What our country needs now is a simplifying of the tax code, not even more subsidies.