The SEC NDAA cluster needs a clear response

The SEC NDAA cluster should provoke a very specific response from you.

Pretend, for a moment, you’re on Sesame Street. Today’s game is “one of these things is not like the other.”

• The NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) funds national defense.
• The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) regulates stocks.

The NDAA and SEC are completely unrelated!

So why did the 2020 NDAA contain a provision giving the SEC vast new power?

The answer is clear: New SEC powers couldn’t stand alone. It wasn’t going to pass. But the NDAA was sure to pass. That’s why Congressional leaders clustered these two unrelated items together.

The issue here isn’t whether these new SEC powers were good or bad. The issue is representation. When bills are clustered, representation is lost.

Here’s the sad thing – most members in Congress probably didn’t want this to pass, but there were two problems…

1. They rushed the bill and didn’t read it. That’s why they didn’t know the SEC provision was in there.
2. They would be afraid to vote against an NDAA, because future opponents would attack them for it.

Even worse, most members of Congress don’t want to vote on clustered bills. Most members would probably like our One Subject at a Time Act, only they don’t think there will be enough pressure to get it passed. We can change that.

End Bill Clustering

Please become one of The 300 for the One Subject at a Time Act.

Or, if you’ve done that already, please make a contribution or start a monthly pledge to help us recruit more people.

Jim Babka, President
Agenda Setters by Downsize DC

Today’s Action: Pass OSTA