Ron Paul's 'Audit the Fed' bill returns to Congress - Washington Times
By
Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Saturday, September 13, 2014
Ron Paul may not be in
Congress any more, but his “Audit the
Fed” bill lives on after him.
House Republican leaders scheduled a vote on the legislation for sometime this week, as one of a series of pre-election bills designed to highlight lawmakers’ stances just before they go home to face voters.
Mr. Paul made the bill one of his causes, and after years of trying finally pushed it through the House in 2012 on an overwhelming 327-98 vote. But
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who had previously said he supported an audit of the
Federal Reserve, reversed himself.
“If Harry Reid refuses to hold the vote before the
Senate leaves town, you can help us make sure the American people hear about it all the way until Election Day and build so much pressure by the time
Congress returns, the
Senate will be forced to act in the Lame Duck,”
Mr. Paul said in an email to supporters from his advocacy group, Campaign for Liberty.
Mr. Paul retired from the House after the last
Congress. The current House version of the legislation is sponsored by
Rep. Paul Broun, a Georgia Republican. His version cleared the House oversight committee on a voice vote in July, suggesting continued bipartisan support.
The bill would order the Government Accountability Office, which is
Congress’s chief investigative arm, to review the
Fed’s decision-making — particularly on monetary policy.
Congress established the
Federal Reserve nearly a century ago. The system, which consists of a board of governors and 12 regional banks, act as lenders of last resort to the country’s banking system, and it is charged both with fighting inflation and with promoting economic growth and employment.
The Congressional Budget Office said the bill would cost about $5 million for the staff required to conduct the audit. The CBO also said the
Federal Reserve would spend money complying with the review, which would end up costing the government about $3 million in lower revenue from the
Fed over the next decade.
The previous chairman of the
Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, had opposed an audit, saying it could lead to politicians second-guessing the secretive board’s decisions. When
Mr. Paul’s bill came up for a vote in 2012, Mr. Bernanke called it a “nightmare scenario.”
Mr. Paul’s son, Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, has a companion bill in the
Senate, but that has not seen any action with Democrats controlling the chamber.
Despite Democratic leaders’ opposition, a number of rank-and-file Democrats support the legislation.
Indeed, 19 Democrats in the House are co-sponsors of
Mr. Broun’s bill, while in the
Senate, Sen. Mark Begich, Alaska Democrat, is a co-sponsor. Mr. Begich even bragged about his support for the legislation in a recent
Senate campaign debate.
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