Vern Buchanan: Budget Committee Meetings Should Be Open to Public

As part of the agreement to end the federal shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, a joint committee, led by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., was tasked with trying to reach a budget agreement. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called for the committees meetings to be open to the public.

This is a pivotal point in our nations history, Buchanan said. For too long Republicans and Democrats in Washington have turned a blind eye to our countrys exploding debt. The critical decisions made by the budget conference committee should be conducted under the watchful eye of the American people. They deserve to know the severity of Washingtons spending addiction.

In the past, massive legislative measures have been written in the middle of the night by a handful of members and staff, and then quickly passed into law before the American people have a chance to even see what the final version looks like, let alone determine how they feel about it, Buchanan added. This is not acceptable.

Buchanan pointed to the Florida state government as an example Washington can emulate.

The state of Florida leads the nation with one of the toughest right-to-know laws in the country, said Buchanan. Floridas strong Sunshine Law guards against back-room deals and secret negotiations by government officials. I urge congressional leaders to follow Floridas lead and let sun shine on the budget committee.

The only Floridian on the committee is U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.