Letter From the Senator…ACORN
Dear Friend,
Recently a Washington Times article described how the “powers that be” forced the House Judiciary Chairman to end a probe into allegations of voter fraud against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
ACORN’s efforts to register voters multiple times, register people without their knowledge or register people who outright did not exist have been well documented. There have been probes into alleged voter fraud in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico and Florida. In Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reported that ACORN employees even attempted to register Mickey Mouse.
These allegations are particularly troublesome given the fact that ACORN receives significant funding directly from the federal government. ACORN’s “charitable” affiliates have received, conservatively, more than $31 million in direct federal funding between 1998 and 2007. In 2008 alone, ACORN’s affiliates received almost $10 million in total government funding. ACORN has also received numerous subgrant awards of indirect funding from the federal government. For example, more than $7 million was awarded to ACORN Housing Corporation (AHC) in 2008 from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Program administered by NeighborWorks America.
It remains unclear who has the power to tell the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee what hearings he can and cannot hold, and I will continue working as your U.S. Senator to fight to keep your taxpayer dollars from funding corrupt special interest groups like ACORN and to shine a spotlight on these sorts of abuses whenever they arise.
Sincerely,
David Vitter
U.S. Senator
