You can add U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to those opposing further federal funding for national political conventions.
The cities of Charlotte and Tampa each received more than $50 million in federal funds for security at the recent Democratic and Republican conventions.
The two political parties also got more than $17 million each in money that was directed by taxpayers to the Federal Election Commission to help fund the once-ever-four-year conventions.
Burr says the time has come to stop the funding. “In my book, I think this is the last set of conventions that I’m going to commit to have federal dollars to finance,” Burr said last week. “I think the parties need to reevaluate whether in fact they need to have conventions, No. 1. And, No. 2, I don’t believe a party function of that magnitude is an appropriate thing to fund given the competition and prioritization of money.”
With security, the Democratic and Republican conventions each cost nearly $120 million – for what U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn calls “summertime parties.”
In June, Coburn offered an amendment to a farm bill that would bar the use of tax funds for future conventions.
The convention measure passed 95-4, though the overall bill is stalled in the House.
