Advocacy Ads Greet Members-Elect at Airport
One group that wants to slash federal spending is wasting no time in lobbying the incoming class of lawmakers.
The nonprofit group Public Notice has blanketed the baggage claim section of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with signs urging the Members-elect, who are traveling to the nation’s capital for this week’s orientation sessions, to get to work immediately.
“Dear new member of Congress, we know you just got here, but have you cut spending yet?” one sign reads. “Keep your promise.”
Another one reads, “Congratulations on your election victory, now go cut spending!”
A third one provides new Members with a “to-do list: 1. find office. 2. cut spending.”
The group’s leaders say they want to make sure new Members don’t forget what voters demanded of them on Election Day.
“Government spending was a top concern for voters this past election cycle and they voted for these new Members in hopes they would get spending under control,” Public Notice Executive Director Gretchen Hamel said in a statement. “With these billboards, we are reminding Members why they were elected and warning them that voters are going to hold them accountable. We wanted to put them on notice the second they stepped into Washington.”
Public Notice plans similar ads for Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C., area and for print publications over the next month, and it operates the Bankrupting America website.