Senators Coburn and Johanns Offer Orszag a Helping Hand

Congress has prevented ACORN and ACORN affiliates from receiving federal funds through December 18, 2009. OMB Director Peter Orszag issued a memorandum instructing federal agencies to comply and cease efforts to provide any new federal funding to ACORN. While refreshing to see OMB tell federal agencies to follow the law, Senators Coburn and Johanns rightly point out, how will the agencies know what organizations to defund?

ACORN is a complex organization of more than 361 affiliates. The list seems to grow by the day. I'm not even sure that ACORN's leadership knows exactly how many corporate forms exist. Senators Johanns and Coburn today have sent a letter to OMB Director Orszag requesting that he provide additional guidance to federal agencies. The Senators have provided an initial list of entities housed at the New Orleans ACORN Headquarters and have suggested that Orszag also reference the list of entities contained in the report issued by Republican staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform entitled "Is ACORN Intentionally Structured as a Criminal Enterprise?"

See the letter from Senators Johanns and Coburn here.