For Immediate Release – Friday, July 27, 2007

Contact: Annie Patnaude, (202) 349-5880

Americans for Prosperity Urges Prompt Confirmation of

Jim Nussle as OMB Director

Conrad Is Playing Partisan Tricks at Taxpayers' Expense

WASHINGTON, DC – The grassroots free-market group Americans for Prosperity in a statement today urged the Senate to confirm Jim Nussle as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). AFP Executive Vice President Michelle Korsmo issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Americans for Prosperity members who are keenly interested in fiscal responsibility and accountability, we urge the Senate to promptly confirm Jim Nussle as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“As a former member of Congress and chairman of the House Budget Committee, Jim Nussle is well-qualified for this position. He stood up for taxpayers’ interests during his tenure as a U.S. Representative, and during his confirmation hearings he has reaffirmed his support for reining in wasteful federal spending, paying down the debt, and keeping in place successful supply-side tax policies.

“By leveraging Jim Nussle’s confirmation for $23 billion in more spending, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad is playing unnecessary partisan tricks at the expense of taxpayers. Refusing to allow the committee to vote on Nussle’s nomination before the August 3^rd deadline, when incumbent OMB Director Rob Portman will leave the position, is nothing short of ridiculous. Confirmation of this superbly qualified candidate should not have to wait 45 days. The two previous confirmations for the same position took only 23 days and 30 days, respectively.

“There is no excuse for holding up a well-qualified nominee for such an important vacancy to create leverage for making government larger and more intrusive. Jim Nussle is a well-qualified nominee and the Senate should schedule a confirmation vote as soon as possible.”

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

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