Jonah Patel
The Koch brothers, David and Charles, are billionaire industrialists who have become synonymous with political spending in pursuit of limited government. They have long opposed federal power and federal spending. Pro-business groups with ties to the Koch brothers have pushed for similar legislation in more than 30 states, and they’ve been successful: 12 states have passed bills calling for a convention that would produce an altered Constitution that would likely limit federal spending and power. The Koch brothers have funded the push for a convention of states, which would allow states to opt out of regulations and even Supreme Court decisions they disagree with.
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What You'll Learn
The Koch brothers want to limit federal spending and power
The Koch brothers, David and Charles, are libertarian billionaires who have long opposed federal power and spending. They have funded and supported multiple groups and organizations that have pushed for similar legislation in more than 30 states, with the aim of calling for a convention to produce an altered Constitution that would limit federal spending and power.
The Koch brothers have provided financial support to the Convention of States, a project by Citizens for Self-Government, a non-profit that does not disclose its donors. The Convention of States is co-founded by Mark Meckler, the co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, and chaired by Eric O'Keefe, a longtime Koch brothers ally. The Convention of States seeks to pass amendments to limit the powers of the federal government, adopt term limits, and allow states to opt out of regulations and Supreme Court decisions.
The Koch brothers are also tied to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate bill mill that unites conservative politicians with big-business lobbyists. ALEC has long been funded by Koch Industries, and a representative of the company sits on its executive board. ALEC has supported a federal "balanced budget amendment" (BBA) and has published an Article V convention handbook for legislators.
In addition, Koch-linked groups have donated nearly $5.4 million to Citizens for Self-Government between 2011 and 2015, according to the Center for Media and Democracy. These groups have also received major support from the Koch-linked Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.
The Koch brothers' efforts to influence the political process and shape the Constitution are well-funded and coordinated, with the ultimate goal of limiting federal spending and power.
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They want to inject rigid fiscal constraints into the US founding document
The Koch brothers, David and Charles, are billionaire industrialists known for their political spending in pursuit of limited government. They have long opposed federal power and federal spending. Pro-business groups with ties to the Koch brothers have pushed for similar legislation in more than 30 states, and they have been successful in 12 states, according to some sources.
The Koch brothers are major supporters of the Convention of States, a project by Citizens for Self-Government, a nonprofit that does not disclose its donors. The Convention of States is an attempt to trigger the Constitution's provision for a convention of the states. This would allow for a convention to propose amendments to the Constitution, which could result in significant changes to the document.
The Koch brothers and their allies seek to inject rigid fiscal constraints into the US founding document. They advocate for a federal "balanced budget amendment" (BBA), which would limit federal spending and power. They argue that this amendment would ensure fiscal responsibility and prevent government waste. However, critics argue that it would cripple the federal government's ability to aid states, especially during economic downturns.
The push for a BBA is not just a theoretical exercise; the Koch brothers and their allies have made significant progress towards this goal. As of 2017, they had gained the support of 27 states for their BBA proposal, just one state short of the 34 required to bypass Congress and convene a convention to propose amendments to the US Constitution. This progress has continued, and as of 2022, they have gained the support of 30 states.
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They want to adopt term limits
The Koch brothers, David and Charles, are billionaire industrialists known for their political spending in pursuit of limited government. They have long opposed federal power and federal spending. The brothers have funded and supported various groups and organizations that have pushed for similar legislation in more than 30 states. These groups have been successful in getting a dozen states to pass bills calling for a convention to alter the Constitution and limit federal spending and power.
The Koch brothers have ties to the Convention of States (COS), a project by Citizens for Self-Government, a non-profit that does not disclose its donors. The Convention of States is co-founded by Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, and chaired by Eric O'Keefe, a longtime Koch brothers ally. The Convention of States seeks a constitutional convention to pass amendments designed to limit the powers of the federal government, adopt term limits, and allow states to opt out of regulations and Supreme Court decisions they disagree with.
The Koch brothers have also funded and controlled groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which has supported a Federal "Balanced Budget Amendment" (BBA) and published an Article V convention handbook for legislators. ALEC is funded by Koch Industries and has representatives from the Kochs' Americans for Prosperity groups on its committees. The Heartland Institute, another backer of the BBA approach, has received funding from the Charles Koch Foundation and has published posts praising the Koch brothers.
The Koch brothers' support for these groups and their push for a constitutional convention has raised concerns among critics. Some worry that the convention could lead to economic oligarchy and the evisceration of political checks on the powers of business. There are also concerns about the potential impact on federal programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as the regulatory infrastructure that protects consumers and the environment.
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They want to allow states to opt out of regulations and Supreme Court decisions
The Koch brothers, David and Charles, are billionaire industrialists who have become synonymous with overt and covert political spending in pursuit of limited government. They have long opposed federal power and federal spending.
The Koch brothers have been major backers of the balanced budget amendment (BBA) approach, which seeks to inject rigid fiscal constraints into the country's founding document. They have also been linked to the Convention of States (COS) project, which has received funding from Koch-linked Donors Trust and backing from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
The COS strategy seeks to pass amendments designed to limit the powers of the federal government, adopt term limits, and allow states to opt out of regulations and Supreme Court decisions. This would radically revise the Constitution's structure of state and federal power sharing.
The Koch brothers have been accused of attempting to rewrite the Constitution to suit their own interests, including destroying federal programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as the regulatory infrastructure that protects consumers and the environment. They have also been criticized for their opposition to climate change measures, gun control, and voting rights.
The push for a constitutional convention has gained traction in more than 30 states, with a dozen states passing bills calling for a convention to alter the Constitution and limit federal spending and power. This has sparked fears among Democrats and progressives, who see it as a threat to the social safety net and a power grab by economic oligarchs.
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They want to destroy the EPA, FTC, NLRB, and OSHA
The Koch brothers, Charles and David, are libertarian political activists who are among the richest Americans. They have long opposed federal power and federal spending. Koch-linked groups have donated nearly $5.4 million to Citizens for Self-Government, a group that pushes for an Article V convention, which would produce an altered Constitution that would limit federal spending and power.
The Koch brothers have also funded the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate bill mill that unites conservative politicians with big-business lobbyists who develop "model" legislation behind closed doors. ALEC has an opposition to climate change measures, and the Koch brothers are known for their polluting companies, which have leaked toxic substances into their plants' surroundings.
The Koch brothers have a history of opposing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Koch Industries produces billions of pounds of formaldehyde and has lobbied the EPA not to classify it as a known carcinogen. The EPA has acknowledged that some of the Koch companies have participated in programs to improve fuel efficiency, but it has made clear that this does not reflect an overall assessment of Koch Industries' environmental record. The Koch brothers have also been at odds with the EPA in court and have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
In addition to the EPA, the Koch brothers, through their support of the Libertarian Party in 1980, have also sought to abolish other federal agencies and departments, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).
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Frequently asked questions
The Koch Brothers are pushing for a convention of states to rewrite the Constitution. They want to inject rigid fiscal constraints into the country's founding document and limit federal spending and power.
The Koch Brothers want to destroy OSHA, the NLRB, the EPA, and the FTC. They also want to get rid of birthright citizenship and income tax. They are also against climate change measures, gun control, and voting rights.
The Koch Brothers are libertarian billionaires who have long opposed federal power and federal spending. They want to establish an economic oligarchy and remove political checks on the powers of businesses.
