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Jonathan Bydlak

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Jonathan Bydlak
Jonathan Bydlak speaking in 2013
Bydlak speaking in 2013.
Born (1983-08-23) August 23, 1983 (age 41)
Springfield, Massachusetts,[1] U.S.
EducationA.B. in economics, 2005
Alma materPrinceton University
OccupationPolitical
OrganizationCoalition to Reduce Spending
Known forRon Paul presidential campaign, 2008, Coalition to Reduce Spending
Political partyRepublican
Board member ofindysci dot org
SpouseRebekah Bydlak
AwardsRed Alert Politics 30 under 30[2]

Jonathan Bydlak (born August 23, 1983) is director of the Fiscal and Budget Policy Project at the R Street Institute. He was previously founder and president of the Coalition to Reduce Spending and the Institute for Spending Reform, organizations that support spending reform and reduction. He is the primary promoter of SpendingTracker.org, a real-time government spending tracker, and previously spearheaded the "Reject the Debt Pledge," a pledge signed by candidates and elected officials who promise not to increase spending that is not offset elsewhere and not to vote for budgets that do not lead to balance.[3] In 2020, the Institute officially merged its efforts with those of the R Street Institute.[4]

Early life

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Bydlak grew up in Westfield, Massachusetts, and enrolled in Princeton University in 2001. Following a career in the financial sector as a hedge fund analyst, Bydlak joined the Ron Paul presidential campaign, 2008, serving in the capacity of fundraising director. He is also the founder of an independent consulting firm, Bydlak & Associates, LLC, whose clients ranged from federal and state political candidates to advocacy organizations and other non-profits.[5]

Public life

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Bydlak has written for USA Today,[6] Rare,[7] The Hill,[8] Forbes,[9] and others. Red Alert Politics has profiled Bydlak, characterizing him as the "next Grover Norquist".[10] This comparison was echoed by ReasonTV's Nick Gillespie, who profiled Bydlak in a piece which characterized him as "The Grover Norquist of Spending Cuts."[11] Business Insider[12] and The Fiscal Times[13] have profiled Bydlak as well. John Stossel[14] wrote a column highlighting the work of the Coalition in a syndicated column featured in Human Events, Reason Magazine, Townhall.com, The Washington Examiner, and the New Hampshire Union Leader

Bydlak has been a featured speaker at Campaign for Liberty's Liberty Political Action Conference, sharing the stage with speakers including Rand Paul, Rep. Thomas Massie, and Morton Blackwell.[15]

Coalition to Reduce Spending

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In 2012, Bydlak founded the Coalition to Reduce Spending (CRS).

The primary policy goal of CRS was to advocate for reduced government spending, with advocacy centered upon its Reject the Debt candidate pledge and SpendingTracker.org, which tracks federal government spending.[16] The latter is now a project of the R Street Institute.

The Coalition is funded by private donors.[17]

Reject the Debt Pledge

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Notable pledge signers include Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Mark Sanford (SC-1), and Rep. Jim Banks (IN-3).[18]

SpendingTracker.org

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In February 2017, the Coalition launched a database tracking federal spending votes in real time. The tool is hosted publicly at SpendingTracker.org and cross-references Congressional Budget Office scores and public voting record to assign each member of Congress a unique "number," or total new spending he or she is responsible for. The tool has been profiled by FreedomWorks, Watchdog.org,[19] the Cato Institute's Daily Podcast,[20] BlazeTV,[21] and others.

References

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  1. ^ Shira Schoenberg (November 30, 2012). "Springfield native Jonathan Bydlak works in Washington to convince Congress to reduce spending". The Republican. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  2. ^ Red Alert Politics (2013). "Jonathan Bydlak". Red Alert Politics. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Reject the Debt". Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  4. ^ "Jonathan Bydlak Joins the R Street Institute as Director of the Fiscal and Budget Policy Project". R Street. March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "Leadership". Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  6. ^ "Jonathan Bydlak". Rare. April 9, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  7. ^ "Jonathan Bydlak". Rare. April 9, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ Jordan, Chuck (March 1, 2017). "How to miss the point and make Americans pay". TheHill. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  9. ^ Flows, Capital. "Bloated Defense Budgets Put America's Troops At Risk". Forbes. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "A one-on-one with Jonathan Bydlak: The next Grover Norquist?". RedAlert Politics. April 29, 2013. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  11. ^ Gillespie, Nick; Winkler, Amanda (April 29, 2013). "The Grover Norquist of Spending Cuts: Jonathan Bydlak and the Coalition to Reduce Spending". ReasonTV. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  12. ^ Wyler, Grace (December 17, 2012). "This 29-Year-Old Princeton Grad Wants To Be The Next Grover Norquist — But He Doesn't Care At All About Taxes". Business Insider. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  13. ^ Boak, Josh (December 4, 2012). "The 29-Year-Old Who Wants to Be the Next Norquist". The Fiscal Times. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  14. ^ Stossel, John (December 19, 2012). "It's the Spending, Stupid!". Creators Syndicate. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  15. ^ "Liberty Political Action Conference: Speakers". Campaign for Liberty. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  16. ^ "Reject the Debt". Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  17. ^ "Notice." Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  18. ^ "Signatories". Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  19. ^ "Tool tracks freewheeling congressional spending - Watchdog.org". Watchdog.org. February 28, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  20. ^ "How Much Does Your Congress Critter Vote to Spend?". Cato Institute. February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  21. ^ "Ep. 209: The Censoring Of The Media Has Begun". BlazeTV. January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
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