Romney Campaign Press Release - Governor Romney Announces His Fiscal Discipline Policy Advisory Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Romney for President Fiscal Discipline Policy Advisory Group. This group of men and women will be tasked with advising Governor Romney on strategies to cut government spending and reform government programs.

The Fiscal Discipline Policy Advisory Group will be chaired by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), a Senior Adviser to Governor Romney and a leading fiscal conservative in the United States Senate.

"Changing Washington begins with Republicans advocating fiscal discipline and smaller government. We need to take Washington apart and put it back together based on sound conservative, fiscally responsible principles," said Governor Romney. "The men and women of this group bring years of oversight and management experience that will help us find ways to cut the size of government and make it more efficient."

Governor Romney has outlined several initiatives to bring fiscal discipline back to Washington. In March 2007, Governor Romney proposed a strong agenda to restrain government spending. As President, he has pledged to veto non-defense discretionary appropriations bills that grow spending at a rate greater than inflation minus one percent (CPI-1%). This will save $300 billion over 10 years. Governor Romney will also review and reevaluate all federal spending programs to eliminate wasteful spending. He also supports giving the President the same line-item vetoing authority he used so many times as Governor of Massachusetts.

As Chair of the Fiscal Discipline Policy Advisory Group, Senator DeMint said, "Governor Romney has spoken forcefully for the need for change in Washington. That change begins with Republicans returning to the fundamental conservative principles of fiscal responsibility. Government should be smaller and the American people should be taxed less. Governor Romney is the right candidate to cut spending because he's already done it."

Background On The Romney For President Fiscal Discipline Policy Advisory Group:

Senator Jim DeMint (Chair): Elected to the Senate in 2004, Senator DeMint has been a strong proponent for basic conservative principles and values including individual liberty, free markets and faith. He is the chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, a caucus of conservative senators that includes the majority of the Republican conference. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, he has fought to limit the size of government, strengthen Social Security, make health care more affordable and accessible, reduce taxes, reform the tax code and support the war on terror. Senator DeMint helped pass President Bush's tax relief and cast critical votes to end the marriage penalty, repeal the death tax and increase the amount of money workers can contribute to their retirement savings plans.

Governor Donald L. Carcieri: Elected in 2002, Governor Donald Carcieri is Rhode Island's 57th Governor. As Governor, he has been a forceful advocate for fiscal discipline and pro-growth economic policies. Prior to his election, Governor Carcieri had a successful career in business serving as CEO of Cookson America and Joint Managing Director of Cookson Group Worldwide. He was instrumental in growing the company into a business with over 12,000 employees and $3 billion in sales. During his career, he also worked at Old Stone Bank, Catholic Relief Services and as a math teacher.

Congressman Dave Camp: First elected to Congress in 1990 as representative for the 4th Congressional District of Michigan, Congressman Camp quickly earned a reputation for paying close attention to his constituents' needs. In the House of Representatives, he is the third most senior Republican on the Ways and Means Committee. In 1996, Congressman Camp made his mark playing a crucial role in the passage of historic welfare reform legislation. As an attorney before his election, he worked extensively with parents and children in the foster care system and is one of the House's leading adoption and foster care proponents.

Congressman John Campbell: Elected to Congress in 2005, Congressman Campbell has a quarter century experience in the business world and a record of accomplishment in the California Legislature. In Congress, he has been committed to fiscal responsibility. Congressman Campbell is the Chairman of the Budget and Spending Taskforce of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) and is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the Budget. He was elected to the California Assembly in 2000 and California Senate in 2004 and was a leading voice for fiscal responsibility. Prior to his public service, he worked in the automotive industry for nearly 25 years and was a tax accountant with what is now Ernst & Young in Los Angeles.

Roger B. Porter: Roger Porter is the IBM Professor of Business and Government at Harvard University. Joining the Kennedy School in 1977, he has served for more than a decade in senior economic policy positions in the White House, most recently as Assistant to the President for Economic and Domestic Policy from 1989 to 1993. He served as Director of the White House Office of Policy Development in the Reagan Administration and as Executive Secretary of the President's Economic Policy Board during the Ford Administration. He is the author of several books on economic policy, including Presidential Decision Making and Efficiency, Equity and Legitimacy: The Multilateral Trading System at the Millennium.

Former Congressman Vin Weber: Currently a Director of Citizens Against Government Waste, Vin Weber served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1993, representing Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District. He currently serves as Chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy and as chief executive officer of Clark & Weinstock. Mr. Weber sits on the Board of the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion, and co-chaired a major independent task force on U.S. Policy Toward Reform in the Arab World. He has counseled numerous Presidential campaigns, and in 2004, was the Bush-Cheney '04 Plains States Regional Chairman. Prior to opening Clark & Weinstock's Washington office in 1994, Mr. Weber was president of Empower America. Mr. Weber currently serves as the chief policy adviser to Governor Romney.

Barbara Anderson: Barbara Anderson is the Executive Director of Citizens for Limited Government in Massachusetts. She is a leading voice for fiscal responsibility in Massachusetts. In 1999, she was the recipient of the fourth Lifetime Taxfighter award from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association. Anderson was a Co-Chair of the "Promises to Keep: 5%" successful ballot campaign to rollback the state income tax rate. She has served on the National Taxpayers Union Board of Directors and was appointed to Governor Cellucci's Transition Team for Economic and Fiscal Policy.

Donna Arduin: Donna Arduin is the former Director of the California Department of Finance. Prior to her appointment by Governor Schwarzenegger in November 2003, she led an outside, independent audit of California government and state finances. She also served as the Director of the Florida Office of Policy and Budget for Governor Jeb Bush. She held similar positions in New York and Michigan. Prior to her public service, she worked as an analyst in New York and Tokyo in the private financial markets for Morgan Stanley and Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan.

Dr. Ed Harper: Dr. Ed Harper served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Chief of Policy Development in the Reagan Administration. He is the current Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations at an insurance company. Dr. Harper also served in executive positions for the American Security Group, Commodore Applied Technologies, the Association of American Railroads; and the Campbell Soup Company. Dr. Harper also served as a Special Assistant to President Nixon on policy planning and budgeting. He served on the Platform Committee staffs for two Republican National Conventions and worked on Presidential Campaign Policy Committees for former Presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Chris Jenny: Mr. Jenny is a Senior Partner with The Parthenon Group, a Boston-based management consulting and investment firm. He has advised many chief executive officers and senior executives on strategic issues with their organizations. Prior to joining Parthenon in 1995, Mr. Jenny was a Partner at Bain & Company. He was recently named by President Bush to serve on the President's Export Council to advise the President on trade performance, export expansion and other vital issues related to international trade.

Brian Reardon: Mr. Reardon is currently a Principal at D.C.-based Venn Strategies, a public affairs and advocacy firm specializing in tax, health care and energy policy. Prior to his current position, he served as Special Assistant to President Bush for economic policy. Working at the President's National Economic Council (NEC), Mr. Reardon coordinated tax and economic policy. His portfolio included the Jobs and Growth Tax Act of 2003, the American Jobs Act of 2004 and establishing the President's Tax Reform Panel. Before joining the NEC, Reardon served as Staff Director and Chief Economist of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Mr. Reardon also spent three years with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the country's largest small business advocacy organization.

David B. Struhs: David Struhs is the Vice President of Environmental Affairs at International Paper. Struhs served as Governor Jeb Bush's Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection and served in a similar capacity for Governors William Weld (R-MA) and Paul Cellucci (R-MA). He was also formerly Vice President of the strategic consulting firm The Canyon Group and served under former President Bush as Chief of Staff for the President's Council on Environmental Quality and on the senior management team at the EPA's New England regional office in Boston.