{{Short description|Independent Political Consultant/ Lobbyist}} {{Notability|1=Biographies|date=July 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2013}} {{Infobox person | name = Jonathan Bydlak | image = Jonathan Bydlak (9912335903).jpg | alt = Jonathan Bydlak speaking in 2013 | caption = Bydlak speaking in 2013. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|8|23}} | birth_place = Springfield, Massachusetts,<ref>{{cite news|author= Shira Schoenberg |url=http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/springfield_native_jonathan_by.html |title=Springfield native Jonathan Bydlak works in Washington to convince Congress to reduce spending |newspaper=The Republican |date=November 30, 2012 |accessdate=October 22, 2013}}</ref> U.S. | monuments = | other_names = | education = A.B. in economics, 2005 | alma_mater = Princeton University | occupation = Political | years_active = | organization = Coalition to Reduce Spending | known_for = Ron Paul presidential campaign, 2008, Coalition to Reduce Spending | notable_works = | style = | height = <!-- {{height|m=}} --> | television = | title = | political_party = Republican | movement = | opponents = | boards = [http://indysci.org indysci dot org] | spouse = Rebekah Bydlak | children = | awards = Red Alert Politics 30 under 30<ref>{{cite web|author=Red Alert Politics|url=http://redalertpolitics.com/thirty-under-thirty-2013/jonathan-bydlak/|title=Jonathan Bydlak|publisher=Red Alert Politics|year=2013|accessdate=November 8, 2013|archive-date=November 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106133204/http://redalertpolitics.com/thirty-under-thirty-2013/jonathan-bydlak/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | website = <!-- {{URL|www.reducespending.org|}} --> }} '''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.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://reducespending.org/reject-the-debt/ |title=Reject the Debt |publisher=Coalition to Reduce Spending |date= |accessdate=November 8, 2013}}</ref> In 2020, the Institute officially merged its efforts with those of the R Street Institute.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rstreet.org/2020/03/02/jonathan-bydlak-joins-the-r-street-institute-as-director-of-the-budget-and-spending-policy-project/|title=Jonathan Bydlak Joins the R Street Institute as Director of the Fiscal and Budget Policy Project|date=2020-03-02|website=R Street|language=en|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>
==Early life== 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.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://reducespending.org/leadership/ |title=Leadership |work=Coalition to Reduce Spending |date= |accessdate=November 8, 2013}}</ref>
==Public life== Bydlak has written for ''USA Today'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://rare.us/voices/jonathan-bydlak|title=Jonathan Bydlak|date=2014-04-09|work=Rare|access-date=2017-03-06|language=en-US|archive-date=March 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307124409/http://rare.us/voices/jonathan-bydlak|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Rare'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://rare.us/voices/jonathan-bydlak|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710215933/http://rare.us/voices/jonathan-bydlak/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2014|title=Jonathan Bydlak|date=2014-04-09|work=Rare|access-date=2017-03-06|language=en-US}}</ref> ''The Hill'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/321738-how-to-miss-the-point-and-make-americans-pay/|title=How to miss the point and make Americans pay|last=Jordan|first=Chuck|date=2017-03-01|work=TheHill|access-date=2017-03-06}}</ref> ''Forbes'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/03/02/bloated-defense-budgets-put-americas-troops-at-risk/|title=Bloated Defense Budgets Put America's Troops At Risk|last=Flows|first=Capital|work=Forbes|access-date=2017-03-06}}</ref> and others. Red Alert Politics has profiled Bydlak, characterizing him as the "next Grover Norquist".<ref>{{cite news | title=A one-on-one with Jonathan Bydlak: The next Grover Norquist? | url=http://redalertpolitics.com/2013/03/15/a-one-on-one-with-jonathan-bydlak-the-next-grover-norquist/ | newspaper=RedAlert Politics | date=April 29, 2013 | accessdate=October 12, 2013 | archive-date=November 11, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111073446/http://redalertpolitics.com/2013/03/15/a-one-on-one-with-jonathan-bydlak-the-next-grover-norquist/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news | first1=Nick |last1=Gillespie |first2=Amanda |last2=Winkler |title=The Grover Norquist of Spending Cuts: Jonathan Bydlak and the Coalition to Reduce Spending | url=http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/04/29/jonathan-bydlak-the-grover-norquist-of-s | newspaper=ReasonTV | date=April 29, 2013 | accessdate=May 1, 2013}}</ref> ''Business Insider''<ref>{{cite news | first=Grace | last=Wyler | title=This 29-Year-Old Princeton Grad Wants To Be The Next Grover Norquist — But He Doesn't Care At All About Taxes | url=http://www.businessinsider.com/this-29-year-old-conservative-operative-wants-to-be-the-next-grover-norquist--but-he-doesnt-really-care-about-taxes-2012-12 | newspaper=Business Insider | date=December 17, 2012 | accessdate=February 19, 2013}}</ref> and ''The Fiscal Times''<ref>{{cite news | first=Josh | last=Boak | title=The 29-Year-Old Who Wants to Be the Next Norquist | url=http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/12/04/The-29-Year-Old-Who-Wants-to-Be-the-Next-Norquist.aspx#page1/ | newspaper=The Fiscal Times | date=December 4, 2012 | accessdate=February 19, 2013}}</ref> have profiled Bydlak as well. John Stossel<ref>{{cite news | first=John | last=Stossel | title=It's the Spending, Stupid! | url=http://www.creators.com/opinion/john-stossel/it-s-the-spending-stupid.html | newspaper=Creators Syndicate | date=December 19, 2012 | accessdate=February 19, 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | title=Liberty Political Action Conference: Speakers | url=http://lpac.com/speakers/ | work=Campaign for Liberty | accessdate=December 19, 2013}}</ref>
===Coalition to Reduce Spending=== 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.<ref>{{cite web | title=Reject the Debt | url=http://reducespending.org/reject-the-debt/ | work=Coalition to Reduce Spending | accessdate=February 19, 2013}}</ref> The latter is now a project of the R Street Institute.
The Coalition is funded by private donors.<ref>"[http://www.reducespending.org/notice Notice]." Coalition to Reduce Spending. Retrieved September 10, 2013.</ref>
===Reject the Debt Pledge=== Notable pledge signers include Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Mark Sanford (SC-1), and Rep. Jim Banks (IN-3).<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://reducespending.org/pledge-signers/ |title=Signatories |work=Coalition to Reduce Spending |date= |accessdate=November 8, 2013}}</ref>
=== SpendingTracker.org === In February 2017, the Coalition launched a database tracking federal spending votes in real time. The tool is hosted publicly at [http://www.spendingtracker.org 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'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://watchdog.org/289591/congressional-spending-tools/|title=Tool tracks freewheeling congressional spending - Watchdog.org|date=2017-02-28|work=Watchdog.org|access-date=2017-03-06|language=en-US|archive-date=March 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307203833/http://watchdog.org/289591/congressional-spending-tools/|url-status=dead}}</ref> the Cato Institute's Daily Podcast,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-daily-podcast/how-much-does-congress-critter-vote-spend|title=How Much Does Your Congress Critter Vote to Spend?|date=2017-02-27|work=Cato Institute|access-date=2017-03-06|language=en}}</ref> BlazeTV,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.facebook.com/theblaze/videos/746920015689225|title=Ep. 209: The Censoring Of The Media Has Begun|date=2019-01-24|work=BlazeTV|access-date=2019-01-30|language=en}}</ref> and others.
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bydlak, Jonathan}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:American activists Category:American columnists Category:American political writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Massachusetts Republicans Category:New Right (United States) Category:People from Westfield, Massachusetts Category:21st-century American male writers