Dec. 12, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to accept no immigration deal that does not first address ending chain migration and the visa lottery system as well as building the wall and securing the border:

“Yesterday’s horrific attempt at mass murder by a person who came from Bangladesh via chain migration underscores the importance of ending both the visa lottery system and chain migration. It is absurd that when one member of a family wins the lottery to be able to legally come to the U.S. that every extended relative is put to the front of the line for future immigration. It is in both U.S. national security and economic interests to have an immigration system that prioritizes those with needed skills and experience. Any discussion of immigration law changes must begin with ending chain migration, building the wall and securing the border before any other considerations.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 12, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress and the Trump administration to review the General System of Preferences favorable tariff treatment for countries that do not engage in reciprocal tariff reductions for U.S-exported goods, particularly India and Brazil:

“For years the U.S. has given favorable tariff treatment for specific goods and services under the General System of Preferences to developing countries, a $19 billion a year program, without the U.S. receiving similar trade preferences in return. Particularly, India is the number one beneficiary of the program at $4.7 billion, and with a $2.25 trillion GDP, exacerbates the $31 billion U.S. trade deficit with India while India charges substantial tariffs on U.S. goods. Brazil, with a $1.77 trillion economy, gets another $2.2 billion from the General System of Preferences, which, although there is a relative balance of trade between the two countries, U.S. exporters still face high tariffs. Together, India and Brazil are among the larger economies in the world, and as these emerging economies continue to grow robustly, the case for favorable, non-reciprocal tariff relief fails. Congress and the Trump administration should review and reevaluate the General System of Preferences as it comes up for renewal on Dec. 31, including on India and Brazil, to see if U.S. interests are being served by the current arrangement.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 11, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement calling attention to a letter by 72 House Republicans to the conference committee appointed to the tax cut bill urging the elimination of the individual mandate:

“72 House Republicans signed a letter to the Chairmen of the Tax Cut Conference Committee, urging that the final bill they produce end the Obamacare requirement that individuals be compelled to purchase health insurance under the threat of a tax penalty for failure to do so.  Just under 7 million Americans chose to pay the almost $500 annual cost of not having health insurance under the individual mandate, while the CBO estimates that 13 million Americans would end their purchase of health insurance if the threat of a $500 tax were not in place.  It is time to let each of us decide if we want to purchase health insurance apart from government coercion.  Americans for Limited Government joins these 72 House members in urging that the tax bill at the very least end the individual mandate.”

Attachments:

Republican Study Committee Letter to the tax cut legislation conference committee, Dec. 7, 2017 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RSC-Letter-Repeal-Individual-Mandate-12-7-2017.pdf

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 8, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to a sensational story from CNN creating misleading narrative that Donald Trump, Jr. retweeting a story about FBI FOIA document releases had something to do with “hacked” Wikileaks documents:

“It is inexcusable for CNN to continue to pretend to be a news agency, given they do not appear to understand the difference between a legally released Freedom of Information Act document made public by the FBI and hacking. It is clear that CNN continues to run an opposition hit campaign on the Trump administration. Any legitimate broadcaster would not accept a paid advertisement that made the contentions that CNN tries to foist on their audience. If CNN wants to be a 527 political operation, they should have to file like any other political campaign committee, and cease engaging in the sham of posing as a news organization.

“The facts appear to be that somebody sent Donald Trump, Jr. an email with documents that had already been posted on Wikileaks. Then, Trump, Jr. retweeted a news story about unrelated documents from the FBI legally obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. This led to the misleading headline, ‘Email shows effort to give Trump campaign WikiLeaks documents,’ implying the documents story Trump, Jr. posted were hacked. This is either a deliberate lie or CNN reporters are blithering idiots who should not be trusted with a computer. These were not even Wikileaks documents that Trump, Jr. posted per the story, they were FBI documents that were subject to the Freedom of Information Act. They were not hacked. This is CNN: More fake news, more bananas.”

Attachments:

FBI FOIA archive on Hillary Clinton at https://vault.fbi.gov/hillary-r.-clinton

Wikileaks tweet linking to FOIA documents, Sept. 2, 2016 at https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/771774547062325248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2016%2F09%2Fwikileaks-hillary-clinton-sent-thousands-classified-cables-marked-c-classified%2F

Donald Trump, Jr. tweet linking to a Gateway Pundit story about the FOIA release, Sept. 4, 2016 at https://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/772555964327288832

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 7, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Attorney General Jeff Sessions for removing the Fusion GPS-tied Bruce Ohr from a high-ranking role in the Justice Department:

“The demotion of a top Justice Department official and his removal from having close proximity to the Office of the Attorney General is a great step in the right direction toward cleaning out those DOJ officials who are connected to the Fusion GPS scandal.  Now former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr met with Christopher Steele, the author of the discredited Clinton and Democratic National Committee paid for dossier on President Trump during the election campaign, and met with the head of Fusion GPS during the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations.  Given the central role both Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS and Steele played in driving the false Russian campaign collusion narrative, Mr. Ohr’s meetings with them confirm suspicions that high level Justice Department career staff have been integrally involved in attempts to subvert the Trump presidency.

“Today’s move shows that Attorney General Sessions is taking action to drain the political cesspool at the Justice Department created by his Obama Administration predecessors.  It would be my bet that this is the first of many such moves that will be announced in the weeks to come.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 7, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the House and Senate conference committee on the tax cut bill to include specific provisions cutting everyone’s taxes, making tax relief permanent, incentivizing repatriation in year-one and closing the foreign reinsurance tax loophole:

“Now that the House and Senate have passed their tax cut bills, now comes the time to iron out the differences between the two. This process of course provides a crucial opportunity to improve the bill, which considering how often tax bills like this come up, might actually be the last opportunity to cut taxes for the next decade or so.

“We urge conferees to include a Senate provision that closes the foreign reinsurance tax loophole, which favors foreign insurers over domestic ones. There should be tax equity here.

“Foreign repatriation should be incentivized to occur in year-one, so that the economy gets maximum stimulus right away from foreign earnings coming back home all at once, creating a virtuous investment boom in U.S. businesses immediately. The sooner the better.

“Finally, House and Senate conferees should focus carefully on crafting a compromise that cuts every individual’s taxes. Nobody should be left guessing how the tax plan will affect their taxes. It should be unequivocal that everyone’s taxes are getting cut, and cut permanently. The conference should include the House provision that makes the tax relief permanent. Both plans include permanent corporate and business tax relief, which is good, but that must apply to the individual side as well. We shouldn’t be creating another fiscal cliff in 2025 or any other year. If spending must be cut in order to get an appropriate budget score to cut everyone’s taxes and to eliminate any sunsets, then cut spending.

“Just including President Trump’s plan to reorganize the non-defense federal bureaucracy could save $1.5 trillion over ten years, with those saving applied to the tax bill. A skinny Obamacare repeal could save another $280 billion. And so forth. For conferees, all options need to be on the table to ensure that the tax relief that is provided today applies to everyone, and will not sunset at a later date.”

Attachments:

“Poll: 42 percent of voters think their taxes go up under GOP tax plan, even though they don’t. Here’s why.” By Robert Romano, Dec. 7, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/12/poll-42-percent-voters-think-taxes-go-gop-tax-plan-even-though-dont-heres/

“The GOP tax bill is better than you think, but it still might result in a ‘Read my lips’ moment,” By Robert Romano, Nov. 27, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/11/the-gop-tax-bill-better-think-still-might-result-read-lips-moment/

“Trump, GOP tax cuts in time for Christmas,” By Robert Romano, Dec. 4, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/12/trump-gop-tax-cuts-time-christmas/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 6, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today accepted an Impact Award from the non-profit United in Purpose, and issued the following statement:

“It is truly an honor to be recognized with this all-star cast in the conservative limited government movement. Slowly, but surely, the center of gravity is beginning to shift out from under the administrative state, and while every small victory comes with multiple bumps and bruises, because of the people honored today, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence that all are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, are starting to resonate again.  We have a long way to go, but each journey gets completed one step at a time.  I am proud to be working alongside many of these honorees as a small cog in the fight to restore liberty in America.”

For more information: http://impactawardsevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/UIP_Letterhead-120517.pdf and http://impactawardsevent.com

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 4, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement echoing Trump attorney John Dowd’s statement that the “President cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution’s Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case”:

“The President is the chief officer of the Executive Branch, whose duty under Article II of the Constitution is to implement and enforce the law. He is only officer in the Constitution that has this job. Not the Attorney General. Not the FBI. Not the Justice Department. The President can lead investigations, order investigations and stop investigations, just like any prosecutor with discretion. To deny that, is to deny the very nature of executive power.

“Given that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI about lawful activities and nothing else, it is reasonable for the President to have said that Flynn really didn’t do anything wrong. Robert Mueller himself exercised the same discretion when he accepted Flynn’s plea deal. James Comey himself exercised far broader prosecutorial discretion when he whitewashed Hillary Clinton’s email server scandal by declaring it not to be a crime.

“I find it incredible that those who conferred on former President Obama nearly unlimited executive powers seek to undermine the exercising of even the most basic constitutional authority by President Trump. This partisan approach to constitutional governance and the powers delineated therein is dangerous.

“The greatest danger to representative government is an unaccountable administrative state operating outside of presidential and Congressional purview. It is time to rein in this witch hunt, which calls into question the amount of discretion that has been put into the hands of unelected officials.”

Attachments:

“No obstruction of justice by Trump in Comey testimony,” By Robert Romano, June 8, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/06/no-obstruction-justice-trump-comey-testimony/

“Flynn had no reason to lie about speaking to the Russian ambassador,” Statement by Rick Manning, Dec. 1, 2017 at https://getliberty.org/2017/12/flynn-had-no-reason-to-lie-about-speaking-to-the-russian-ambassador/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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