Sept. 19, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Senate to pass the Cassidy-Graham bill repealing and replacing Obamacare before the fiscal year ends:

“We are encouraged that the Senate is close to passage on the Cassidy-Graham bill, which is the last best chance for Republicans to keep their basic promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. It ends the noxious individual mandate that compels people to purchase health insurance. It ends the employer mandate which discouraged employers from hiring full-time employees. It increases flexibility for the states and respects them through its common-sense block grant formula, giving state legislatures a key role in offering lower-cost health insurance alternatives to their citizens. States are also empowered to apply for waivers from Obamacare regulations, allowing insurers to offer similar lower-cost alternatives to consumers.

“While the failure to rip all of the Obamacare regulations out in their entirety is disappointing, the Cassidy-Graham proposal is a step in the right direction and Congress must not miss this opportunity to act this year on keeping its promise. This will set the stage for further next steps in eliminating the remaining competition-killing regulations that remain intact.”

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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Sept. 15, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress and the President to only consider tax proposals that reduce the amount of revenue American workers and businesses have to pay:

“The economy has not grown above 4 percent since 2000, and not above 3 percent since 2005. The economy needs a real stimulus, not some convoluted ‘revenue-neutral’ tax bill. Revenue-neutral tax rules in the Senate are the problem, not the solution. The only way revenue-neutral tax rules in the Senate make any sense is if there are dramatic spending cuts in the budget bill to allow for major tax cuts that might actually help the economy grow robustly. Any tax bill which is effectively revenue-neutral is not pro-growth, it simply shifts tax burdens from those with power to those without the power to protect themselves, rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The House of Representatives needs to pass a big stimulative tax cut and let the Senate worry about their rules because the Senate majority has the capacity to overrule the parliamentarian any time they want to. Or if there is a concern about deficits, then how about read your own campaign brochures and cut spending?”

Attachments:

“Will the GOP tax cut be ‘one of the largest tax cuts in history’ as President Trump is proposing?” By Robert Romano, Sept. 15, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/09/will-gop-tax-cut-be-one-largest-tax-cuts-history-president-trump-proposing/

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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Sept. 14, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement challenging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to either end the Byrd Rule or for Congress to implement the Trump budget cutting spending by $4.5 trillion of spending cuts in order to make room for major tax relief:

“President Trump is proposing a major tax cut overhaul that will lower corporate and individual rates and give a major boost to the economy that has not grown above 3 percent since 2005 and not above 4 percent since 2000. But the biggest stumbling block will be, once again, arcane Senate rules on budget reconciliation and the monopoly on budget scores the JCT and CBO possess.

“With these constraints, Congress and specifically the GOP Senate face a choice. Either, end the Byrd Rule requiring deficit neutrality on budget bills, or enact the Trump budget that cuts $4.5 trillion of spending to make room for the tax relief the American people and businesses need to get the economy moving again. The Byrd rule which allows the parliamentarian to effectively veto any part of a budget reconciliation bill is nothing more than an excuse, because the majority can overrule the parliamentarian on anything, meaning they can do whatever they want.

“Otherwise, the tax bill likely to emerge from the House and Senate is going to stink, just like the economy has for the past decade or so. If we cannot count on the Republican Congress to cut taxes, what can they be counted on to do? It’s like a slow-motion train wreck. Everyone knows it’s coming, you can see it in real-time. This is a debate where the GOP Congress is bound to disappoint, unless they change and change right this instant. It’s time to help the economy grow again.”

Attachments:

“Escaping the Tax-Reform Budget Trap,” Wall Street Journal editorial, Sept. 13, 2017 at https://www.wsj.com/articles/escaping-the-tax-reform-budget-trap-1505344111

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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Sept. 14, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President today issued the following statement urging Congress to adopt the RAISE Act and build the wall before any consideration of DACA or any other illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. and responding to President Donald Trump’s statements in Ft. Myers, Fla. that “Very important is the wall. We have to be sure the wall isn’t obstructed because without the wall I wouldn’t do anything… It doesn’t have to be here but they can’t obstruct the wall if its in a budget or anything else” and “If there’s not a wall, we’re doing nothing” and “We’re not looking at citizenship. We’re not looking at amnesty. We’re looking at allowing people to stay here…”:

“We are pleased that the President sees no path to citizenship on DACA and is standing firm on getting the wall done as a precondition to any discussion. The American people elected President Donald Trump to enforce the nation’s immigration laws, secure the border and to end chain migration in the immigration system. To put America and Americans first. In addition, at a minimum, passing the RAISE Act and building the wall accomplish those objectives, and should be the first and only considerations by Congress at the moment. The paradigm must be to pass the RAISE Act, end chain migration, move to a merit-based system, build the wall and secure the border first as the concrete foundation of a solution to the illegal immigration problem.

“In 1986, amnesty was granted to millions of illegal immigrants with the promise of border security later, which never happened, and the President must not make that mistake again. That was Reagan’s folly. His biggest mistake. We have the benefit of experience to see how that turns out. Now is the time to learn from history, not to repeat it. If the President sticks to what he just said in Ft. Myers, then this could wind up being a productive conversation about how to enforce the nation’s laws and reform a broken system.”

Attachments:

“The DACA debate is filled with landmines,” By Printus LeBlanc, Sept. 8, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/09/daca-debate-filled-landmines/

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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Sept. 12, 2017, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement disputing long-time Republican consultant Alex Conant’s assertion that President Donald Trump “is not a limited government conservative”:

“Long-time presidential campaign consultant Alex Conant is wrong in his assertion that Donald Trump is not a limited government president. In fact, President Donald Trump is the most limited government president since Ronald Reagan sat in the Oval Office.

“During his first 8 months in office, Trump has appointed a bevy of conservative jurists including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. He’s rescinded the Paris Accord, the Waters of the USA rule and allowed the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines to be built, among many other deregulatory accomplishments — with more to come to take apart the liberty-restricting administrative state that has seized Congress’ Article I lawmaking authority.

“On the constitutional front, President Trump is ending the unconstitutional DACA executive order and demanding that Congress restore its rightful authority over immigration policy by addressing the immigration issue as a whole, setting forth parameters for success with the RAISE Act and border security including the wall.

“Protecting our nation’s economic sovereignty, Trump ended the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership and is renegotiating the NAFTA trade deal to better reflect U.S. interests in the 21st Century, exercising his Article II authority to conduct foreign relations.

“On fiscal policy, Trump proposed $4.5 trillion of real spending cuts over the next decade, and on taxes, is proposing the most substantial tax reform since Reagan.

“Trump’s hands-off legislative approach where he sets broad goals while expecting Congress to do its job without micromanagement is a recognition of Congress’ Article I responsibilities under the Constitution. For those who are still stuck in year-old campaign rhetoric, it’s time for them to update their hard drives, because Donald Trump is proving to be the most surprising limited government president in America’s history.”

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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Sept. 7, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement responding to a poll by John McLaughlin showing Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are less popular than violent, left-wing Antifa:

“A just released poll by respected pollster John McLaughlin shockingly shows that Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell’s Congressional leadership is less popular with voters than the left-wing, violent Antifa. Ryan and McConnell’s staying on as GOP leaders polled at just 15 percent, while masked thugs in the street were supported by 21 percent. Equally shocking, a higher percentage of Democrats supported Ryan and McConnell staying on as leaders than Republican respondents, demonstrating the gap between the establishment GOP and the base that elected them. While Antifa has nowhere to go but down, as political violence is unacceptable in modern American society, the good news for Ryan and McConnell is that they have a pathway ahead. And that is by enacting the Trump agenda they ran on repealing Obamacare, reining in big government, cutting taxes and building the wall that was promised to be delivered with Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.”

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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Sept. 6, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the latest deal on the debt ceiling, continuing resolution and disaster relief funding:

“While it is disappointing that the status quo in Washington, D.C. is being perpetuated through December on the continuing resolution and debt ceiling, President Donald Trump has changed the playing field. By extending the debate over the debt ceiling and government funding for another 3 months, this allows a more focused effort to get the GOP Congress to keep their promises on funding the wall, reining in government, cutting taxes and repealing Obamacare. This buys the American people the time they need to make their voices heard, and most importantly, it gives GOP legislators one last chance to get it right.”

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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Sept. 6, 2017, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today joined other conservative leaders at a Capitol Hill press conference urging the REINS Act be included in any debt ceiling legislation. In addition, Manning issued the following statement on the topic:

“It is essential that Congress incorporate the REINS Act or something other form of regulatory relief into any bill that raises the debt ceiling. The REINS Act passed the House with bipartisan support, and its inclusion in the debt ceiling should be non-controversial by Washington, D.C. standards. It is the bare minimum of what should be included to reduce the size and scope of the administrative state and restore constitutional governance.”

Attachments:

Letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Kathy McMorris Rodgers, Sept. 6, 2017

Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McCarthy, Whip Scalise, and Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers:

We, the undersigned conservative organizations, strongly oppose any attempt to raise the national debt limit without significant reforms that put our nation on a path to fiscal balance. The conservative activists and members our organizations represent are frustrated by the failure of congressional Republicans to keep their promises to repeal ObamaCare and rein in federal spending.

A debt limit increase – which is effectively another broken promise – risks more frustration in the conservative movement with congressional Republicans at a time when it is critical to gain momentum to pass fundamental, pro-growth tax reform.

In 2011, each of you were clear that a debt limit increase was fiscally irresponsible and could not pass the House of Representatives without corresponding spending cuts. Indeed, the debt limit increase was rejected by an overwhelming margin, without a single Republican vote.[1] The common theme at the time was that Congress should not increase the national debt unless it also addresses our dire fiscal situation.

Mr. Ryan: “[W]hat we say is that for every dollar that the President wants to raise the debt limit we need to cut more than a dollar in spending. It’s really simple. So if he wants $2 trillion in debt limit increase then we’ve got to cut more than 2 trillion in spending. We’ve already offered a budget to cut $6.2 trillion in spending so we’ve shown the President plenty of areas in the government where we can cut spending.”

“In order to do that – if you want to create jobs you’ve got to get the fiscal situation under control. So it’s really about cutting spending, balancing the budget, getting the debt on the right path, and getting job creation, and those are the things that we are talking about.”[2]

Mr. McCarthy: “Today’s vote sends a clear message to President Obama and Congressional Democrats that their plan to continue down a path of trillion dollar deficits is not an option. As I’ve said from the beginning, there’s not a single House Republican willing to vote to increase our debt limit without significant spending reductions and reforms to address our $14.28 trillion national debt.”

Mr. Scalise: “It would be irresponsible to raise the debt ceiling without dramatic spending cuts that address our current financial crisis and get our country back on the path to fiscal responsibility. President Obama and liberals in Congress need to get the message that their reckless spending spree is over, and we will not allow Washington to continue spending money we don’t have. We need to have an honest conversation about how we can solve our country’s spending crisis, and the time for that conversation to begin is now.”

Mrs. McMorris Rodgers: “Congress should not raise the debt ceiling again unless it’s accompanied by significant cuts in government spending and fundamental budget reform. The debate over the debt ceiling is just getting started, and in the weeks ahead, we will have a unique opportunity to change the current course and incentives in our nation’s capital to smarter spending and a smaller role for the federal government. For the sake our children and grandchildren, we have to get our national debt under control, and we need to do it urgently.”

The United States’ fiscal situation has only gotten worse. Since rejecting a debt limit increase in May 2011, the total public debt has grown by roughly $5.5 trillion, from $14.344 trillion to $19.844 trillion. Moreover, the long-term unfunded liabilities threaten economic growth and prosperity.

With such an ominous picture facing the our country, a debt ceiling increase would send a signal that congressional Republicans are not serious about tackling these challenges and that past words were only convenient rhetorical tools with which to criticize a Democratic administration.

We, and our supporters, strongly oppose an increase in the debt limit without corresponding spending cuts or significant regulatory relief and expect Congressional leaders to be consistent and fight for fiscal responsibility, not for more government spending.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon, President
FreedomWorks

David McIntosh, President
The Club for Growth

Michael Needham, Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Action

David Williams, President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Richard Manning, President
Americans for Limited Government

Phil Kerpen, President
American Commitment

Judson Phillips, President
Tea Party Nation

Jonathan Bydlak, President
Coalition to Reduce Spending