May 2, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump’s tweet on the budget deal where he stated “Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix [the] mess”:

“President Donald Trump got it exactly right when he tweeted that we need a shutdown in September to clean up the mess in Washington, D.C., as well as noting the archaic Senate process as one of the primary tools the swamp uses to keep power. Congressional Republicans must no longer be allowed to use Senate process as the excuse for funding Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s agenda. The funding bill that is about to pass are Exhibits A through Z of the abuse of the system by Schumer and his willing GOP accomplices who pretend to be limited government conservatives.

“President Trump understands that any deal that funds Planned Parenthood, Obamacare and the left’s priorities but doesn’t even fund the wall is a bad deal. Hopefully, the next six months will result in changes to Senate rules that take away Chuck Schumer’s shutdown gun held to the head of the government, and a shift in the posture taken by Republican leaders in Congress. President Trump’s willingness to shut down the government to achieve his policy objectives is a step in the right direction toward disarming Schumer. But he cannot do it alone. Let us hope that House Speaker Paul Ryan reads his past campaign brochures in preparation of winning this fight.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

April 28, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the latest GDP numbers showing just 0.7 percent growth for the first quarter of 2017:

“Today’s disappointing GDP number highlights the need for Congress to get its act together and implement the Trump agenda on tax cuts, regulatory reform and repealing Obamacare. At just 0.7 percent annualized growth in the first quarter, to hit the Trump administration’s goal of 3 percent growth, will now require almost 4 percent grow annualized each of the remaining three quarters.

“The U.S. economy is already coming off its worst decade ever from a growth perspective, averaging just 1.3329 percent inflation-adjusted growth a year from 2007 to 2016, worst than even the Great Depression’s 1.3334 percent average annual growth from 1931 to 1939.

“This is a bigger problem than anyone is willing to admit. That is why Congress must act on the necessary economic reforms in front of them, not hide behind the limits of Senate rules. Trump has outlined an ambitious tax cutting plan that help the economy to grow. Lifting the burdens imposed by Obamacare will help the economy grow. Legislatively prohibiting the use of funds to carry out economy-killing regulations enacted beyond the Congressional Review Act’s 60-day legislative window will help the economy to grow. These obstacles to growth were enacted by Congress and via the regulatory administrative state long before Trump took office, and it is Congress that must act in order to remove these impediments to growth. President Trump can only accomplish so much on his own. It is Congress’ Article I responsibility to take the lead on needed legislation.”

“If Republicans want to be a majority in Congress, then they must now govern like a majority and keep their promises. If the economy fails to grow, not much else will matter in 2018 and beyond.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

April 26, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump’s outline for cutting the taxes of the American people:

“President Trump’s outline for cutting taxes for individuals makes sense and will lead to most Americans enjoying more take home pay than they do today.  Lowering the number of tax brackets and the associated top and lowest rates, along with increasing the standard deductions, keeping the home mortgage and philanthropy deductions while changing the maximum deductibility of state and local income taxes makes sense.

“While residents of high income tax states like California will not like this last change, it is absurd for the rest of the nation to be subsidizing California’s bloated state government through a carte blanche deduction.  If the residents of high tax states choose to keep their tax and spend legislatures, the rest of America should not be forced to subsidize it.

“The Trump outline sets up a good starting point for the larger tax cut discussion that our nation needs to have.  It is time to restructure everything to ensure that our tax code reflects the best interests of our economy as we attempt to recover from the worst ten year period of GDP growth in our nation’s history, including the Great Depression.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

April 24, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to include the $3 billion border supplemental requested by the Trump administration in the April 28 continuing resolution:

“Elections have consequences. In 2016, President Donald Trump and Republicans won majorities in the Electoral College, the House and the Senate, and as a result, it is they, not Democrats, who get to decide what the nation’s priorities are.

“One of the fundamental promises Trump made was to secure the border by expanding the nation’s border wall infrastructure, which already consists of about 600 miles of walls, fencing and other barriers. This is not a binary choice of wall or no wall. We already have walls. It’s about whether the Republican Congress can keep the basic promise the President made to secure the border that was one of the major issues that united Trump’s electoral coalition and propelled Republicans to majorities in both houses of Congress, and not cave into the temper tantrum of the left still trying to figure out how it lost everything in 2016.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

April 20, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement demanding that FBI Director James Comey either step down or be fired in light of reports that the FBI relied in part on the now-discredited Christopher Steele dossier to justify getting a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court warrant against one-time Trump campaign advisor Carter Page:

“The FBI’s incredible incompetence and outright complicity with the politicization of government spying removes the last shred of credibility that Director James Comey has and he needs to either resign or be fired.

“The failure to even secure and independently examine the DNC server while relying on the self-serving innuendo by the DNC’s computer consultant CrowdStrike for verification is unbelievable. But their reliance on an easily disprovable political hit piece dossier to get a FISA warrant against Carter Page, paid for by Democrat supporters of Hillary Clinton and produced by the private firm Fusion GPS, to attempt to undermine the Trump campaign in 2016 effort is inexcusable. And then the FBI wanted to pay the dossier’s author to continue what began as political campaign work?

“Comey is either a rube or a political tool, either way he has to go. This gives the appearance that the nation’s top law enforcement and intelligence agencies have become completely politicized.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

April 19, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today in the following statement announced the video and action page BuildWallNow.org to urge Congress to adopt President Donald Trump’s proposed border supplemental in the April 28 continuing resolution:

“In January, House Speaker Paul Ryan indicated that if Mick Mulvaney was confirmed at OMB and the Trump White House formally put in the supplemental funding request for the border wall, that it would be done in the first quarter, presumably as a part of the April 28 continuing resolution. Well, Mulvaney was confirmed on Feb. 16 and the supplemental request was formally put to Ryan on March 16 by President Trump. Trump kept up his part of the bargain. But by March 30, Ryan had changed his tune, telling CBS News ‘the big chunk of money for the wall really is… next fiscal year’s appropriations…’

“If Congressional Republicans fail to deliver the wall via a funding vehicle this year, it will portend badly for the 2018 midterms and endanger members’ reelection hopes.  Voters need to see that Republicans are keeping their promises. Members’ fates are tied to the wall. Congress must vote to build the wall.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

 

April 18, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government Foundation released a report today entitled “Shedding Light on Solar Electricity.” The report covers a number of problems that the solar industry has been causing its customers. It also makes a number of recommendations to state legislators about how to protect consumers and improve transparency in the solar industry.

Americans for Limited Government Foundation Director of Research Richard McCarty, who authored the study, stated in the report’s conclusion: “Consumers have a right to know the facts before they decide to have solar panels installed on their homes. Too many times, unscrupulous solar industry employees have omitted these facts or, intentionally or unintentionally, misled potential customers. That is why state legislators should enact sensible laws that require solar companies to be open and transparent with their potential customers about the advantages and disadvantages of solar panels. Even after legislators address these problems, it will still be necessary for consumers to do their own research to ensure that solar panels are the right choice for them; but until consumer protection laws are strengthened, this research will be even more vital.”

The report covers some of the ways in which solar customers have been scammed as well as problems customers have experienced. For example, some solar customers have not received the government rebates they were due because they were stolen by their contractor. Others have paid deposits on solar panels that were never installed. Many customers have not seen the savings on their utility bills that they were promised. A number of customers who have signed solar leases have experienced problems with selling or refinancing their homes. Those leasing solar panels and trying to get a reverse mortgage have learned it is simply impossible. Of course, all too often, these customers were not told of these risks.

To reduce the number of these cases and improve consumer protection laws, the report includes a list of recommendations for state legislators to consider. This list includes requiring solar contractors to provide customers with a written contract; requiring contracts to include the amount of any monthly payments and what, if anything, could cause them to rise; requiring that any promised savings must be written into the contract; and requiring that contracts specify who is to receive any solar incentives.

It is hoped that this report will be of use to consumers considering having solar panels installed and to state legislators and regulators concerned with consumer protection.

Attachments:

“Shedding Light on Solar Electricity,” Americans for Limited Government Foundation Director of Research Richard McCarty, April 18, 2017 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Shedding-Light-on-Solar-Electricity.pdf

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government Foundation at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG Foundation experts.

###

April 18, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Attorney General Jeff Sessions to review the current prosecution of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for enforcing U.S. immigration law:

“It is inexcusable for any law enforcement official to be prosecuted for enforcing the law. Sheriff Joe Arpaio was brought up on contempt charges by the Obama Justice Department for enforcing U.S. immigration law. In light of President Trump’s executive order deputizing local law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration law, it is positively ludicrous that Arpaio would be now prosecuted for doing so. It sends precisely the wrong message to law enforcement, and could deter local agencies from participating in the President’s deputy program for fear of later prosecution. We urge Attorney General Jeff Sessions to review this case and to take any and all action necessary to end this political prosecution or if necessary for the President to grant him a pardon — after all, he was only doing his job to protect Maricopa County.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###

April 13, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to include funding for building the southern border wall in the April 28 continuing resolution:

“Donald Trump ran on building the southern border wall, and the Republican Congress needs to integrate his supplemental budget that funds into the spending bill due April 28. The GOP Congress must not give into Democrat demands to stop the wall, which would be a politically devastating betrayal of the voters that who elected both President Trump and the GOP majorities in the House and Senate.

“If Senate Minority Leader Schumer wants to shut the government down over the wall, then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should tell him to bring it on. President Trump should make it clear that federal employees who are laid off due to Schumer’s intransigence will not be paid when the shutdown ends.  If Schumer wants to filibuster the wall, let him, but force him to stand on the floor and talk until he drops from exhaustion.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

###