July 8, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in opposition to legislation proposed that would result in retroactive sentence reductions of federal prison, resulting in the early release of thousands of felons:

“It is repugnant to engage in the language of violence against those who are sworn to uphold the law, and in fact it is an attack on the rule of law itself. We’ve seen riots in Ferguson, Baltimore and elsewhere around the nation justified even as the facts supported the police. The assassination of five law enforcement officers in Dallas is the fruit of this poisoned tree.

“Incredibly some Republican Members of Congress in the face of this accelerating disintegration of the rule of law, continue to press forward with the agenda of the loudest voices attacking the thin blue line that runs between civility and chaos on our city streets through their support of so-called Criminal Justice Reform.

“Republican leadership need to put an end to all discussion of the ill-conceived legislation which would release additional hard core criminals back onto the streets at this perilous moment where respect for the law and those who enforce it has been at least partially thrown out the window.  It is obscene that out of some misguided attempt to assuage the concerns of those who have engaged in the harshest rhetoric against the police, those anti-police voices should be rewarded with a major rewrite of our nation’s federal criminal laws.

“The terrorists who killed five and injured seven Dallas law enforcement officers trying to protect a Black Lives Matter rally are not excused due to the historic inciting language of BLM aimed at those who died protecting them.  These terrorists need to feel the full brunt of the law.

“Similarly, the agents of hate who inspired these brazen assassinations should not be rewarded by having their faulty agenda moved forward through Congress.  It’s time for GOP leaders to finally just say no to the empty the prisons agenda of Black Lives Matter and other agents of Blue hate.”

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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July 5, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response FBI Director James Comey’s statement that the FBI is not recommending that Hillary Clinton be charged with any crime for storing and disseminating classified information from her private email server:

“It is inconceivable that David Petraeus and Scooter Libby could be convicted for disseminating classified information and Hillary Clinton is getting a get out of jail free card.  In 1973, Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus resigned rather than fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox gaining praise for their integrity. FBI Director James Comey’s decision to bow to political expediency erases all pretense that Lady Justice’s blindfold has not been stripped away by the Obama Administration.

“The FBI acknowledges that crimes were committed but recommends no charges as a matter of prosecutorial discretion. No greater miscarriage of justice and the rule of law can be contemplated than high officials being held to a separate standard than everyone else. The politicization of justice in the U.S. may be the most consequential of all of Obama’s fundamental transformations.”

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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June 29, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for voting against legislation that restructures Puerto Rico’s $72 billion of debt:

“It is ironic that Elizabeth Warren, who made her name fighting against too big to fail and bank bailouts, voted no on the Puerto Rico debt restructuring that makes banks pay for betting poorly in the bond market. Apparently, Warren’s time in D.C. has already taught her it is better to be cozy with the hedge fund bond traders than with the American people.

“While no legislation is perfect, PROMESA protects American taxpayers by putting unsecured creditors at the bottom of the list for payment, and guarantees that those who bet poorly on Puerto Rico debt get a cramdown and not a bailout.”

Attachments:

U.S. Reps. Sean Duffy, Rob Bishop and Raul Labrador protect taxpayers from bailing out Puerto Rico creditors, Americans for Limited Government statement, June 10, 2016 at https://getliberty.org/u-s-reps-sean-duffy-rob-bishop-and-raul-labrador-protect-taxpayers-from-bailing-out-puerto-rico-creditors/

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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June 21, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement to support an amendment by U.S. Reps. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) and Tom Marino (R-Pa.) that would decrease funding to the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) account by $20.7 million

“The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) account at the Department of Justice has received $20.7 in illegal monies from legal settlements. The Duffy amendment will offset these illegal increases in the program outside of the congressional appropriations process by the Obama Administration. Only Congress should appropriate money, not the Department of Justice through legal shakedowns.”

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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June 21, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) for backing an amendment to the Senate Commerce, Science and Justice appropriations bill by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) that would make transitioning by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to any entity outside the U.S. government illegal:

“The Internet’s naming conventions, which have always been under government oversight, should not be transferred. The domain name system is too important for Congress to allow the Obama administration to relinquish oversight on a whim. We thank Sens. Grassley, Sasse, Lee and Lankford for backing this important legislation.

“Renewing this provision of the 2016 Omnibus is even more necessary as it is clear NTIA is already proceeding with the Internet surrender despite being explicitly prohibited from doing so in under the law. While Congress pursues options for enforcing the existing defund, passing the Cruz-Duffy language again would send a clear message to NTIA that Congress takes the power of the purse serious. That makes Sen. Grassley’s support particularly important due to his powerful position as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.”

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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June 13, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in support of an amendment to the Department of Treasury appropriations bill that prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from hiring outside individuals or firms to take sworn testimony, or to conduct examination work involving confidential taxpayer information:

“Representative John Katko’s proposed amendment to the Department of Treasury appropriations bill rolls back an IRS regulation that further weaponizes that agency’s ability to intimidate companies or individuals, and must be included into the bill.

“President Obama’s Internal Revenue Service’s abuse of taxpayer privacy and the politicization of the Agency has been on-going for years. Representative Katko’s amendment would prohibit the IRS from hiring outside individuals or firms to take sworn testimony, or to conduct examination work involving confidential taxpayer information.

“Taxpayer records are supposed to be confidential under penalty of a federal felony for releasing them for a reason, as even the hint of an IRS investigation can cause stock prices to plummet and do heavy damage to a company’s reputation. Yet, the IRS has skated this prohibition by allowing outside law firms to conduct investigations on their behalf targeting corporations, and Katko’s amendment would stop this new Obama Administration practice.

“Very few things can have the same chilling and intimidating effect on a corporation as an IRS investigation.  Americans for Limited Government strongly urges the House Rules Committee to allow the Katko amendment to be voted on by the full House of Representatives.  It is a common sense rollback of an Obama Administration regulation that threatens the legal prohibitions against IRS disclosure of investigation targets, and would end one area where IRS intimidation has a real impact.”

Attachments:

“Letters of marque and reprisal granted by IRS,” By Americans for Limited Government Foundation President and Counsel Nathan Mehrens, May 21, 2015 at http://netrightdaily.com/2015/05/letters-of-marque-and-reprisal-granted-by-irs/

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Legislation guarantees there will be no taxpayer-funded bailout

June 10, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising U.S. Reps. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), and Rob Bishop (R-Utah) for their work on legislation restructuring Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt:

“Often times members of Congress don’t get praised when they do the hard work on behalf of the American people to protect their interests. On the legislation restructuring Puerto Rico’s unsustainable $72 billion debt, U.S. Reps. Sean Duffy, Rob Bishop and Raul Labrador deserve a great deal of credit for protecting taxpayers from bailing out creditors who bet poorly on Puerto Rican debt. If the House had not acted with legislation, defaults would have mounted and pressure would have built for a taxpayer-funded bailout.

“Thanks to the House’s hard work and due diligence, led by Duffy, Bishop and Labrador, the legislation guarantees unsecured bondholders cannot cut in line in any debt restructuring and that restructuring will be mandatory when there are no other funds to pay debts, and when no other voluntary arrangement can be reached. The thoughtful process put in place by the House legislation shows how Congress has matured since 2008, and now is an institution that stands against taxpayer bailouts. We urge the House to carry that same temperament into other areas when investors make bad bets on securities of any kind, and that members will continue to protect taxpayers from socializing investor losses.”

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 including ALG President Rick Manning.

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