Nov. 11, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) for introducing the Preventing Unionization of Revenue Service Employees Act that would bar the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from unionizing:

“Senator Gardner’s approach goes to the heart of the Hatch Act civil service protections that ensure the bureaucracy is not subject to undue political influence. The rise of public employee unions as major contributors to the left has long been a threat to the political neutrality of the civil service system. The IRS’ unprecedented targeting of conservative organizations and donors makes it all the more important that Senator Gardner’s brilliant legislation become law.”

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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Nov. 10, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the Obama administration’s decision to appeal the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling overturning the White House’s executive amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants with U.S.-born children:

“Obama’s decision to appeal the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling against executive amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants puts the Supreme Court once again in focus in the debate over Congress’ Article I powers.

“The 5th Circuit even quoted Obama’s Nov. 2014 admission that it was the failure of Congress to enact such a program that prompted him to ‘change the law’ in their ruling against him. Any plain reading of the Constitution shows the 5th Circuit is correct, that Congress sets the rules for immigration, not the President. Obama had no authority to issue his amnesty.

“However, the Supreme Court has failed repeatedly to use a plain reading of the Constitution as its standard. Let us hope that the Roberts court takes a reading comprehension class before hearing Obama’s appeal. If they do, Obama’s executive amnesty will be thrown on the trash heap of history.”

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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Nov. 5, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement against adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which regulates 40 percent of the global economy, will continue to outsource American jobs overseas, fail to do anything about currency manipulation, and once adopted, will create an international, unelected commission with broad authority to implement and interpret the agreement without any votes of Congress. These regulatory and judicial powers of the commission, in Article 27.2.2 of the agreement, will be akin to rogue agencies and activist courts in the U.S., that regularly issue edicts contrary to the law passed by elected representatives.

“While U.S. Trade Representative provided a chapter summary on its final provisions that it would take votes of Congress to amend the agreement and to allow other countries to dock into the agreement, the text of the agreement is not nearly so explicit, leaving significant concerns about how the trade agreement will function and whether U.S. representative democracy will be meaningful in its wake. Before any agreement is ratified, the language must be much stronger to make the need for Congress’ approval clear. A chapter summary is not the agreement itself. The danger of a runaway commission is too great for this to be ignored.

“But since Congress is forbidden from amending the agreement under terms of the fast track trade authority granted President Obama earlier this year, and the agreement will not be fixed later, the only recourse for members who share this concern is to simply vote no. Chile managed to get a provision into the agreement adhering to its Constitution explicitly into Article 27, but the U.S. could not? It’s not as if these concerns were not raised prior to the close of negotiations, making the lack of language explicitly safeguarding Article One and Two congressional prerogatives in the U.S. Constitution particularly inexcusable. This concern is exacerbated by President Obama’s on-going contempt for these prerogatives as demonstrated by his regulatory overreach and pen and phone approach to dictating policy.”

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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Nov. 5, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement condemning the House of Representatives for rejecting an amendment to H.R. 22 by U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) that would prohibit subsides from the U.S. Export-Import Bank to state sponsors of terrorism like Iran:

“The actions of 181 Democrats and 63 of their Republican cohorts to fail to close a loophole that allows the Ex-Im Bank to provide U.S. taxpayer guaranteed loans to state sponsors of terrorism like Iran, Syria and Sudan upon a presidential waiver to buy state of the art Boeing aircraft is beyond comprehension. By failing to close the loophole, Congress has given carte blanche to President Obama to allow Ex-Im subsidized loans to go to Iran — because Congress just said they will do nothing about it.

“The 63 Republicans who voted against the Royce amendment are recklessly enabling our enemies, failing in their first responsibility, which is to protect national security. It is one thing to support corporate cronyism, and quite another to use taxpayer backing for state sponsors of terrorism to be the beneficiaries.

“Unfortunately now, when President Obama allows Iran to buy sophisticated parts and equipment by waiving the prohibitions of the Foreign Assistance Act, he knows that 63 House Republicans will stand by his side. The world is a more dangerous place today than it was yesterday, and these renegade Republicans bear the responsibility.

“Americans for Limited Government extends its gratitude to Congressman Ed Royce and all those who stood against this travesty of American governance.”

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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Nov. 3, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today praised House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for refusing to rule out policy riders on the upcoming omnibus appropriations bill when he said at a news conference today, “We fully expect we’re going to exercise that power”:

“Paul Ryan’s initial comments related to using the power of the purse to help rein in President Obama’s outrageous agenda is an encouraging start to his Speakership. This is particularly significant given that it was a direct response to Harry Reid’s demand that Congress roll over and play dead on omnibus spending bill policy riders. It sounds like there’s a new sheriff in town. Hopefully, Ryan will help clean up the big government swamp in Washington, D.C.”

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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Nov. 2, 2015, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar, Trent Franks, Brian Babin, D.D.S., Marsha Blackburn, Steve Chabot, Scott DesJarlais, Stephen Fincher, Louie Gohmert, Glenn Grothman, David P. Joyce, Cynthia Lummis, Thomas Massie, Lamar Smith, Lynn Westmoreland and Ted Yoho for signing a joint letter to House and Senate appropriators urging them to include language in the upcoming appropriations bill defunding a regulation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to condition community development block grants on redrawing local zoning along racial and income boundaries:

“It is refreshing that so many members are committed the defund of this onerous HUD regulation that conditions community development block grants on redrawing local zoning along racial and income boundaries. The federal government has no business dictating local zoning policy.

“This is the exact assertion of the power of the purse that is needed for Congress reassert its Article I powers as the chief lawmaking body in government. Rep. Gosar’s defund is needed to stop this massive federal government encroachment on local control of communities.

“Americans for Limited Government remains committed to doing everything in its power to convince Congress to include the House-passed defund of the HUD action into any new spending bill to protect local communities from Obama’s takeover of every neighborhood in America that accepts federal money.”

Attachments:

15 House Republicans sign letter to House and Senate appropriators urging action on HUD defund, Nov. 2, 2015 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/11022015-AFFH-Letter-to-Appropriators.pdf

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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Oct. 29, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning issued the following statement praising an oped by U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) published in the Washington Examiner that blasts legislation that just passed the House that suspends the debt ceiling until March 2017:

“Ken Buck makes the right point about John Boehner and Barack Obama’s bad debt deal. It denied the nation an opportunity to have a real discussion about our financial crisis that finds us $19 trillion in debt and teetering on the edge of no return. The debt ceiling suspension until March 2017 could have been used to extract concessions from the Obama administration on entitlement reforms or budget cuts. Instead it increases spending by $80 billion over the next two years, breaking sequestration’s budget caps, raids Social Security to bail out the disability trust fund, and leaves most Republicans in the House once again voting in opposition to a plan put forth by Republican leaders, all the while drawing unanimous Democrat support.

“Ken Buck is right. It’s time to get serious about the debt and our budget woes. It’s just that the Boehner-Obama debt deal does not get us there.”

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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