Feb. 22, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Department of Transportation to stop funding a higher-speed rail project in Florida from Orlando to Miami:

“The Department of Transportation needs to stop throwing good money after bad on the Green New Deal pipe dream of high-speed rail. It didn’t work in California, it didn’t work anywhere else and it won’t work in Florida either.

“Virgin Trains USA (formerly Brightline) has already received a tax-free $600 million private activity bond from the Department of Transportation for a rail project in Florida that was used to pay off millions of corporate debt at a high interest rate. In addition, it has been approved by the department for another $1.15 billion in bonds that have yet to be issued. It has another application at the department for a $3.7 billion Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing low-cost loan. It’s IPO was cancelled after receiving poor press and the company lost $87 million in the first nine months of 2018. And now, to add insult to injury it is coming back to the department for another bond for $950 million. These are the largest allocations in either program’s history, and combined would add up to $6.4 billion.”

Attachments:

“Dems go off the rails in Green New Deal, two high-speed rail projects maimed after botched rollout,” By Robert Romano, Feb. 13, 2019 at http://dailytorch.com/2019/02/dems-go-off-the-rails-in-green-new-deal-two-high-speed-rail-projects-maimed-after-botched-rollout/

“Trump admin. should reject $3.7 billion loan to Japanese-owned company for Florida higher-speed rail project operating on Mexican company-owned line,” By Robert Romano, Feb. 8, 2019 at http://dailytorch.com/2019/02/trump-admin-should-reject-3-7-billion-loan-to-japanese-owned-company-for-florida-higher-speed-rail-project-operating-on-mexican-company-owned-line/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Feb. 21, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to a court settlement between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and New York City after the city defrauded the federal government out of millions of dollars in false damage claims after Hurricane Sandy:

“It is reprehensible that New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s administration scammed FEMA out of more than $4 million in false damages that did not occur in Hurricane Sandy. If a private citizen attempted to this scam though false claims, they would be in jail. Attorney General William Barr needs to press the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York to pursue criminal charges against those responsible. A fine paid for by New York City taxpayers does nothing to discourage future theft by the De Blasio government. A jail sentence for the perpetrators will.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

ALG calls for complete review of transportation spending on Obama’s ill-conceived high speed rail agenda

Feb. 20, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao for terminating federal funds for California’s cancelled high speed rail project from L.A. to San Francisco:

“Transportation Secretary Chao is absolutely right to terminate $929 million of grants that were set to go for California’s now-cancelled, ill-conceived high speed rail project from L.A. to San Francisco. In addition, for seeking a refund for the squandered $2.5 billion that had already been received. The federal government needs to take a hard look at the entirety of Obama’s high speed rail spending spree and immediately move to make similar cuts rather than continuing to pursue doomed projects that will be nothing more than taxpayer money pits, often times benefitting foreign companies.”

Attachments:

“Dems go off the rails in Green New Deal, two high-speed rail projects maimed after botched rollout,” By Robert Romano, Feb. 13, 2019 at http://dailytorch.com/2019/02/dems-go-off-the-rails-in-green-new-deal-two-high-speed-rail-projects-maimed-after-botched-rollout/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Feb. 13, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to insist on a 14-day continuing resolution while the details of the omnibus spending bill are reviewed:

“The devil is in the details, and this is particularly true when discussing 1,000-page bills that may have poison pills in them which could put the President in jeopardy should he seek to exercise his executive authority to move funds for additional ICE detention beds, or seek to build additional steel barriers along the southern border utilizing other funding streams. A single, unnoticed line in a thousand-page bill can be the catalyst for future legal problems and as a result, the President and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should push and get a 14-day funding bill to allow the behind closed border deal to receive full scrutiny.

“A 14-day continuing resolution would allow the House to go on their scheduled district work period and return to D.C. with a full week to work through amendments that will be needed by the Senate and White House to get the bill passed and signed into law.

“In politics trust is everything.  This President has no reason to trust that Speaker Pelosi did not insert trap language into the bill, and he would be wise to verify that the proposed legislation is free from language that would prevent meaningful action to address the crisis at the border.  While everyone would like to see this drama finally come to an end, it is better to get it right than to regret signing the bill later.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Feb. 12, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Richard Manning today in a letter urged the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology to support to the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile calling it a “boon to the economy” ahead of a Feb. 13 hearing on the merger.

Manning recognized the importance of increased competition in the United States for the delivery of the Internet of Things, noting that a combined Sprint-T-Mobile will increase competition as their combined spectrum bandwidth will allow them to compete against Verizon and AT&T in the 5G market, rapidly increasing the implementation of the Internet of Things nationwide, including in traditionally underserved rural areas.

In the letter Manning wrote, “T-Mobile and Sprint together is a part of how the U.S. is going to lead the world into the 5G future, making the Internet of Things, smart cities, driverless vehicles and robots all possible by combining each company’s spectrum assets. 5G is an area where more competition is urgently needed, and together T-Mobile and Sprint will help the U.S. realize its 5G potential — and all that it means for the future.”

Attachments:

Letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, Feb. 12, 2019 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HouseCommerceLetter-Sprint-T-Mobile-2-12-19.pdf

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Feb. 6, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Federal Trade Commission to immediately settle a lawsuit against Qualcomm over the collection of agreed upon fees for use of its intellectual property:

“It is ironic that the Trump Administration has staked out the protection of intellectual property as a primary concern in our trade relations with China, yet, the Federal Trade Commission is suing San Diego based Qualcomm to break its licensing agreements for intellectual property that Apple has tired of paying for, even though they continue to benefit from that technology.  It is shocking however, that the FTC has used the Chinese megafirm Huawei as one of its key witnesses opposing Qualcomm’s licenses.  Apparently, the FTC does not realize or care that the licensing agreements for past technological innovations are what pays for Qualcomm’s research in creating the chips for the 5G future, and that Huawei is their number one competitor.  The FTC suit would effectively cripple the only U.S. company who is competing in developing the Internet of Things to the lasting detriment of the interests of the United States.

“While the FTC is an independent government body, their case is a disaster for American interests and they need to settle it now before more harm is done.  Policy makers from across the political spectrum need to understand that the race for the future of the connected world is at stake and Chinese control of every aspect of the Internet of Things is extremely dangerous.  All Qualcomm seems to be asking is that they be allowed to collect fees which were agreed upon by business partners which wanted to use innovations which they developed.  This is the essence of intellectual property. It is also how U.S. businesses should run, relying upon their own ingenuity and productivity to profit rather than relying upon government handouts and lawfare.

“The FTC is reportedly in long overdue settlement talks with Qualcomm.  The FTC should settle this lawsuit immediately and end its attack on the only company positioned to prevent the Chinese from running roughshod over the Internet of the future.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Feb. 5, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Senate to confirm Neomi Rao to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia:

“President Trump has nominated an exemplary person to serve on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. in Neomi Rao.  Neomi Rao has proven herself to be an expert on the exact type of regulatory and administrative law issues that come before that court having served in the Office of Management and Budget overseeing the regulatory agenda.  Based upon recent comments, it is a shame that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer does not seem capable of seeing past his blind partisan opposition of President Trump to join in the confirmation of this qualified woman.  It is inexcusable for Senate Democrats to continue their politics of personal destruction against any nominee in the hopes that they can wish away the fact that President Trump won the election in 2016. It’s time to confirm Neomi Rao.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Feb. 1, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the latest jobs report:

“The jobs numbers today are fairly straightforward. Leaving aside the annual January population adjustment, if you take into account the 380,000 furloughed federal workers that were not working during the shutdown, the economy otherwise would have otherwise increased jobs by about 129,000 in this report considering the net loss of about 251,000 in the household survey. In any event, the federal workers are now back on the job and that will be factored into next month’s jobs numbers. The private sector continued to create jobs with an increase of 296,000 private sector jobs in the establishment survey showing an acceleration of non-government job growth over the past three months.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###

Jan. 31, 2019, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the impact of the partial government shutdown on tomorrow’s unemployment report:

“Tomorrow’s jobs report could be a bit difficult to interpret as it will likely include the 300,000 non-essential federal government employees who were laid off during the survey period with the partial government shutdown. Americans for Limited Government will provide a comprehensive review of the numbers Friday morning.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview.

###