Jan. 30, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for demanding the FBI explain itself for its tremendous show of force in the pre-dawn raid and arrest of Roger Stone:

“It is absolutely appropriate for the Senate Judiciary Committee to question the tactics used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the FBI to conduct a pre-dawn raid on Roger Stone’s home when it would have sufficed to call his lawyer and ask that he surrender himself to authorities. Stone is accused of non-violent crimes and posed no flight risk whatsoever. It is troubling that political associates of President Trump appear to get more force thrown at them than some mobsters prosecuted by the Justice Department. Even more troubling is that the only apparent justification for such a show of force was to pose for the CNN cameras and instill fear. Chairman Graham and his committee are right to question these outrageous tactics and to use their offices to get to the bottom of this abuse of power.”

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

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Jan. 25, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the deal to reopen the government for three weeks to provide an opportunity to negotiate:

“President Trump has had reasonable compromises on the table to protect our nation’s borders.  Now with the government about to fully re-open for three weeks, the Democrats have to show that they are operating in good faith and accept the reality that protecting the southern border is their responsibility under the Constitution as well.  If Congress fails to act to provide physical barriers along the border consistent with the needs expressed by the Border Patrol, the President should declare an emergency and instruct the military to begin building immediately. The next three weeks will tell whether the Democrats are serious, and it is up to the American people to show them no quarter in demanding that they fund the steel barriers which law enforcement tells us that we need to protect our nation.”

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

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Jan. 25, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Attorney General nominee William Barr to condemn the FBI pre-dawn raid on Roger Stone’s Florida residence:

“The Senate Judiciary Committee should ask William Barr if he condemns the use of FBI pre-dawn raids for process crime allegations leaked so that they can appear on television for political consumption. If he refuses to condemn them, then Barr is not suitable to be Attorney General because he is unwilling to stop the politicization of the Justice Department as it continues to target Democrat political opponents to create political coverage by media outlets, and the nomination should be withdrawn.”

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

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Jan. 24, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rescinding her invitation to President Donald Trump to deliver his State of the Union Address before Congress:

“The annual State of the Union Address has been almost always delivered before Congress for more than 100 years, an important, bipartisan tradition that has carried forward despite the partisan makeup of Congress. It is a sad commentary on our times that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has lowered herself and the chamber she leads in a  petty, partisan attempt to silence the duly elected President. Whatever their disagreements, the State of the Union is the opportunity for the elected President to make his or her case directly to Congress and the nation as a whole on proposed laws, budgetary items and key events that have transpired over the past year. It is truly sad that Speaker Pelosi has chosen to break this tradition.

“The real question is why Speaker Pelosi is afraid of hearing from the President? Could she be afraid to be pictured sitting behind him in the traditional setting from the House dais? Perhaps the most ironic aspect of her decision is that just twenty days ago in her opening speech as Speaker, Pelosi pledged, ‘that when we disagree, we will respect each other and we will respect the truth.’ Yet when it comes to hosting a dissenting view voiced by the elected leader of the free world, Pelosi has balked.

“The State of the Union tradition should continue and Pelosi’s shattering of the tradition represents a breakdown of political discourse in our country which symbolizes her own intransigence in the current partial government shutdown. Her my way or the highway approach will ultimately be rejected by the American people. Speaker Pelosi needs to remember that she leads exactly one-half of one of three co-equal branches of government.  She is not the queen of hearts from Alice in Wonderland screaming ‘off with their heads,’ she is the Speaker of the House, and she needs to start acting like it.

“In the meantime, President Trump would be well advised to accept one of the invitations from state house leaders to present the State of the Union from their state capitals.  It would be refreshing to get a view of our nation’s future direction from outside the poisonous swamp gas that envelops Washington, D.C.”

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

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Jan. 23, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Congress to reform implementation of Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 to remove mandates for electric utilities to subsidize small renewable generators:

“When PURPA passed in 1978 requiring electric utilities to purchase energy from small renewable generators, wind, solar and other renewables constituted 0.14 percent of the grid, but now it is almost 10 percent. Moreover, many states already require competition at the local level so that consumers can choose where they get electricity from. It therefore makes sense for FERC to lift the mandates and let renewable electricity sources compete with more standard electricity generation, instead of compelling coal and natural gas generators to pay for the renewable electricity.

“In addition, Congress should also consider addressing the mandates altogether via legislation by Sen. John Barrasso that would remove. Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should agree that government-mandated subsidies that benefit billionaires like Warren Buffett while working Americans pay more need to be ended.”

Attachments:

“PURPA should be modernized or repealed,” By Robert Romano, Dec. 10, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/12/purpa-should-be-modernized-or-repealed/

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

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Jan. 22, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement expressing disappointment the Senate spending bill extends a 2018 provision that does not allow wall construction but only fencing:

“It seems incredible but the Senate funding bill does not allow the steel slat barrier envisioned by President Trump to be built using the $5.7 billion of funds that would be allocated for ‘the wall.’  Instead it would allow fencing and repairs. It is time for Congress, including the Republicans to get serious about border security and it is disheartening that this type of border barrier bait and switch would be attempted at this stage of the shutdown. Americans for Limited Government urges that the proposed funding bill in the Senate be defeated unless amended to allow for a real barrier to be constructed. It is time to stop playing games with our nation’s security.”

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

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Jan. 18, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for holding firm in the Senate against any funding bill that does not result from an agreement between the President and Congressional Democrats:

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has spent the last two years seeking wall funding from recalcitrant Senate Democrats. The only compromise for wall funding over the past three appropriations bills was when $1.6 billion was allocated for the border in the 2018 omnibus bill. President Trump’s request for $5.7 billion of wall funding includes this $1.6 billion that Democrats now want to rescind. The Senate Majority Leader understands that giving the Democrats what they demand has not yielded good will or moving forward in terms of overall border security, and he is right to block what amounts to mere show votes. McConnell is correct to insist that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer get agreement with the President at which point a bipartisan spending bill can move forward with the wall, additional Border Patrol, ICE agents, immigration judges and humanitarian aid included.”

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

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Jan. 17, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump canceling a planned trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Europe, Africa and Asia on military aircraft:

“At a time when there is a partial government shutdown, it would be a slap in the face of those federal workers who have been sidelined due to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unwillingness to negotiate border security funding measures for the Speaker to go on a seven-day, worldwide junket. The President’s cancellation of the Speaker’s ability to utilize military aircraft for this trip is appropriate and it is hoped that the Democrats who recently partied in Puerto Rico and Pelosi herself who spent the first week of the shutdown in Hawaii will finally get serious about protecting our nation’s security and build the wall.”

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

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Jan. 16, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to a letter from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) urging President Donald Trump to sign a bill reopening the federal government without wall funding for three weeks to supposedly allow time for negotiations:

“It would be an extraordinary mistake to open the government without the funding of border security including the wall as part of that agreement.  The truth of the matter is that if the Democrats wanted to open the government, a deal could be hammered out in under 24 hours which included steel border barriers, more border patrol and ICE officers as well as an increase in immigration judges to help those seeking amnesty to receive a speedier decision, and humanitarian aid for those who have crossed the border illegally so that their detention pending disposition is safe, secure and meets their medical and other basic needs.  If Senator Coons wants to end the government shutdown, he and six of his Democratic colleagues should present the President with a proposal which includes funding steel barriers along with other security and humanitarian needs that could serve as a baseline for negotiation. Until then, the rest of it is just being cruel to those sidelined government workers whose paychecks remain unfunded.”

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

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Jan. 16, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) call to postpone the Jan. 29 State of the Union Address:

“Speaker Pelosi today admitted that she is so afraid that Democrats will hear President Donald Trump’s reasonable message about border security that could end the government shutdown that she pleaded with him through a letter to delay the State of the Union now scheduled for Jan. 29. Speaker Pelosi knows that her own caucus wants a negotiated agreement that both funds a barrier and meets the humanitarian needs at the border. She also knows that the legislative branch including the Capitol Hill Police are fully funded and operational, making any security concerns nothing more than a fantasy.

“Rather than delivering the State of the Union in Congress, the President should consider delivering it in writing and then televise the speech from the southern border adjacent to a tent city overflowing with illegal immigrants waiting for processing. It is Nancy Pelosi who is refusing to come to any answer to meet the security and humanitarian crisis at the border and it is Pelosi who should receive the phone calls of millions of Americans who are tired of her political malpractice.”

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

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