Dec. 2, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump for reaching a trade agreement with China that avoids additional tariffs, keeps existing tariffs but retains the possibility of implementing them if China does not follow through on its commitments:

“President Trump’s trade policy toward China has forced the Chinese to blink by agreeing to the beginning of a framework that would protect intellectual property and end forced technology transfers on U.S. companies seeking to enter the Chinese market.  The art of the deal is working. Additionally, the Chinese have agreed to an immediate resumption of Chinese agriculture purchases while lowering their pre-existing tariffs on other U.S. goods is a step in the right direction toward lowering the half a trillion dollar a year trade imbalance between the U.S. and China.  And once again, the naysayers on the President’s trade policy who sought to undercut the tariffs put on Chinese goods have been proven wrong.  The Chinese need the U.S. market much more than the U.S. needs the Chinese, and only President Trump had the strength and desire to transform the world’s economy to provide a level playing field for U.S. workers to force the Chinese to change.  If China fails to follow through they know that additional tariffs on their goods will be put into place, because President Donald Trump keeps his word.  Now, it is up to President Xi to keep his promises so the beginnings of an honest trade relationship can be established between our two nations.”

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

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Nov. 30, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for her work in defunding the use of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation to make changes to local zoning laws:

“Senator Susan Collins made certain that local zoning authority is not usurped by the federal government through her efforts to include language in the Housing and Urban Development funding which prohibits HUD from conditioning community development block grants on making changes to local zoning.  Her efforts protected local communities in Maine and around the country from being subjected to federal oversight over property zoning decisions that are so important to the local character of our counties, towns and cities.

“Once again, this year Senator Collins’ local zoning protection language is in the Senate version of the HUD appropriations package and the people of Maine owe her a debt of gratitude for fighting to keep D.C. bureaucrats from regulating local zoning decisions.  Americans for Limited Government is working hard to ensure that the Collins zoning protections remain in the HUD funding bill when it passes Congress, and expresses our gratitude to Senator Collins for her leadership on this important issue.”

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

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Nov. 29, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Plans to use the opportunity to reform multiemployer pensions but in a way that allows the plans to transition over time to the new system:

“The joint committee has a special opportunity to reform distressed multiemployer pensions. Any deal must have union skin the game on any risk pool created. Full transparency including external audits for all affected multiemployer pension plans should be included, and there must be a way for companies to exit and decertify the union by replacing the lump sum payment. Ideally, legislation will transition distressed multiemployer pension plans to a defined contribution model.

“Additionally, when considering appropriate interest rate assumptions for these multiemployer plans, the committee should develop transition rules that permit the plans to properly adjust to the new realities overtime.  There is no need to rush, and the medicine, while necessary, should be administered over a period of time so that it doesn’t kill the patient.”

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

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Nov. 27, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the Special Counsel investigation:

“If history is written by honest men and women, Robert Mueller’s, Inspector Clouseau-like investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign for President will go down as one of the darkest moments in history as the conflicted former FBI Director’s focus has been more concerned with protecting the FBI that he loves than our nation.  Somehow Mueller to date could not see the collusion between foreign intelligence agencies, the FBI, Department of Justice, the Democratic National Committee, their law firm Perkins Coie, and the Clinton campaign, instead choosing to focus his very small magnifying glass on a couple of low level campaign aides who the Clinton cabal appears attempted to set up in an attempt to take down the Trump campaign and then after the election, the President himself.

“As the left-wing press eagerly awaits the release of Mueller’s report, the truth of his failure to investigate the criminal politicization of our nation’s intelligence services is the only important indictment that is produced. An unfortunate indictment of Mueller himself where his failure to honestly perform his duties will forever ruin his personal legacy, but more importantly, will leave an indelible stain on the credibility of our vital intelligence and federal law enforcement agencies that will take a generation to blot out.”

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

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Nov. 19, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the imminent release of recommendations by the Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Plans to address 114 of the nation’s 1,400 multiemployer pension plans covering 1.3 million workers being underfunded by $36.4 billion:

“There should be no action by either the joint committee or Congress to put taxpayer money at risk without union financial contributions into the system, whether that be through a new risk pool or through compelled direct contributions to the federal government’s Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The cost-sharing is an incentive for unions to guarantee the longevity of their own pensions and to make certain there is no bailout. That is why the committee should be looking at, in addition to skin in the game cost-sharing by the unions, annual external audits for affected plans and a sound mechanism for companies to exit and decertify the union, replacing the lump sum payment with payments over a longer period of time.

“Benefits for the beneficiaries of multiemployer pension plans which require assistance should be limited to the same levels as other failing defined benefit pension plans at 55 cents on the dollar, and future employer and union negotiations should be subject to oversight by the PBGC to ensure that pension funding levels are sufficient, or the promised benefits brought into alignment with the actual ability of the plan to pay.  The unsustainable defined benefit formula is one of the reasons the multiemployer pensions are suffering in the first place, and so the committee should take the opportunity to phase it out to protect taxpayers from potential future bailouts.”

Attachments:

“Taxpayers will get a better deal on multiemployer pensions now than in 2019 when Nancy Pelosi is House Speaker,” By Robert Romano, Nov. 14, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/11/taxpayers-will-get-a-better-deal-on-multiemployer-pensions-now-than-in-2019-when-nancy-pelosi-is-house-speaker/

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

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Nov. 16, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Senate confirmation of Hunter Kurtz to Assistant Secretary of Public Housing in response to an NBC News report on many multifamily housing units failing their inspections:

“Secretary Carson has made it a priority to push for a complete overhaul of the public assisted housing program, with a goal towards to eliminating all substandard living conditions. Incredibly Senate Democrats have blocked the Trump administration nominee for Assistant Secretary of Public Housing, Hunter Kurtz, who would oversee this critical public safety and health area within HUD. If anything, the NBC report highlights the importance of confirming the President’s nominees to put the Trump agenda into place and enforce housing law. The Democrats think it’s funny when they play politics with Trump’s nominees, when in reality hamstringing attempts to improve the lives of those who need housing assistance is anything but.”

To view online: https://getliberty.org/2018/11/nbc-report-highlights-need-to-confirm-trump-nominee-for-public-housing/

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

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Nov. 16, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government has presented Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) with the annual Senator of the Year award for his “extraordinary courage in defense of liberty.”

Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning issued the following statement: “Senator Grassley earned this award by leading some of the most important fights for freedom over the last year as Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman. Starting with his Jan. 2018 memo exposing FISA abuse and referring Christopher Steele for criminal charges for lying to the FBI, Grassley was instrumental in shedding light on how false information was used to obtain FISA warrants against the Trump campaign in 2016  and is now continuing to be used to obstruct the Trump agenda and undermine his entire presidency today. Senator Grassley has also led the confirmations of 84 conservative judges to positions on courts across the country. Two of these being Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In the face of unprecedented Democratic obstruction, Grassley showed courage as he never backed down in his defense of the Constitutional presumption of innocence.  Americans for Limited Government is proud to name Senator Chuck Grassley our 2018 Senator of the Year.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following statement: “Having observed that an all-powerful government is a threat to liberty, our Founding Fathers established a government that was intentionally limited and focused on preserving individual rights. I want to thank Americans for Limited Government for this recognition. Fulfilling my constitutional role of holding government accountable and putting forward solutions that will allow Iowans and all Americans to live free and prosperous lives is the priority that has guided my work as a legislator. It’s an honor to represent the people of Iowa. I look forward to continuing to serve Iowans and all Americans.”

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

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Nov. 8, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government Foundation today released a report, “Make the Department of Labor Work Again: Congress Must Increase Funding for OLMS and Allow Recess Appointments.”

The report by Americans for Limited Government Foundation Director of Research Richard McCarty urges to the Senate to end the recess filibuster and to add more funding to the Office of Labor Management Standards that prosecutes labor union corruption.

The report states, “Congress must address the inadequate levels of staffing and funding at the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), which fights union corruption and helps ensure that union elections are free and fair.”

McCarty added, “The Trump Administration requested over $46 million for OLMS for FY 2019, but even that is short of the funding necessary to enable the agency to conduct as many audits as the agency did during the latter part of the George W. Bush Administration. Instead of appropriating more funding for OLMS than was requested, Congress appropriated less – only a little more than $41 million. But while Congress appropriated less than requested for OLMS, it appropriated more than a billion dollars more for the entire Labor Department than the Administration requested.”

On Senate Democrats filibustering recess appointments McCarty wrote, “because far too many senior DOL positions are either vacant or filled with an acting official, the Senate must immediately end the filibuster of adjournment resolutions and take a ten-day recess to allow President Trump to make recess appointments before the new Congress is sworn in. Currently, Democrats can filibuster such resolutions forcing the Senate to hold pro forma sessions every three days to prevent the President from making recess appointments.”

On Nov. 6 in the Congressional midterms, Senate Republicans added three net seats, bringing them to a 54-seat majority.

Attachments:

“Make the Department of Labor Work Again: Congress Must Increase Funding for OLMS and Allow Recess Appointments,” By Richard McCarty, Nov. 8, 2018 at http://algresearch.org/2018/11/make-department-labor-work-congress-must-increase-funding-olms-allow-recess-appointments/ and https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Make-the-Department-of-Labor-Work-Again-11-8-18.pdf

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

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