Oct. 16, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement upon signing onto the Conservative Action Project letter to Congress in support of the MERIT Act to expedite the firing of federal employees:

“Congress needs to pass the MERIT Act during the post-election lame duck session.  More than one hundred conservative leaders agree, signing the ‘Now is the time to pass the MERIT Act’ memo to Congress that was released today.

“The truth is that the only way that you can drain the swamp is if you can fire the swamp, and passing the MERIT Act will at least increase the ability for public employee managers to fire lazy, incompetent or downright resisting federal employees using an expedited but fair process.  In fact, the bill should be re-named the fire the swamp bill.  Six months ago, Americans for Limited Government set up www.firetheswamp.com to promote the passage of the MERIT Act, and it is gratifying to be joined by esteemed people like former Attorney General Edwin Meese, former Congressman Bob McEwen and retired General Jerry Boykin on this important issue.

“In 2017, Congress passed very similar language to begin to clean up the mess at the Veteran’s Administration and it has been working with firings increasing by 26 percent in that agency.  In the lame duck, Congress needs to come together to apply this language across the government by passing S. 3200 by Senator David Perdue and H.R. 559 by Representative Barry Loudermilk.”

Attachments:

“Now is the time to pass the MERIT Act,” Conservative Action Project, Oct. 16, 2017 at http://conservativeactionproject.com/now-is-the-time-to-pass-the-merit-act/

October 16, 2018

Washington, DC

Conservatives have long advocated for reform of our civil service to address a system plagued with inefficiency and abuse. Currently, managers within the federal government struggle to fire underperforming employees. This is no more evident than by the public sector firing rate of 3.37% and the private sector firing rate of 17.27%. America needs across the board civil service reform.

The Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation Act of 2017 (MERIT Act), has been introduced in both the Senate and the House to address these critical issues.

The MERIT Act takes the successful model implemented to reform the Veteran’s Administration, and applies it across the federal government. The bill creates a new process for the head of an agency to remove employees from the civil service for poor performance or misconduct, establishing a practical timeline of 7-21 days for the employee to receive notice, retaining the ability to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board, setting a timeline of a maximum of 30 days for responding to appeals, and creating additional Congressional reporting requirements for the Merit Systems Protection Board when decisions are delayed.

It is more important than ever that Congress commit to quick consideration of this measure, particularly as unelected bureaucrats continue to boldly undermine President Trump. Poor performers–and those who seek to subvert the will of the administration under which they serve–should be held accountable.

We urge the quick consideration and passage of the MERIT Act to improve government efficiency, streamline effective delivery of services, and ensure accountability across the government.

The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Former Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan

Tom McClusky
President
March for Life Action

Rachel Bovard
Former Policy Director
Senate Steering Committee

Tim Chapman
Executive Director
Heritage Action for America

The Honorable Bob McEwen
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Ohio

Adam Brandon
President
FreedomWorks

William L. Walton
Chairman
CNP Action, Inc.

Jenny Beth Martin
Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund

Jessica Anderson
Vice President
Heritage Action for America

The Honorable Jim DeMint
United States Senate
Former Member, South Carolina

Lisa B. Nelson
President & CEO
ALEC Action

Ginni Thomas
President
Liberty Consulting

The Honorable James C. Miller III
Budget Director for President Reagan

The Honorable Charles J. Cooper
Former Assistant Attorney General, President Ronald Reagan
Cooper & Kirk, PLLC

The Honorable Mike Spence
Founding President
Conservative Republicans of California

Heather R. Higgins
President
Independent Women’s Voice

Quin Hillyer
Veteran conservative columnist

Elaine Donnelly
President
Center for Military Readiness

Eric Georgatos
President
“America, Can We Talk?” Multimedia Platform

Rick Manning
President
Americans for Limited Government

Jay Mount
President
MDS Communications

Kay R. Daly
President
Coalition for a Fair Judiciary

Christopher Malagisi
Editor in Chief
Conservative Book Club

The Honorable George K. Rasley, Jr.
Managing Editor
ConservativeHQ.com

Rod D. Martin
Founder and CEO
The Martin Organization, Inc.

Haley E. Martin
President
The Martin Foundation

Jerry Melvin
Former Dean
Florida House of Representatives

Sal Russo
Co-Founder and Chief Strategist
Tea Party Express

Tom Giovanetti
President
Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI)

Bob Adams
President
Revive America PAC

Col Francis X. De Luca USMCR(Ret)
President Emeritus
Civitas Institute

Susan A. Carleson
Chairman/CEO
American Civil Rights Union

Sean Noble
President
American Encore

Matthew Tyrmand
Principal
Matthew Tyrmand, LLC

The Honorable Mike Hill
Former Member
Florida State House

Dr. Frank Wright
CEO
D. James Kennedy Ministries

Donna Hearne
CEO
The Constitutional Coalition

Dr. Richard Rounsavelle
Trustee
Media Research Center

Roxanne Phillips
Member, Executive Committee
Council for National Policy

Darrel Johnson
President
Attic Corp

Dan Weber
President and Founder, Association of Mature Amerfican Citizens

Melvin Adams
Former President
Renewanation

Chad Connelly
President
Faith Wins

The Honorable Tom DeLay
Former Majority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives

Rob Chambers
Vice President
AFA Action

The Honorable Gary L. Bauer
President
American Values

Olivia Brown
Student
Arizona Christian University

Ron Pearson
Director
Conservative Victory Fund

Judson Phillips
Founder
Tea Party Nation

James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman
60 Plus Association

William H. Shaker
CEO
Washington Marketing Group

Dr. Rick Scarborough
Founder
Vision America Action

Frank J. Gaffney
President and CEO
Center for Security Policy

Brian Glicklich
CEO
Brace Digital Strategy

Dr. Russell J. Kilpatrick
Physician
USAF (Ret)

Paul Liberman
Executive Director
Alliance for Israel Advocacy

William W. Pascoe, III
Board Member
Tea Party Patriots Action

Jeremy Cerone
CEO
EliteSafe Inc.

Caroline C. Lewis
Owner
Percipio Communications

Allen Hebert
Chairman
American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston

James Hansberger
Chairman
Legal Immigrants for America

The Honorable Belden Bell
CoChair Legacy Society
The Heritage Foundation

Rebecca Hagelin
Secretary
Council for National Policy

Charlie Gerow
CEO
Quantum Communications

James N. Clymer
Former National Chairman
Constitution Party National Committee

Alfred S. Regnery
Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Chairman, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund

Wesley Denton
Former Communications Director
Senator Jim DeMint (SC)

The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Former Chief Domestic Advisor
President Ronald Reagan

The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
Former White House Advisor
President Ronald Reagan

The Honorable Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II
President
Senate Conservatives Fund

Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Partner
Foley & Lardner LLP

David Bozell
President
ForAmerica

Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin (Ret.)
Executive Vice President
Family Research Council

The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Chairman
Constitutional Congress, Inc.

Ed Corrigan
Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project and Former Executive Director, Senate Steering Committee

The Honorable David McIntosh
President
Club for Growth

1. Brent Bozell, III
   Founder and President
   Media Research Center

The Honorable Donald Devine
Former Director
U.S. Office of Personnel Management

The Honorable Donald P. Hodel
Former Secretary of Energy
Former Secretary of Interior

Kevin Freeman
Host
Economic War Room

Floyd Brown
Chairman
Western Center for Journalism

Steve Berger
Pastor
Grace Chapel

Lou Cordia
Executive Director
Reagan Alumni Association

Michelle Easton
President
Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women

Bailey Amaral
Director
The Windrose Project

Tom Schatz
President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Bob Carlstrom
President
The Carlstrom Group, LLC

Tim LeFever
Chairman
Capitol Resource Institute

Robert K. Fischer
Meeting Coordinator
Conservatives of Faith

Sherri R. Martin
Executive Vice President
The Martin Organization, Inc.

Shawn A. Mitchell
Former National Chaplain
National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA)

Evelio Silvera
Campaign for the American Future

Kirk Uhler
Executive Director
National Tax Limitation Committee

Charlie Copeland
President
Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Lee Beaman
CEO
Beaman Automotive Group

The Honorable Diana Denman
Presidential Appointee
President Ronald Reagan

Willes K. Lee
President, National Federation of Republican Assemblies

Anne Schlafly Cori
Chairman
Eagle Forum

Peter J. Thomas
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus

Joan Holt Lindsey
President
Lindsey Communications

Seton Motley
President
Less Government

Nick Logan
CEO
Cornerstone Payment Systems

Randy M. Long
CEO
Long Business Advisors, LLC

Mark A. Bloom
President
TekGeologik LLC

Craig Dance
President
Champion Coach

John M. Cragg
Executive Director
Long Island Youth Mentoring

Ambassador Henry F. Cooper
President Reagan’s Chief Defense and Space Negotiator and Former SDI Director, High Frontier

Barry Meguiar
Founder/President
IgniteAmerica/Revival Outside the Walls

1. Preston Noell III
   President
   Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Anthony Saliba
Director
Fortify Technolgies

John F. Tate
President
America’s Liberty PAC

Nancy Schulze
Founder
Women Impacting America

Jack Park
Conservative Activist and Donor

Norm Singleton
President
Campaign for Liberty

Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President
60 Plus Association

Ralph Benko
Columnist

Khadine L. Ritter
Chairman
Eagle Forum of Ohio

Alan P. Dye
Partner
Webster, Chamberlain & Bean

The Honorable Michael R. Long
State Chairman
NYS Conservative Party

Sandy Rios
Director of Governmental Affairs
American Family Association

Jeffrey Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom

Martha Boneta
President
VCS

Derek McCoy
Executive Vice President
Center for Urban Renewal and Education

Reginald Mark Gill
Author & Entrepreneur

Paavo Ensio
Chairman
Universal Minerals Group

Amapola Hansberger
President
Legal Immigrants for America

Matt Mackowiak
Executive Director
Fight For Tomorrow

Jason Jones
President
Movie To Movement

George Landrith
President
Frontiers of Freedom

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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Oct. 15, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the year-end FY 2018 deficit numbers:

“Looking at the just-released deficit numbers, it is clear that the rising interest rates are indeed significantly increasing debt interest payments, which spiked by $65 billion. It is sobering that more than half of the 2018 deficit increase is attributable to interest payments on the debt. The Office of Management and Budget needs to work closely with Congress in trimming the planned 2019 spending splurge before our nation drowns in interest-only payments and they should start during the lame duck session of Congress after the election.”

To view online: https://getliberty.org/2018/10/interest-payments-account-for-half-of-fy-2018-deficit-increase/

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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Oct. 15, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the year-end FY 2018 deficit numbers:

“Looking at the just-released increase in the deficit, it is clear that the rising interest rates are indeed significantly increasing debt interest payments, which increased $65 billion. It is sobering that more than half of the 2018 deficit increase is attributable to interest payments on the debt. The Office of Management and Budget needs to work closely with Congress in trimming the planned 2019 spending splurge before our nation drowns in interest-only payments and they should start during the lame duck session of Congress after the election.”

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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Oct. 11, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Richard Manning today issued the following statement praising the Senate for confirming the nominations of Jeff Bossert Clark and Eric Dreiband to be Assistant Attorneys General at the Justice Department:

“It has been ridiculous that the Democrats in the Senate have made it their mission to obstruct President Trump’s appointees throughout his Administration.  Senate confirmation of Eric Dreiband and Jeff Bossert Clark will finally put top level Trump Administration officials in direct control of two of the most critical agencies within the Justice Department.  Congratulations to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for making these confirmations happen.  It is my sincere hope that the Senate stays in session for as long as it takes to confirm every pending Trump nomination.”

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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Oct. 10, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep the Senate in town to confirm Trump administration nominees:

“If Senate Democrats want to go home and campaign, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should require them to confirm all of the pending Trump nominees by unanimous consent. There is no excuse to let Democrats obstruct pending Trump administration officials and judges any further. We’re almost two years into the President’s term and Constitution gives broad discretion to who he will nominate. Leader McConnell is right to bring up Jeff Bossert Clark and Eric Dreiband to be Assistant Attorneys General for final votes. He could expand that and force the Senate to remain in town until November and beyond by confirming as many Trump nominees as possible, and the way to go home is to grant unanimous consent on everybody still pending.”

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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Oct.9, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement responding to a Lifezette report that Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, who accosted Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in an elevator during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court debate, made less than her male counterpart at the George Soros-funded organization:

“According to the organization’s publicly available tax returns, Ana Maria Archila made a nifty $178,071 in 2016, while her male counterpart, co-executive director Brian W. Kettenring is paid $182,198 in total annual compensation. One wonders why Kettenring’s co-executive directorship is worth more than $4,000 more than Archila’s?  The George Soros funded Center for Popular Democracy should look at the plank in their own eye before worrying about the splinter in others.

“As far as Archila is concerned, the shame is that her employer treats her unequally to her male counterpart. Perhaps, she should take her case to the Supreme Court. I’m confident when Justice Kavanaugh hears her plea that he will be sympathetic as someone who just hired women to fill every one of his highly sought-after clerk roles.”

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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Oct. 5, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for her defense of Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the floor of the U.S. Senate:

“Sen. Susan Collins demonstrated the kind of sober reflection that the Constitution calls for through the advice and consent process, and her call for a return to civility should be embraced by all. Collins’ decision to vote yes on the Kavanaugh nomination makes it highly likely that he will confirmed this weekend. Perhaps most significantly, the American people have had the important constitutional judicial cornerstone of due process brought firmly before them. This reminder of the tenuousness of the presumption of innocence will hopefully steel Americans everywhere to defend it at the ballot box. Finally, we’d like to thank Sen. Collins for her measured, open-minded approach. Her review of the Kavanaugh cases was impressive and demonstrated that she placed extraordinary emphasis on his qualifications and judicial philosophy to serve on the Supreme Court.”

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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Oct. 5, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today urged members of the Senate of both political parties to vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and reject mob rule:

“The Kavanaugh nomination boils down to a simple point, whether an American is innocent until proven guilty. Through all of the protests and vile behavior by opponents to the Kavanaugh nomination, history will view this vote through the lens of whether due process is more important than the screams of the mob. One thing is certain, should Kavanaugh be defeated, the mob will not be assuaged but instead be emboldened, and it would be hard to imagine anything worse for our nation as we seek to reconcile during these tumultuous times. The only vote that has the potential of healing these wounds is a yes vote on the Kavanaugh nomination. In the end, mob rule must not be allowed to prevail.”

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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Oct. 5, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for his part in eliminating the judicial filibuster:

“One of the unsung heroes of today’s vote to advance the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh is Harry Reid, who in 2013 began the process of eliminating the judicial filibuster so that Senate minorities could not have an effective veto over the President’s choice of judges. Today Americans for Limited Government thanks former Senator Harry Reid, without whom Judge Kavanaugh would not be headed to the floor.”

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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