Dec. 28, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to hold firm on $5 billion of funding for the southern border wall:

“At the beginning of 2017, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell defined fully funding the wall at $12 billion to $15 billion. The President’s current budget request for $5 billion for the southern border wall is a dramatic compromise from the amount originally identified and promised as needed to complete the project. This shutdown fully and completely lies at the feet of Democrat leadership in the Senate that has refused the one-third, $5 billion compromise offered by President Trump.

“It is incredibly bad politics for Republicans to start negotiating with themselves through the media when the Democrats continue to turn a blind eye to the government workers they are furloughing. President Trump should not only hold firm on the $5 billion compromise, but should insist that Democrat priority spending in other parts of the funding bill be stripped effective Jan. 2, 2019.

“Americans for Limited Government urges that non-Department of Homeland Security spending be decreased by 1 percent for every week the Democrats refuse to adequately fund our nation’s border security. What’s more, the President and House and Senate Republican leaders should make clear that furloughed federal workers who are not working will not be paid at the end of the shutdown. While our hearts go out to those impacted by the shutdown through no fault of their own, a private sector worker in the same circumstance would not be paid for time lost, and the federal workers whose unions have aggressively supported Democrat leadership need to be held to that same standard.”

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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Dec. 20, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to pass a measure to fund the southern border wall at $5 billion:

“Not passing $5 billion for the wall is making a choice to shut down the government, because Congress refused to provide border security for the nation. At the beginning of this Congress, both Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell promised full funding for the wall. Now it is their chance to go out with a roar rather than the proposed CR whimper. It is no secret that President Trump has set the funding of the wall as a top administration priority. If Congress refuses to secure the southern border with a wall, he must veto the spending bill.

“It is a shame that Congressional Democrats have spent the past two years obstructing this common-sense policy, which they once agreed with, for political purposes. Putting petty politics ahead of our nation’s security is unacceptable. A veto will force them to choose between a government shutdown over Christmas, or a return to responsible governance. It’s time for Schumer and Pelosi to set aside their irrational hatred of President Trump and do what’s right for this 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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Dec. 20, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to not sign the continuing resolution without adequate wall funding:

“President Donald Trump is exactly correct. At the outset of this Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to provide $12 billion to $15 billion to fully fund the wall. Now that we’re at the end of this two-year Congress, there is one last chance for them to fulfill this pledge, and it makes little sense for them to squander it. Should the short-term continuing resolution pass, President Trump should exercise his constitutional power to not sign the bill, shutting down part of the government, and negotiating a better deal. The failure of Congress to provide even basic security at the border by fully funding the wall is inexcusable and irresponsible. Americans for Limited Government has launched SustainTheVeto.org to support this President in his attempt to restore sanity to our nation’s funding priorities.”

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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Dec. 17, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to deter illegal immigration by fully funding the border wall:

“The untimely death of Jakelin Caal Maquin at the border is a tragedy — a preventable tragedy. The fact is that little girl would be alive today if there had been a wall to deter illegal immigration. The migrant caravan is dangerous. Any parents who have been lied to by political and economic predators that the journey north is safe and easy need to realize that it is not, and often ends with deadly results. Those who choose to avoid U.S. intake stations will find themselves traversing some of the world’s harshest terrain on both sides of the border. A border wall across these areas would deter people from attempting this treacherous journey with the inevitable saving of lives, perhaps even little Jakelin’s.  Unfortunately, she will now be a statistic rather than a cautionary tale.

“What we do know is that illegal entrees into our country dramatically decline with wall completion. In San Diego, CA, a wall was built in 1992, and Illegal traffic dropped 92 percent since it was completed.  In El Paso, TX, a wall was built in 1993 and illegal traffic dropped 72 percent in one year and 95 percent overall. In Tucson, Arizona, illegal traffic dropped 90 percent since the wall was built in 2000, and in Yuma, Arizona illegal traffic dropped 95 percent after a wall was built.

“Building the wall saves lives as it deters the kind of caravans we are seeing today, fueled by shady promoters who prey on human suffering in an attempt to score political points. It is not compassion telling migrants to charge the border with children to be used as golden tickets into the U.S., it’s exploitation. It is not compassion to urge those with little economically to lose to risk the lives of their children in an attempt to game the U.S. laws, when it is those children who are most vulnerable to rape, disease and death on the arduous journey.  And it is not compassion to tell people with no sense of the dangers ahead, that the journey will be easy and guaranteed.  A border wall ends this false illusion and it is reasonable to believe that little Jakelin’s father would never have put her at risk had a full wall been in place. The wall would have saved this little girl’s life.”

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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Dec. 17, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising a decision by Judge Reed O’Connor to hold Obamacare to be unconstitutional:

“The decision to hold Obamacare unconstitutional should give the GOP Congress the impetus to take one last swing at fixing the Obamacare mess using 2019 budget reconciliation as the vehicle. It would be a shame if they passed on this opportunity.”

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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Dec. 17, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging that all charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn be dismissed:

“Judge Emmet Sullivan needs to review thoroughly the transcript of Michael Flynn’s conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and the initial 302s of FBI agents’ interrogation of Michael Flynn when they asked him whether sanctions were discussed. And then he needs to ask himself what crime were they even investigating on Jan. 24, 2017 when he was interrogated? Talking to the ambassador was never a crime, and the only reason it was even an issue was because somebody leaked the classified conversation to the Washington Post. There was no probable cause for the interrogation. The only reason was to get the false statements charge. It was a perjury trap from the beginning and the interrogating officers didn’t believe that Flynn lied even with access to the transcript of his call with the Russian ambassador — which Flynn had no way of knowing they had.

“What we know now is that the FBI breached protocol by not notifying the White House Counsel of the interrogation and did not remind Flynn of his rights prior to the interrogation. We also know that then FBI Director James Comey hoped to use the normal disorder of a new Administration as the Trump presidency was four days old at the time of the interview. Moreover, the agents were instructed more or less to see if he would fully recollect the conversation. If the FBI agents who interviewed Michael Flynn never thought he lied in the first place, then this case should be dismissed and all charges dropped, Flynn’s guilty plea under duress notwithstanding. Judge Sullivan can cure a grave injustice.”

Attachments:

“As FBI misconduct against Flynn revealed, Mueller ‘obstruction’ probe evaporates,” By Robert Romano, Dec. 17, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/12/as-fbi-misconduct-against-flynn-revealed-mueller-obstruction-probe-evaporates/

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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Dec. 14, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to add a provision to the omnibus spending bill that would expedite construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in light of a federal court ruling blocking it:

“In light of the 4th Circuit Court mistakenly blocking construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, it is now critical that Congress get involved and approve the construction, removing any regulatory barriers that stand in the way. This natural gas pipeline originates in West Virginia and would go through Virginia and into North Carolina. It has bipartisan support including Virginia Democrat Governor Ralph Northam. This is one area where to help build America’s capacity to distribute cheap and clean natural gas, Congress must get involved. This should be an easy lift for Congress in the omnibus. Let’s get this pipeline built. It does our nation no good to be the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of natural gas if we cannot effectively, efficiently and securely transport it from where it is brought out of the ground to where it is needed.”

Attachments:

“Building the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will make it cheaper to deliver natural gas in Va. and N.C.—and Congress should approve it,” by Robert Romano, Nov. 27, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/11/building-the-atlantic-coast-pipeline-will-make-it-cheaper-to-deliver-natural-gas-in-va-and-n-c-and-congress-should-approve-it/

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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Dec. 13, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government today issued the following joint statement with twelve conservative leaders including former Attorney General Ed Meese, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Representative Bob McEwen and Tea Party Patriots Action Honorary Chairman Jenny Beth Martin in favor of Congress passing the MERIT Act during the lame duck session:

“The December spending bill is the last chance for the 115^th Congress to do something to limit the size and scope of government. After disappointing decisions to significantly increase government spending levels over the past two years, it is imperative that Congress pass language which expedites the prompt and appropriate firing of federal employees who are either incompetent or don’t perform their assigned duties. The simple truth is that you cannot drain the swamp, unless you can fire the swamp. Currently, it takes years for a substandard federal employee to be removed from their position, a complex and timely process most supervisors do not wish to participate in at all. This leaves the federal government with a termination for cause rate of only .53 percent. The current system incentivizes federal managers to simply ignore poor performers costing taxpayers millions of dollars in salaries, creating a workplace which rewards federal employee wage theft, while penalizing those workers who are attempting to pick up the slack.

“Any appropriations legislation moving toward the president’s desk this month must include the House Oversight and Government Reform language of the MERIT Act as a policy rider. The language of the MERIT Act has already been implemented at the Department of Veterans Affairs and, as a result, increased terminations for cause at the agency by 26 percent. The eight departments affected by this appropriations legislation should see this change as well.

“Good civil servants deserve to work in constructive workplaces and bad civil servants deserve to be dismissed. As conservatives, we see the MERIT Act language as integral to reigning in the out of control federal bureaucracy and restoring accountability to federal civil service.”

The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Former Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan

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

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

Jenny Beth Martin
Honorary Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Action

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

Tom Schatz
President 
Council for Citizens against Government Waste

Richard Manning
President
Americans for Limited Government

Maria Zack
President
Nations in Action Foundation

George Landrith
President
Frontiers of Freedom

Sandy Rios
Director of Governmental Affairs
American Family Association

Wesley Denton
Former communications director
Senator Jim DeMint

David Williams
President
Taxpayer Protection Alliance

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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Dec. 12, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to work on funding the southern border wall in the December spending bill:

“Funding the wall is a national security priority that can no longer be ignored. It is quite frankly absurd that Republicans in Congress have punted this issue for almost two years always claiming that they would get to ‘tomorrow’. Now there is no tomorrow. Congress should appropriate the funds necessary to build the wall and secure the border using a lockbox to ensure that future Congresses cannot rescind that decision. The truth is that if Republicans in Congress had fought for and won wall funding during the past two years, the nation would not find itself with Nancy Pelosi ready to become House Speaker in 2019. Failed leadership on the nation’s priorities caused a failed campaign in November by Republicans. Now the GOP has one last chance to get it right and if the Democrats choose to shut down the government in protest, that decision is on their heads.

“To support building the wall, Americans for Limited Government has launched http://buildwallnow.org to urge activists to contact Congress now.”

Attachments:

“Don’t back down on the gov’t shutdown and the wall, Mr. President,” By Robert Romano, Dec. 12, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/12/dont-back-down-on-the-govt-shutdown-and-the-wall-mr-president/

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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You can’t drain the swamp unless you fire the swamp

Dec. 11, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to attach the language of H.R. 559, the MERIT Act, to the December spending bill as a rider to expedite the firing of bad federal employees:

“Nancy Pelosi is poised to assume control of the House of Representatives in January, so this is the last chance to rein in the out of control federal bureaucracy. By attaching a rider to the December federal government spending bill, Congress could make it easier to fire bad federal employees while preserving due process. This rider would institute the same reforms that were implemented at the Veterans Administration to several other elements of the federal bureaucracy. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has passed revised language for the MERIT Act (H.R. 559) which accomplishes this swamp draining mission.

“Under current civil service rules, it can take years just to complete a single firing, resulting in a pathetic 0.5 percent firing rate which lags far below that of the private sector. Under the VA reforms, firings rose 26 percent initially in the department, and real accountability has been restored. The same could be done for more of the federal workforce. If the MERIT Act passes now as a budget rider, the GOP will have at least created an opportunity to drain the swamp rather than wallowing in it for the eight additional Cabinet level agencies that would be covered.”

Attachments:

Letter to Congress in favor of MERIT Act, Dec. 11, 2018 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MERITActLetter12-11-18.pdf

“Abuse and inefficiency rampant within U.S. civil service,” By Natalia Castro, Sept. 4, 2018 at http://algresearch.org/2018/09/abuse-and-inefficiency-rampant-within-u-s-civil-service/

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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