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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Nov. 7, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising and thanking Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service to the U.S.:

“Thank you, Jeff Sessions for serving as our nation’s Attorney General in a time of strife. Your determination to focus the Justice Department on fighting the opioid crisis, illegal immigration and the drug cartels which plague our nation have been highlights of Trump administration’s first two years. Additionally, Attorney General Sessions has been prescient in his attempts to use our nation’s anti-trust laws to rein in the consolidation of media power through a few massive companies. Americans for Limited Government will miss the General Sessions’ steady hand at the helm of the Justice Department as he dealt with almost two years without many of the key political appointees needed to run an agency of that size.  We wish the Attorney General best as he moves forward to his next endeavor.”

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. 6, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issue the following statement in response to Republicans building their majority in the Senate and Democrats claiming a majority in the House:

“Tonight was a rejection of the do-nothing House Republican leadership, as the Senate GOP was rewarded for fighting on Kavanaugh, while the House chose to be on vacation most of September.  I cannot say it strongly enough, the Democrat takeover of the House is a rejection of Paul Ryan and his entire leadership team.

“It also cannot be understated that the Senate GOP wins were also a direct result of the intense effort by President Trump, whose energy and determination over the past three weeks inspired his supporters to come out in record numbers.”

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. 5, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement endorsing Tim Donnelly for Congress in California’s 8^th Congressional District:

“America needs more strong supporters of the U.S. Constitution in Congress, and in Tim Donnelly, we have just the upgrade that our nation needs to win against the socialist left that has taken over the Democrats in Congress.  This race is the only one in the nation pitting two GOP candidates in a general, so there is no need to choose the ‘lesser of two evils’.  Tim Donnelly has proven himself to be a strong supporter of limited government and is a proven fighter for Constitutional principles, putting his neck on the line for stronger border and immigration enforcement. Donnelly is not afraid to take a stand, and deserves the support of the people of California’s 8th Congressional District. I am proud to endorse Tim Donnelly, who will make a great Congressman, and who the people can depend upon to stand firm for their individual liberties.”

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. 2, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the latest jobs numbers:

“America is working and making money again with more than 4.5 million more people employed since January 2017 when President Trump took office, near record low unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and whites, the Trump economy is a rising sea that lifts all boats.  Beyond the great news about job growth, wages increased nationally by 3.1 percent over the past twelve months ending in September 2018, giving Americans a much needed, inflation beating raise.  To make matters even better inflation is running at 2.3 percent annually (not seasonally adjusted) with the seasonally adjusted increase over the past six months registering 0.9 percent.

“The President’s policies of lower taxes, stripping away regulatory burdens and an aggressive trade policy are paying dividends for America and for Americans.  It would be foolish to return to the low growth, lower expectations and no hope economy represented by a potential Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wants to turn America into the dirty streets of San Francisco.”

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. 31, 2018 Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government has penned a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ahead of the November 1 hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21^st Century. Specifically, the letter addresses the dangers that accompany mass media consolidation and how it negatively impacts American consumers and businesses.

President of Americans for Limited Government, Rick Manning, urges the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into the practices of Comcast-NBCU to ensure evenhanded treatment to all industry competitors as well as to protect Americans’ access to a diversity of viewpoints in the media.

Comcast-NBCU has recently been set free from their 2011 merger conditions, raising ire from not just industry stakeholders but also concerned Americans worried about access to affordable cable and programming services.

“Our concerns are now amplified by the fact that Comcast-NBCU has recently been set free from merger restrictions they once had to abide by,” said Manning. “Mass media consolidation is slowly but surely warping alternative, important voices, with important long-term implications related to basic First Amendment freedoms,” Manning concluded.

For access to the full letter, click here.

About Americans for Limited Government

Americans for Limited Government is an advocacy group concerned with reducing the size and scope of government to maximize individual freedom. Focusing on fiscal responsibility, regulatory reform, transparency and shedding light on overlooked issues impacting people’s lives, Americans for Limited Government holds both sides of the aisle accountable in achieving its legislative and advocacy objectives.

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. 31, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to comments by Public Knowledge and the Communications Workers of America on the Sprint-T-Mobile merger:

“The proposed Sprint and T-Mobile merger is critical to the national development and rollout of 5G as it will allow both companies to combine their low and medium band spectrums to more effectively compete with Verizon and AT&T. In the race to 5G, what we need is more, not less, competition and if the FCC denies this merger, the results will be harmful not only to consumers but workers as well.

“For example, denial of the merger would hamper the ability of both Sprint and T-Mobile to consolidate research and development costs related to national 5G development and rollout, effectively relegating both companies to regional carriers. This would be particularly harmful to consumers in rural, underserved communities. Additionally, if Sprint and T-Mobile are not competitive in the 5G world, a lot more than 28k jobs could be lost, as they won’t be able to share the costs of infrastructure build out. This would create more pressure on employee salaries and their ability to compete with Verizon and AT&T. Despite the typical scare tactics of merger opponents, the move to 5G is actually expected to create 3 million jobs and fuel technological and economic advancements.

“Unlike the AT&T-Time Warner vertical merger, which combines content and distribution, the Sprint and T-Mobile merger will be a net plus for consumers when viewed in the context of what it will take our country to successfully get to 5G. This is a logical merger that will create jobs and bring more and better service to consumers, especially in rural America. We need to win the race to 5G and the only way to get there is if the government fosters, not stifles competition in this arena.”

Attachments:

“T-Mobile-Sprint merger will create more competition in 5G, boost growth,” By Robert Romano, July 12, 2018 at http://dailytorch.com/2018/07/t-mobile-sprint-merger-will-create-more-competition-in-5g-boost-growth/

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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