Feb. 16, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to New York City Judge Arthur Engoron fining former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization over $350 million over property valuations:

“The political persecution of President Donald Trump by partisan prosecutors and judges continued today in New York, where ‘Judge’ Arthur Engoron fined Donald Trump and the Trump Organization more than $350 million and barred him from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years over a financial fraud claim.

“The claim came down to an alleged misevaluation of his properties by Trump to banks who loaned him money. In court, representatives of the banks testified that they conducted their own valuations (as happens with every property loan) and made the loans based upon those valuations, thus showing zero harm.  What’s more the Trump valuations approximated the banks own valuations of the property, which were dramatically divergent from the valuations ascribed by the Attorney General office of New York.  Likewise, Florida real estate experts testified that the Mar a Lago estate’s value far exceeded what was claimed by the New York Attorney General.  In spite of the bank claiming no harm, and their testimony that the loans given were repaid in full including interest, the judge found Trump guilty and fined him $350 million.  It is hard to imagine any reasonable person doing business with the state of New York in the future given the pure injustice of this decision and penalty.

“The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution protects individuals from government taking of property.  President Trump has promised to appeal the decision.  For the sake of the future economic viability of the state of New York, this political confiscation of Donald Trump’s properly owned, maintained and financed properties must be overturned. Even partisan Democrat politicians have to understand that no one of sound mind can justify putting their wealth at risk of political confiscation as has happened to former President Trump in this case.  The fact that this case even was allowed to be considered is a deep scar on the Empire State and should force every corporation which has significant assets in the state to engage in self-examination of whether having a spot on the New York City skyline is worth risking their entire company’s and personal wealth if they fall on the wrong political side of pernicious and venal local and state prosecutors working in concert with a political hack on the bench.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org .

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Feb. 12, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement marking the three-year anniversary of the State Department’s announcement that the Houthis would no longer be considered a terrorist organization:

“Three years ago today, the U.S. State Department and the Biden administration announced that they were revoking the terrorist designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. One month ago, the United States and the British bombed Houthi rebels is bombing the Houthis in retaliation for their attacks on cargo ships on the Red Sea heading to and from the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal handles 30 percent of the entire world’s sea-going container traffic.

“While the Biden administration seems to have forgotten this three-year anniversary which opened the door to Iran’s funding of its terror network in Yemen, it would be a shame if the rest of the world forgot about how kowtowing to Iran has made the world a much more dangerous place. Just another Biden blunder – shrinking America’s prestige, power and dollar one screw up at a time.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org .

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Once again, Justice Department seeks to pick winners and losers in American elections

Feb. 9, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Joe Biden:

“The most disturbing element of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Joe Biden was not that the Biden could not be prosecuted as a sitting president. That was to be expected based on Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinions from 2000 and 1973. It is that once again the Department of Justice is using prosecutorial powers and pronouncements to put its thumb on the scale of a presidential election, in this case by trying to push Biden out. The Biden special counsel report opining on the President’s mental capacity can be viewed as the equivalent of a prosecutorial death sentence to Biden’s presidential campaign. No one elected Hur, the Special Counsel, to do politics and this ongoing weaponization of the Department of Justice to pick nominees, candidates and eventual winners in our election system is frightening. Republicans and Democrats alike should join together to end the special counsel regulations to prevent future anonymous bureaucrats from playing major roles in determining who gets elected and who doesn’t in what is supposed to be a free and fair election.

“It absolutely understandable why in the face of the two-tiered justice system and eight years of the Justice Department’s abuse of Donald Trump that many Republicans are celebrating Hur’s pronouncement of Biden’s unfitness for office. But the real challenge facing our nation is that unelected bureaucrats are using their positions of trust to influence elections. Just as it’s inexcusable that Special Counsel Hur made his pronouncement on Biden, so too must Special Counsel Jack Smith’s tenure as Special Counsel also be ended. The mutually assured destruction against both parties engendered by the Justice Department and other intelligence agencies does grave damage to our nation’s belief that our electoral system is based on the consent of the governed.”

Attachments:

“Will the American people determine if Biden and Trump run for president—or the permanent state? Special Counsel Hur questions Biden’s ‘poor memory’ while Special Counsel Smith tries to lock up Trump,” By Robert Romano, Feb. 9, 2024, https://dailytorch.com/2024/02/will-the-american-people-determine-if-biden-and-trump-run-for-president-or-the-permanent-state-special-counsel-hur-questions-bidens-poor-memory-while-special-counse/

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org .

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Don’t tie Trump’s hands in 2025

Feb. 6, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in opposition to the Senate $118 billion foreign aid and border supplemental:

“The Senate immigration proposal legislatively locks in illegal immigration levels of millions for years to come, and specifically would prohibit former President Trump in 2025 should he win from closing the border. Any action that transforms illegal immigration into legal entrance into our country will have permanent, negative, long-term consequences for our nation and must be opposed. It is incredible that Republicans in the Senate would even consider voting for legislation designed to tie Trump’s hands in 2025 and beyond.”

Attachments:

“Trump tells Congressional Republicans ‘only a fool… would vote for this horrendous border bill’. He’s right, it guarantees at least 1.1 million illegal immigrants a year.” By Robert Romano, Feb. 6, 2024 at https://dailytorch.com/2024/02/trump-tells-congressional-republicans-only-a-fool-would-vote-for-this-horrendous-border-bill-hes-right-it-guarantees-at-least-1-1-million-illegal-immigrants-a-yea/

“House Republicans declare Senate foreign aid, border bill dead on arrival, requires 1.1 million illegal immigrants a year,” By Robert Romano, Feb. 5, 2024 at https://dailytorch.com/2024/02/house-republicans-declare-senate-foreign-aid-border-bill-dead-on-arrival-requires-1-1-million-illegal-immigrants-a-year/

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org .

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Time for Nikki Haley to End Her Campaign

Jan. 23, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement endorsing former President Donald Trump for president in 2024:

“Donald Trump will be the GOP nominee for President of the United States, and Americans for Limited Government proudly supports him.  It is time for former Governor Nikki Haley to end her campaign in order that the focus can turn to defeating Joe Biden and his attempt to finish the fundamental transformation of America promised by Barack Obama.

“This election is a battle for the soul of America. This is what Joe Biden has claimed on multiple occasions.  This statement is perhaps the only thing Biden got right in his entire presidency, because the election is indeed a battle for the soul of our country.

“Will America embrace the radical idea that ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?’

“This idea has been rightfully expanded to include women, but the fundamental precept is clear.  We are created.  Our rights are from God, not allowances from government. And we are free to pursue happiness, but not guaranteed it.

“Will America remember, ‘That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed?’

“The consent of the governed, meaning the government including intelligence and other national security-oriented agencies, the federal criminal justice bureaucracy and even the IRS are subject to the supremacy of the elected leaders, particularly the President of the United States, through whom these agencies and departments derive their ‘just powers’ as detailed under Article II of the U.S. Constitution — from the consent granted by the people.

“Former President Donald Trump is the only person who has the determination to restore a federal government which serves the people rather than expecting the people to bow down and serve them.

“The heart of America is the goodness of the American people. A people willing to donate freely to help others beset by natural disasters around the world.  A people who have historically chosen to shed the blood of their sons and now daughters around the world in the defense of freedom. A people who don’t want to worry about what their government in Washington, D.C. is up to, and prefer to pursue happiness by exercising their life and liberty to follow their dreams.

“2024 may be the last time Americans have a true opportunity to exercise the power of the ballot box on behalf of a candidate who will dedicate himself to destroying the poisonous tree of the intrusive, self-serving administrative state by striking directly at its root in Washington, D.C.

“Americans for Limited Government supports Donald J. Trump to be restored to the presidency by the vote of the people and urges all those who love and wish to defend individual liberty to join us. If we unite, we cannot be defeated, but if we are fractured, we cannot win.  Join us in uniting around the DNA of America and voting for the only candidate who is pledged to not only embrace but fight to maintain it — Donald J. Trump.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org .

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Jan. 17, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in support of U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz’ (R-Ind.) Debt Commission Act of 2024:

“America is in a debt death spiral, with OMB projecting the national debt to rise to $50 trillion by 2033, and it is unclear whether Congress will ever have the political will to do something about it. One thing is clear, continued reliance on debt to subsidize the social safety net ensures that that net will collapse, hurting those who are most dependent on it including seniors.

“The Social Security and Medicare trust funds are reporting they are rapidly approaching insolvency, and today, mandatory spending including interest payments account for 73 percent of all federal spending, and at $4.6 trillion, accounts for 100 percent of all revenue taken by the federal government from all sources. This means if Congress eliminated all defense spending, all foreign aid, and every program that Congress votes on, firing every employee, the federal government would still run a deficit.

“And it gets worse. In fact, the percent of mandatory spending plus interest is projected to rise to 78 percent of all spending by 2033, accounting for 105 percent of all revenue.

“Another example of the debt spiral is the dramatic increase in Medicaid recipients resulting from the shift in eligibility for benefits from 200 to 300 percent of the poverty level in 43 states from Obamacare, resulting in approximately $100 billion of additional spending according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“There are no easy answers to the debt abyss we are trapped in. Every dollar spent has a constituency. Every dollar taxed has a constituency. While Congress should be able to have an honest discussion on alternatives, politics prevents it, and with intergovernmental holdings of debt set to begin declining in 2028 as entitlements reach the tipping point, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz’ Debt Commission Act of 2024 will at least jump start a robust policy discussion that is long overdue.”

Attachments:

Spartz Updates Debt Commission Proposal, Jan. 9, 2024 at https://spartz.house.gov/media/press-releases/spartz-updates-debt-commission-proposal

Debt Commission Act of 2024 at https://files.constantcontact.com/7f8153c4801/9b112192-bfa5-4d3f-995d-fded4540903b.pdf?rdr=true

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org .

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Jan. 16, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in opposition to a deal reported by the Immigration Accountability Project between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) on illegal immigration amnesty:

“Americans for Limited Government ardently opposes the Schumer-Lankford illegal immigration expansion deal.  President Biden’s failure to enforce the law should not be rewarded with an acceptance of more than 150,000 entries a month.  The bad deal effectively normalizes catastrophic levels of illegal immigration while knowing those who created the crisis by ignoring the law for the past three years will continue ignoring it in the future. Senator Lankford is a man of honorable intentions dealing with those without them and the result must be defeated.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.

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Jan. 8, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement reacting to the new topline negotiated framework for the $1.59 trillion U.S. discretionary budget:

“The released topline reduces spending by another $16 billion beyond the debt limit deal and upholds sequestration for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2024.  Most importantly, apart from the broad national defense and domestic spending categories, the topline does not dictate how the monies will be spent.  That is why it is incumbent on the House and Senate to pass the individual appropriations bills for each agency.  It is through passage of these bills, that Congress gives direct instruction to the administration on things like prohibiting the use of funds to push DEI programs, whether specific regulations shall be funded and potentially defunding the persecution of President Donald Trump by the Biden Justice Department.

“Border security remains the top priority, but it is likely to be better handled through the battle over whether to continue funding Ukraine’s ability to defend their border tying aggressive measures to force the Biden administration to staunch the unprecedented flow of illegal aliens into our country to any future funding of Ukraine.

“The topline is a step but is not the decision on how money in individual agencies should be spent.  The House has so far passed seven of the appropriations bills, with five others still pending, with dramatic restrictions on the Biden administration’s abuse of power. Americans for Limited Government is going to focus on passage of these bills with the goal of having as many of those defunds and riders survive the negotiating process with the Senate and Executive Branch.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.

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Jan. 8, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement responding to the hospitalization of Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd being kept secret from President Joe Biden:

“Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was sedated in Walter Reid Army Medical Center and no one bothered to tell the White House.  In what was supposed to be a minor procedure, Austin encountered a medical emergency necessitating his hospitalization for five days. Normally, this would be no big deal, but when there appears to be chain of command confusion at the Pentagon due to his top deputy being on vacation at a time when Austin has authorized military strikes against Iranian assets based in Iraq, one would think the White House would at least be aware that the Defense Secretary was out of action.

“The Middle East is a powder keg, and the national defense and intelligence establishment seems to continue believing that they are in charge and not the duly elected president of the United States.  Under President Trump, we had the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff bragging that he engaged in back door communications with China to undermine Trump and betray the nation.  Now, under Biden, the Pentagon is acting as if it is an independent branch of government without a chain of command that starts in the Oval Office.

“Who is in charge? Apparently, not the White House. No matter what you think of the current president, this pattern of military disconnection from the president we elect is beyond dangerous — it is the beginnings of a soft coup by a military establishment that could neither defeat the Taliban nor figure out an orderly and honorable exit from Afghanistan.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.

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Jan. 5, 2024, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging members of the House and Senate to cosponsor and pass Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) Audit the Federal Reserve legislation when it is introduced next week to get to the bottom of the regional bank bailout, the Bank Term Funding Program, now up to $132 billion according to the Fed’s latest H.4.1. release:

“Every member of Congress should support Sen. Rand Paul’s legislation to audit the Federal Reserve. This is not just a rhetorical talking point, it is a fiscal and monetary responsibility of Congress to unveil how the Fed has been negating the impacts of higher interest rates on too big to fail banking balance sheets in the regional bank bailout, the Fed’s now $132 billion Bank Term Funding Program. This designed mitigation and socialization of interest rate risk for some banks while other smaller banks have been forced to close their doors under the Congressionally passed Dodd-Frank law, needs to be understood to ensure that political favor does not drive the picking of winners and losers, including whether these bailouts are going to too big to fail and foreign banks.

“In 2010, under Dodd-Frank, the Fed was audited, too, of the $1.25 trillion of mortgage-backed securities bought by the Fed, foreign entities sold some $442.7 billion of their mortgage securities to the Fed, too. Similarly, it stands to reason that interest rate exposure would not be merely limited to domestic regional banks, but only a full audit will reveal the truth.

“This is not a partisan issue, it is a basic right of the people and their representatives in Washington, D.C. to know if laws need to be changed to prevent the politicization of our capital and Treasury market systems. With the increased involvement of the U.S. banking industry to promote social and economic change programs, including DEI and green agenda programs, it is essential that the public and their representatives ensure that Treasury markets particularly, with the national debt set to rise to more than $50 trillion by 2033, are not being abused for political gain.

“Please cosponsor Sen. Paul’s legislation to audit the Federal Reserve.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.

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