Nov. 6, 2023, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in favor of amendments 63, 67, 73, 107 and 109 to the Transportation and Housing Appropriations Bill, H.R. 4820:

Amendment 63: “U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale’s amendment would reduce Transportation and Housing by $4.9 billion to be more in line with Fiscal Year 2022’s spending levels of $81 billion, undoing the 6 percent increase in spending that occurred in the 2023 omnibus bill, and keeping the promise of the 2023 debt ceiling deal’s 6 percent budget sequestration that Congress enacted earlier this year.”

Amendment 67: “U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison’s amendment would deny any transportation funds to municipalities that provide safe harbor for illegal immigrants and otherwise refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities’ detainer requests and to submit crimes to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database. With hundreds of thousands of immigrants crossing the border every month, sanctuary cities serve as a magnet for not only economic refugees but criminal gangs and even terrorists, posing a continued risk to national security.”

Amendment 73: “U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles’ amendment would defund implementation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations ‘Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks for Model Years 2027-2032 and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks and Vans for Model Years 2030-2035’ that set fuel emission standards so high they cannot technically be met, effectively banning the internal combustion engine at a time of high inflation and when our dependency on fossil fuels remains very high, all to favor green electric vehicle alternatives.”

Amendments 107 and 109: U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s amendments would end the practice of remote work for the Departments of Transportation and Housing, more than three years after Covid, when there is no longer any reason for remote work to be continuing. This long overdue adjustment comes at a time when there isn’t any data showing at what rate federal remote workers even report to work.”

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

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April 30, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the House to immediately enact H.R. 391 by U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to strengthen the standard under which asylum seekers may enter and remain in the United States from “a significant possibility” of credible fear of persecution to “more probable than not” in response to the caravan incursion into the U.S. via Mexico:

“The illegal immigrant caravan on the Mexico side of the California border shows what a mess Congress has made of the U.S. immigration system. Human smugglers and others are coaching prospective asylum seekers on how to interact with the U.S. Border Patrol to get into the U.S. Under current law anyone claiming a credible fear of persecution must be allowed to remain in the U.S. even if their statements cannot be corroborated.

“This obvious loophole is being exploited and the standard must be strengthened. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson’s bill is a step in the right direction to mitigate fraud while protecting legitimate asylum seekers, and the House should immediately act to pass H.R. 391, which will increase the evidence needed to meet the standard, and include it in any appropriations bill before Congress effecting homeland security.

“The U.S. is a generous country with a long history of protecting legitimate asylum seekers. The loophole is allowing gang infiltration, drug smugglers, and other criminals to penetrate the border, crowding out legitimate claims by overwhelming the system.

“In the meantime, President Trump should make Mexico stopping illegal immigrants from entering the United States a precondition to NAFTA renegotiations and good neighborly relations.

“Under international law, Mexico should have been the country to process any claims of asylum, per the U.N. Convention on Refugees, to which Mexico is a party. By allowing the caravan to proceed to the U.S. Mexico border unhindered with the express purpose of claiming asylum violates Mexico’s treaty obligations and the Trump administration now must consider whatever sanctions and other actions are now appropriate.  It is clear that if the government of Mexico won’t respect our physical border, then we must withdraw economic privileges they receive due to their proximity.  This should include taking initial steps to prepare for making NAFTA a bilateral treaty with Canada.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Sept. 19, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations today:

“President Trump has provided a cogent and inspiring defense of America and the American constitutional system of governance to the world not as imposition but an example to be followed, while at the same time respecting the sovereignty of other nations. However, the President also made it clear to those nations that threaten humanity with nuclear destruction that the United States will not be held hostage, and continuing down their current paths guarantees their annihilation. While many will focus on Trump’s threat to North Korea and Iran, the real focus of his speech is that it is call to all nations to embrace their own sovereignty without threatening world peace.

“Every American should take the ten minutes to read the Trump doctrine themselves and not rely upon the media to provide their spin. What’s more, by reading the speech, the people will be able to tell when Trump’s foreign policy team attempts to walk it back undermining the essence of the President’s American leadership message.”

Attachments:

President Donald Trump speech to the United Nations, Sept. 19, 2017 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/09/19/remarks-president-trump-72nd-session-united-nations-general-assembly

Remarks by President Trump to the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

United Nations
New York, New York

10:04 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates:  Welcome to New York.  It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.

As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid.  The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before.

Fortunately, the United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8th.  The stock market is at an all-time high — a record.  Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before.  Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time.  And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense.

Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.  For more than 70 years, in times of war and peace, the leaders of nations, movements, and religions have stood before this assembly.  Like them, I intend to address some of the very serious threats before us today but also the enormous potential waiting to be unleashed.

We live in a time of extraordinary opportunity.  Breakthroughs in science, technology, and medicine are curing illnesses and solving problems that prior generations thought impossible to solve.

But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value.  Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet.  Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems, and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II.

International criminal networks traffic drugs, weapons, people; force dislocation and mass migration; threaten our borders; and new forms of aggression exploit technology to menace our citizens.

To put it simply, we meet at a time of both of immense promise and great peril.  It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights, or let it fall into a valley of disrepair.

We have it in our power, should we so choose, to lift millions from poverty, to help our citizens realize their dreams, and to ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred, and fear.

This institution was founded in the aftermath of two world wars to help shape this better future.  It was based on the vision that diverse nations could cooperate to protect their sovereignty, preserve their security, and promote their prosperity.

It was in the same period, exactly 70 years ago, that the United States developed the Marshall Plan to help restore Europe.  Those three beautiful pillars — they’re pillars of peace, sovereignty, security, and prosperity.

The Marshall Plan was built on the noble idea that the whole world is safer when nations are strong, independent, and free.  As President Truman said in his message to Congress at that time, “Our support of European recovery is in full accord with our support of the United Nations.  The success of the United Nations depends upon the independent strength of its members.”

To overcome the perils of the present and to achieve the promise of the future, we must begin with the wisdom of the past.  Our success depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty to promote security, prosperity, and peace for themselves and for the world.

We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions, or even systems of government.  But we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties:  to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation.  This is the beautiful vision of this institution, and this is foundation for cooperation and success.

Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect.

Strong, sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny.  And strong, sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God.

In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch.  This week gives our country a special reason to take pride in that example.  We are celebrating the 230th anniversary of our beloved Constitution — the oldest constitution still in use in the world today.

This timeless document has been the foundation of peace, prosperity, and freedom for the Americans and for countless millions around the globe whose own countries have found inspiration in its respect for human nature, human dignity, and the rule of law.

The greatest in the United States Constitution is its first three beautiful words.  They are:  “We the people.”

Generations of Americans have sacrificed to maintain the promise of those words, the promise of our country, and of our great history.  In America, the people govern, the people rule, and the people are sovereign.  I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people, where it belongs.

In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty.  Our government’s first duty is to its people, to our citizens — to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values.

As President of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always, and should always, put your countries first.  (Applause.)

All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens, and the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.

But making a better life for our people also requires us to work together in close harmony and unity to create a more safe and peaceful future for all people.

The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies.  But we can no longer be taken advantage of, or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return.  As long as I hold this office, I will defend America’s interests above all else.

But in fulfilling our obligations to our own nations, we also realize that it’s in everyone’s interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous, and secure.

America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations Charter.  Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall.  America’s devotion is measured on the battlefields where our young men and women have fought and sacrificed alongside of our allies, from the beaches of Europe to the deserts of the Middle East to the jungles of Asia.

It is an eternal credit to the American character that even after we and our allies emerged victorious from the bloodiest war in history, we did not seek territorial expansion, or attempt to oppose and impose our way of life on others.  Instead, we helped build institutions such as this one to defend the sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all.

For the diverse nations of the world, this is our hope.  We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife.  We are guided by outcomes, not ideology.  We have a policy of principled realism, rooted in shared goals, interests, and values.

That realism forces us to confront a question facing every leader and nation in this room.  It is a question we cannot escape or avoid.  We will slide down the path of complacency, numb to the challenges, threats, and even wars that we face.  Or do we have enough strength and pride to confront those dangers today, so that our citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow?

If we desire to lift up our citizens, if we aspire to the approval of history, then we must fulfill our sovereign duties to the people we faithfully represent.  We must protect our nations, their interests, and their futures.  We must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea.  We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders, and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow.  And just as the founders of this body intended, we must work together and confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil, and terror.

The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based.  They respect neither their own citizens nor the sovereign rights of their countries.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph.  When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea.  It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more.

We were all witness to the regime’s deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America only to die a few days later.  We saw it in the assassination of the dictator’s brother using banned nerve agents in an international airport.  We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea’s spies.

If this is not twisted enough, now North Korea’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life.

It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.  No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.  Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.  The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary.  That’s what the United Nations is all about; that’s what the United Nations is for.  Let’s see how they do.

It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future.  The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-0 votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea, and I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all of the other members of the Security Council.  Thank you to all involved.

But we must do much more.  It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior.

We face this decision not only in North Korea.  It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime — one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy.  It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos.  The longest-suffering victims of Iran’s leaders are, in fact, its own people.

Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.  This wealth, which rightly belongs to Iran’s people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship, fuel Yemen’s civil war, and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.  (Applause.)  The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.  Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don’t think you’ve heard the last of it — believe me.

It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran’s government end its pursuit of death and destruction.  It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained.  And above all, Iran’s government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors.

The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most.  This is what causes the regime to restrict Internet access, tear down satellite dishes, shoot unarmed student protestors, and imprison political reformers.

Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice.  Will they continue down the path of poverty, bloodshed, and terror?  Or will the Iranian people return to the nation’s proud roots as a center of civilization, culture, and wealth where their people can be happy and prosperous once again?

The Iranian regime’s support for terror is in stark contrast to the recent commitments of many of its neighbors to fight terrorism and halt its financing.

In Saudi Arabia early last year, I was greatly honored to address the leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations.  We agreed that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamist extremism that inspires them.

We will stop radical Islamic terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation, and indeed to tear up the entire world.

We must deny the terrorists safe haven, transit, funding, and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology.  We must drive them out of our nations.  It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban and others that slaughter innocent people.

The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people.

Last month, I announced a new strategy for victory in the fight against this evil in Afghanistan.  From now on, our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians.

I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups.  In Syria and Iraq, we have made big gains toward lasting defeat of ISIS.  In fact, our country has achieved more against ISIS in the last eight months than it has in many, many years combined.

We seek the de-escalation of the Syrian conflict, and a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people.  The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens — even innocent children — shock the conscience of every decent person.  No society can be safe if banned chemical weapons are allowed to spread.  That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the airbase that launched the attack.

We appreciate the efforts of United Nations agencies that are providing vital humanitarian assistance in areas liberated from ISIS, and we especially thank Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees from the Syrian conflict.

The United States is a compassionate nation and has spent billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort.  We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries, to be part of the rebuilding process.

For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region.  Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, and we support recent agreements of the G20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible.  This is the safe, responsible, and humanitarian approach.

For decades, the United States has dealt with migration challenges here in the Western Hemisphere.  We have learned that, over the long term, uncontrolled migration is deeply unfair to both the sending and the receiving countries.

For the sending countries, it reduces domestic pressure to pursue needed political and economic reform, and drains them of the human capital necessary to motivate and implement those reforms.

For the receiving countries, the substantial costs of uncontrolled migration are borne overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government.

I want to salute the work of the United Nations in seeking to address the problems that cause people to flee from their homes.  The United Nations and African Union led peacekeeping missions to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflicts in Africa.  The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen.

We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief; the President’s Malaria Initiative; the Global Health Security Agenda; the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery; and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe.

We also thank — (applause) — we also thank the Secretary General for recognizing that the United Nations must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security, and prosperity.  Too often the focus of this organization has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process.

In some cases, states that seek to subvert this institution’s noble aims have hijacked the very systems that are supposed to advance them.  For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more.  In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes.  The United States bears an unfair cost burden, but, to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it.

Major portions of the world are in conflict and some, in fact, are going to hell.  But the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems.

The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world.  In the meantime, we believe that no nation should have to bear a disproportionate share of the burden, militarily or financially.  Nations of the world must take a greater role in promoting secure and prosperous societies in their own regions.

That is why in the Western Hemisphere, the United States has stood against the corrupt and destabilizing regime in Cuba and embraced the enduring dream of the Cuban people to live in freedom.  My administration recently announced that we will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms.

We have also imposed tough, calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has brought a once thriving nation to the brink of total collapse.

The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country.  This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried.  To make matters worse, Maduro has defied his own people, stealing power from their elected representatives to preserve his disastrous rule.

The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing.  Their democratic institutions are being destroyed.  This situation is completely unacceptable and we cannot stand by and watch.

As a responsible neighbor and friend, we and all others have a goal.  That goal is to help them regain their freedom, recover their country, and restore their democracy.  I would like to thank leaders in this room for condemning the regime and providing vital support to the Venezuelan people.

The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable.  We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.

We are fortunate to have incredibly strong and healthy trade relationships with many of the Latin American countries gathered here today.  Our economic bond forms a critical foundation for advancing peace and prosperity for all of our people and all of our neighbors.

I ask every country represented here today to be prepared to do more to address this very real crisis.  We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela. (Applause.)

The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.  (Applause.)  From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure.  Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.

America stands with every person living under a brutal regime.  Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action.  All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their wellbeing, including their prosperity.

In America, we seek stronger ties of business and trade with all nations of good will, but this trade must be fair and it must be reciprocal.

For too long, the American people were told that mammoth multinational trade deals, unaccountable international tribunals, and powerful global bureaucracies were the best way to promote their success.  But as those promises flowed, millions of jobs vanished and thousands of factories disappeared.  Others gamed the system and broke the rules.  And our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind, but they are forgotten no more and they will never be forgotten again.

While America will pursue cooperation and commerce with other nations, we are renewing our commitment to the first duty of every government:  the duty of our citizens.  This bond is the source of America’s strength and that of every responsible nation represented here today.

If this organization is to have any hope of successfully confronting the challenges before us, it will depend, as President Truman said some 70 years ago, on the “independent strength of its members.”  If we are to embrace the opportunities of the future and overcome the present dangers together, there can be no substitute for strong, sovereign, and independent nations — nations that are rooted in their histories and invested in their destinies; nations that seek allies to befriend, not enemies to conquer; and most important of all, nations that are home to patriots, to men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their countries, their fellow citizens, and for all that is best in the human spirit.

In remembering the great victory that led to this body’s founding, we must never forget that those heroes who fought against evil also fought for the nations that they loved.

Patriotism led the Poles to die to save Poland, the French to fight for a free France, and the Brits to stand strong for Britain.

Today, if we do not invest ourselves, our hearts, and our minds in our nations, if we will not build strong families, safe communities, and healthy societies for ourselves, no one can do it for us.

We cannot wait for someone else, for faraway countries or far-off bureaucrats — we can’t do it.  We must solve our problems, to build our prosperity, to secure our futures, or we will be vulnerable to decay, domination, and defeat.

The true question for the United Nations today, for people all over the world who hope for better lives for themselves and their children, is a basic one:  Are we still patriots?  Do we love our nations enough to protect their sovereignty and to take ownership of their futures?  Do we revere them enough to defend their interests, preserve their cultures, and ensure a peaceful world for their citizens?

One of the greatest American patriots, John Adams, wrote that the American Revolution was “effected before the war commenced.  The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people.”

That was the moment when America awoke, when we looked around and understood that we were a nation.  We realized who we were, what we valued, and what we would give our lives to defend.  From its very first moments, the American story is the story of what is possible when people take ownership of their future.

The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world, and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all.

Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people, and their patriotism.

History is asking us whether we are up to the task.  Our answer will be a renewal of will, a rediscovery of resolve, and a rebirth of devotion.  We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself.

Our hope is a word and world of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others, and make common cause in the greatest shared interest of all:  a future of dignity and peace for the people of this wonderful Earth.

This is the true vision of the United Nations, the ancient wish of every people, and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul.

So let this be our mission, and let this be our message to the world:  We will fight together, sacrifice together, and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity, and for the almighty God who made us all.

Thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the nations of the world.  And God bless the United States of America.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

END
10:46 A.M. EDT

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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June 26, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising the Supreme Court for lifting the injunctions that had been issued against President Donald Trump’s temporary travel restrictions on the vast majority of potential immigrants and refugees from six countries “who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States”:

“We praise the Court for sticking to the actual four corners of the executive order by allowing the vast majority of the temporary travel ban to go back into effect. This is a return to the rule of law, where the Supreme Court for now has refused to affirm lower court rulings that were not based on the actual laws and policies in question, but instead on political campaign rhetoric with no bearing on the actual case. For now, this is a huge victory not only for the Trump administration, but for the constitutional separation of powers.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Feb. 9, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to rescind the parts of his executive order that have been enjoined by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and not to continue the appeals process:

“It is obscene that unelected judges from the most liberal Appeals Court in the land are dictating the security of the nation and overriding the president’s constitutional and legal authority, with no legal justification. No one in their right minds would attempt to confer constitutional, Fifth Amendment due process rights to foreigners who do not reside in the U.S., including refugees who have no right to travel here, yet here we are.

“The net effect of the 9th Circuit’s rigged decision is the effective elimination of the federal government’s capacity to control the borders. Under this insane standard, if sustained, any limit of immigration quotas now violates due process because it denies rights to some that have been granted to others.

“With a guaranteed delay of the temporary travel restrictions imposed by President Trump in his executive order, it no longer serves its intended purpose to protect the people of the U.S. from terrorists who wish to infiltrate and do us harm. President Trump should strategically withdraw the parts of the executive order currently enjoined by the courts, and suspend the current appeals process, rendering the cases moot, and simply focus on rapidly reforming and tightening the vetting policy to enhance security, applying to all visa and refugee applicants consistently.

“In the meantime, I humbly pray that the irresponsible actions by liberal jurists from the left coast don’t result in the deaths of Americans at the hands of terrorists who have been given a free pass into our country under false pretenses.”

Attachments:

“9th Circuit may be about to legislate a constitutional right to immigrate to the U.S. Here’s how Trump could stop it.” By Robert Romano, Senior Editor, Americans for Limited Government, Feb. 7, 2017 at http://netrightdaily.com/2017/02/9th-circuit-may-legislate-constitutional-right-immigrate-u-s-heres-trump-stop/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Jan. 30, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting former President Barack Obama’s statement via spokesperson Kevin Lewis that President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily blocking travel from countries invoked by the 2015 exceptions to the visa waiver program stipulated under 8 U.S.C. Section 1187(a)(12), which include Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia, “discriminat[es] against individuals because of their faith or religion”:

“The Trump executive order barring travel for 90 days from terror hotspots does not discriminate on the basis of religion, as Obama well knows. In 2011 the State Department stopped processing refugees from Iraq for six months, not because of religion, but after the FBI caught al Qaeda terrorists in Kentucky who had snuck into the country posing as refugees. It is a fact that Obama himself as president issued three so-called 212(f) travels bans, as presidents have broad authority to do so under 8 U.S.C. Section 1182(f),  which was never repealed by the 1965 Immigration Act and therefore can only be read as a presidential exception in order for the two statutes to be read consistently. That is out 16 such travel active bans that were issued by presidents over the years prior to Trump’s inauguration.

“The law states explicitly the president may ‘suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate,’ the same broad authority Trump is now relying upon in addition to his grant of executive power under Article II of the Constitution.

“There are about 50 majority Muslim countries throughout the world. The Trump travel ban affects seven, which are known terror hotspots. In confronting radical Islam, focusing on those regions most affected by the conflict is a common-sense place to start. In Nov. 2015, before then-candidate Trump issued his own statement on this issue, Americans for Limited Government urged an even broader travel ban than what Trump has issued in light of the Paris terrorist attacks. Addressing this issue is long overdue, and will grant the U.S. the time it needs to reevaluate its broken immigration system and refugee programs, and if necessary, to expand these efforts in order to best protect the American people.”

Attachments:

“Trump’s Exclusion of Aliens from Specific Countries Is Legal, by Andrew McCarthy,” National Review, Jan. 30, 2017 at http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444371/donald-trump-executive-order-ban-entry-seven-muslim-majority-countries-legal

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Dec. 16, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill and $550 billion tax extenders bill:

“The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill effectively funds 9 of the last 12 months of the Obama agenda at higher spending levels in exchange for very little. The bill includes by virtue of not defunding it, funds for the implementation of Obamacare, executive amnesty for illegal immigrants with U.S.-born children, Planned Parenthood, the resettlement of refugees from the war in Syria and Iraq, the EPA’s war on coal and so forth. They even managed to inexcusably reinstate the wind turbine tax credit through 2020 that had previously expired this year.

“Failure to defund some of these big ticket items could have been somewhat offset by achieving smaller policy victories to limit the size and scope of government, but frankly these are very few and far between, and do not advise a yes vote for those representatives committed to reducing government’s role in the lives of the American people. Sadly, there simply is very little in here for conservative members of Congress to hang their hats on, and Americans for Limited Government strongly urges a no vote.

“Notably, this was Speaker Paul Ryan’s first and likely his only real chance to demonstrate that he was going to use the power of the purse to rein in President Obama’s rogue initiatives. Rather than roaring like a lion by leveraging Democrats to accept provisions that tied Obama’s regulatory hands, Ryan meekly rolled over on his back and waved a white flag, making any pronouncements in the coming year about his vision for restoring Congress’ Article One constitutional authority meaningless.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Nov. 18, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting a discussion draft House of Representatives proposal to require some additional FBI scrutiny for refugees from the war in Syria and Iraq that was exposed by Conservativereview.com:

“This seems like a cynical joke rather than a serious effort to beef up security. Rather than thoroughly vet and restrict the hundreds of thousands of visas issued out of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and have a real discussion about the wisdom of the geographic allocation of our legal immigration system, Congress is papering over these larger issues with a knee-jerk small approach focusing upon 10,000 Syrian refugees expected in the next year. They must be kidding.

“Even if they make it harder to qualify as a refugee, the fact is our borders — thanks to our open-ended visa program — are still wide open. The enemy will just apply for employment, student, or basic travel visas. The 9/11 hijackers were all on legal visas, not pretending to be refugees seeking asylum.

“That is why if Congress is truly serious about this issue they will restrict travel on the basis of region where the enemy is traveling out of until this situation is sorted, the war has ended, and the enemy is eliminated. Having open-ended immigration from countries you are at war with is exceptionally unwise. In the meantime, the enemy, after fighting in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, with blood fresh on their hands, are sneaking into the West and hiding in expat communities. Those who are already here and home-grown terrorists are a separate issue subject to the FBI, counterterrorism officials and local law enforcement. What Congress can do now, to limit this threat, is close off travel from areas the enemy is known to originate and travel from.

“That is the big discussion that we need to have in our nation. Do we want to follow the suicidal immigration policies that find Europe beset by no-go zones inhabited by immigrants who follow Sharia Law and have no intention of assimilating, or do we want to follow our nation’s immigration laws and control who gets the privilege of entering the United States? That is the real choice Congress faces.”

Attachments:

Immigrant Visas Issued (by Foreign State of Chargeability or Place of Birth) Fiscal Year 2014, The U.S. Department of State at http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/AnnualReports/FY2014AnnualReport/FY14AnnualReport-TableIII.pdf

H.R. Discussion draft, “To require that refugees admitted to the United States due to the Syrian Civil War shall be subject to review to identify security threats to the United States,” at https://www.conservativereview.com/~/media/files/conservative-review/articles-supporting-documents/hudson_american_safe_act_2015_discussion_draft.pdf

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Nov. 16, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Barack Obama to issue an immediate moratorium on all Middle East refugees and immigration, in light of the fact that at least one of the Paris bombers was a Syrian war refugee:

“President Obama, and every sane leader in the West, needs to immediately issue a moratorium against all refugees and immigration from the Middle East. Under U.S. law, the President singularly has discretion to allow refugees in, and to refuse entry. Generally, under 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) the President can refuse entry to any class of immigrant for any amount of time he deems appropriate. There are currently 16 such proclamations already in effect. It’s time for number 17.

“The fact is, even if only a tiny percentage of the Syrian war refugees were adherents to radical Islam, every country that lets them in must accept they are also inviting sleeper cells into their country. And since there is no way to scan them at the border, the only solution is to simply say no way. Not until this situation is under control.

“As for immigration, Congress should immediately suspend the chain migration system, not as a part of any overall reform, but just stop it dead in its tracks. Visas are issued to the relatives of U.S. citizens right now without any consideration of the merits of entry. The insanity at the border must be brought to an end immediately, or the American people will seek new leadership who will bring it to an end. Enough pussy-footing around. It’s time to get real.”

Attachments:

8 U.S.C. 1182(f) Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1182

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline.

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Oct. 14, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in opposition to legislation that will retroactively reduce the sentences of thousands of federal prison inmates:

“The Obama administration is flooding our cities with MS 13 and Mexican Cartel members due to his failure to secure the borders and to enforce immigration law, and on top of this, he is releasing as many as 46,000 drug offenders early starting Nov. 1. Talk about a bad Halloween hangover.

“To make matters even more dangerous, Obama is bringing into America potentially hundreds of thousands of Muslim ‘refugees’ many of whom are likely to be adherents of Islamic State, al Qaeda and followers of Sharia Law. In the meantime, the Left’s war on the police has left the thin blue line that protects our cities from entering into chaos frayed and the cops demoralized, making the situation all the more dangerous. And now, apparently some Senate Republicans in a quest for bipartisanship are set to retroactively reduce more federal prison sentences, resulting in an additional flooding of our cities with thousands more convicted criminals out of penitentiaries. What could go wrong?”

“Given the volatile mix of massive increases of Muslim refugees, the influx of Central American gangs and Mexican drug cartel members, and the disarming of our police, what could go wrong with releasing tens of thousands of convicted criminals early into the already violent cities? Why would Republicans vote for that?

“From a political perspective, the opponent’s campaign ad writes itself should just one of these early released criminals commit a murder. Each and every member of Congress who votes for mass early criminal release can and will be targeted, and no amount of explaining will protect them from being Willie Hortoned. And that is the truth.”

Attachments:

“Congress to authorize Obama’s early criminal release program?” By Robert Romano, Oct. 14, 2015 at http://netrightdaily.com/2015/10/congress-to-authorize-obamas-early-criminal-release-program/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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