Jan. 7, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging that the partial government shutdown be used as an opportunity to restructure government spending to cut the deficit:

“House Republicans should offer 10 percent budget cuts to each one of the individual appropriations bills being offered by the House Rules Committee. Also, offer the MERIT Act as a measure to fire bad and incompetent federal employees who are wasting taxpayer dollars and prohibitions of federal funds for sanctuary cities, and force votes. The government shutdown if nothing else provides an opportunity to at least restructure this portion of government away from its current bloated state and restore some measure of fiscal sanity. With the national debt now at $21.9 trillion and this year’s deficit approaching $1 trillion with massive increases over the past two years directly caused by Congressional bipartisan consensus appropriating, now is the time for President Trump and Congress to reexamine every part of the budget, while fighting to make certain our nation’s borders are secure.”

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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Jan. 2, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the current partial government shutdown:

“Given Nancy Pelosi’s announced intention to re-open the government without funding the wall so negotiations can begin, it is time for the President to continue to up the ante.  The murder of California police officer Singh by an illegal immigrant in the sanctuary state of California and the release of four illegal alien convicted murderers by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ends the pretense that there is a middle ground on this issue. President Trump and the GOP Senate should refuse to provide funds for any so-called sanctuary city, county or state. No road funds, no education funds, no food stamps, no TANF funds, if these states and cities want to pretend that they can effectively secede from the union by refusing to enforce U.S. laws which they disagree with, then they should be deprived of the benefits of being part of the union.

“The simple threat to remove highway funds in the past forced states across the nation to submit to the 55 mile per hour speed limit that the Carter Administration pushed as a gas saving measure, it is now time for the President to enforce the execution of the laws of the United States as is his Constitutional responsibility by refusing to sign any spending bill which provides funding to states like California and New York which think they are above the law.”

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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July 26, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging the House of Representatives to reject the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security appropriations bill:

“Once again, the Washington D.C. establishment showed the people where its loyalties lay, with illegal immigrants and not the American people. Yesterday the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security passed an abomination of an appropriations bill. The legislation goes back on many promises President Trump made in the election.

“As President Trump, the DOJ, and DHS fight to close abused loopholes in immigration law, yesterday’s appropriations bill does nothing but encourage more lawbreaking. This bill does nothing to defund sanctuary cities that are killing our citizens, this bill does nothing to dissuade the flow of illegal immigration, it actually encourages more, and finally invites the courts to rule the U.S. become an open border state if someone wants an abortion here. Name one Republican that ran their campaign on a promise to tear up U.S. sovereignty based on abortions.

“Getting $5 billion for a border wall means nothing if it is full of Yoder sponsored loopholes.

“President Trump should speak out now against this horrendous appropriations bill before it gets to his desk. The GOP establishment is trying to pull a fast one on the President and want to hide amnesty behind the military budget. The American people spoke loud and clear on election day, they do not want the continued flow of illegal immigration, and they want a wall built. Clearly the establishment didn’t get the message.”

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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June 21, 2018, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in support of H.R. 4760 by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.):

“Americans for Limited Government strongly urges the House to support the original Goodlatte bill. H.R> 4760 is a compromise that ends chain migration, ends the visa lottery, builds the southern border wall where needed with $30 billion, defunds sanctuary cities, ends family separations and implements a national E-Verify system. Although it includes legal status for DACA recipients, the parents of citizens being granted renewable temporary visas and a guest worker program for agricultural workers, it also would institute a merit-based approach to immigration by boosting the number of visas for skilled workers. Although Americans for Limited Government does not agree with every provision, the value of ending chain migration including those of siblings and the parents , the visa lottery and building the wall tips the scales in favor of the original Goodlatte bill.

“Under current law, almost 805,000 or 68 percent of all immigration is family-based preferences for citizens and lawful permanent residents, a policy that does not bring individuals to the country based on skills the economy needs. More than 19 percent of chain migration and 15 percent of all immigration disproportionately comes from one country, Mexico, which only comprises 2 percent of the world’s population. This is not only unfair, it is a bad policy that favors one country more than all others. Ending chain migration is absolutely essential. Citizenship needs to be earned, not simply granted to which poorer countries can migrate the most people here due to geographic proximity.”

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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April 25, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement calling attention to a new poll by McLaughlin & Associates on behalf of the Ear to the Ground Listening Project that found 57 percent of likely voters disapprove of the Republican majority in Congress, including 32 percent of Trump voters, 25 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of independents:

“This poll is a wake-up call. It is clear that if Republicans want to create enthusiasm with those who should support them, they need to start fighting in favor of the issues that got them elected. With House Speaker Paul Ryan retiring, Republicans need to choose a new Speaker who can credibly lead them in this fight. No one in the current leadership team has the credibility to fight for the values and principles that got the House Republicans their majority in 2010.

“32 percent of Trump supporters, 25 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of independents disapprove of the Republican Congressional majority’s job performance. This is not at all surprising considering the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that failed to rein in out of control spending, failed to defund Planned Parenthood, did not defund sanctuary cities and did not secure funds to build the southern border wall that Republicans had promised would be fully funded by now. This poll is a stark warning to Republicans that November will not be pretty if they cannot right the ship now and win funding battles.

“It is clear that Americans want a fight for the future of their country and if Republicans refuse to do it, they will be fired in November.”

Attachments:

National Survey Results, 2018 General Election Likely Voters, Political Environment, Trends & Analysis, April 2018 at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a3024ee90bade409dfa2cc7/t/5ae09b7d6d2a737eeb72057e/1524669312141/National+-+Sorock+-+April+2018.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.

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March 22, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today urged President Donald Trump to reconsider his support for the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill and to issue a veto threat:

“President Trump needs to stand up for his core principles and reconsider his support for the $1.3 trillion proposed omnibus spending bill. It is a disgrace that the Republican-controlled Congress has effectively walked away from meaningful, full funding of the southern border wall. Similarly, the funding bill continues to provide monies for sanctuary cities and states at a time when the Department of Justice is suing them for failure to follow and nullifying. federal immigration law. The President’s predecessor imposed his will on Republicans in Congress repeatedly through a veto threat. Given that the omnibus neither fully meets the President’s priorities as outlined in his first two budgets nor meets his basic policy initiatives, President Trump needs to tell Congress to pass a short-term continuing resolution and go back to the drawing board. The Ryan-McConnell-Pelosi-Schumer omnibus is a bad, bad deal for America and if it is passed in its current form, it must be vetoed.”

Attachments:

Rules Committee Print 115-66, Tet of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1625, March 22, 2018 at http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20180319/BILLS-115SAHR1625-RCP115-66.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.

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Jan. 12, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in support of the “Securing America’s Future Act,” by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas):

“The Goodlatte-McCaul bill is the only game in town on immigration. It ends chain migration, ends the visa lottery, builds the southern border wall where needed, defunds sanctuary cities and implements a national E-Verify system. This legislation is a compromise, as it includes legal status for those who were granted DACA recipients with no fast track to a green card, the parents of citizens being granted renewable temporary visas and a guest worker program for agricultural workers. It would institute a merit-based approach to immigration by boosting the number of visas for skilled workers. While Americans for Limited Government does not agree with every provision, the legislation keeps key promises to end chain migration, the visa lottery, build the wall and defund sanctuary cities that this organization does support. This bill should be the baseline minimum for any deal.

“Under current law, almost 805,000 or 68 percent of all immigration is family-based preferences for citizens and lawful permanent residents, a policy that does not bring individuals to the country based on skills the economy needs. More than 19 percent of chain migration and 15 percent of all immigration disproportionately comes from one country, Mexico, which only comprises 2 percent of the world’s population. This is not only unfair, it is a bad policy that favors one country more than all others. Ending chain migration is absolutely essential. Citizenship needs to be earned, not simply granted to which poorer countries can migrate the most people here due to geographic proximity.”

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. 12, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising the framework set forth by House appropriators for the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act for FY 2018:

“The House of Representatives is taking the correct approach by moving forward with legislation that encompasses the remaining appropriations bills for FY 2018. It is important that the House lay down its priorities and that limited government amendments and riders be formally incorporated, asserting its Article I power of the purse responsibilities under the Constitution.

“To that end, it is encouraging that the underlying bill already includes defunds of sanctuary cities, former President Obama’s HUD zoning power grab and the Waters of the USA rule regulating every puddle in America. It partially funds the southern border wall with $1.6 billion. Obviously, there is much more that can be done in the appropriations — for example defunding the new and existing coal power plant regulations, including the REINS Act as a policy rider and doing more to end the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s discretion under the Endangered Species Act —  but this is a good start to the process, where specific policy victories appear within reach.

“That is, so long as the House bill becomes the minimum threshold of what must be included in the final bill. The approach must be to negotiate up, not down, from here, and we praise House appropriators for setting up a decent framework for moving forward. Once the dust is settled and the House passes a bill, it will be up to the Senate and White House to finish the job and achieve the promise of limiting the size and scope of government.”

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 30, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising the House for passing Kate’s Law and legislation against sanctuary jurisdictions, and urging Senate action on the same:

“If Senate Democrats want to block legislation to willfully impede federal immigration law enforcement and even protect illegal immigrants who happen to murder U.S. citizens, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should make them vote on that every other week between now and November 2018, and then we’ll see how voters in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, all states that Trump carried in 2016, respond to Senators who oppose the rule of law and protecting U.S. citizens.

“These bills deserve a vote. The House has done its job, and now it is up the Senate to hold votes on these important bills. Congress must defund sanctuary jurisdictions. Congress must block states, cities and counties from impeding the enforcement of federal immigration laws. And Congress must beef up penalties for repeat illegal alien offenders who commit crimes. Enough is enough. The lawlessness must end.”

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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April 28, 2017, Fairfax Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in response to the Congress enacting a week-long continuing resolution through May 5:

“Given Chuck Schumer’s overplaying his assumed veto over all pieces of legislation, President Trump needs to double down on the continuing resolution now, and put the wall back in and defund sanctuary cities while he’s at it. When Schumer predictably shuts down the government over the wall, then President Trump should make it clear that non-defense, non-security federal workers who are laid off will not be paid. If there is no consequence for shutting down the government, then Democrats will continue extorting Republicans on every continuing resolution that comes up throughout the entire Trump administration.”

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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