President Donald Trump lived up to a campaign promise and began the process to repeal and replace “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)”, or Obamacare, within hours of becoming president. On Friday night, he signed an executive order to “Minimize the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal.” […]
TV Blackouts on the Rise Again
Cable subscribers across the country may be wondering what is going on when they receive notices across their screens threatening the potential loss of one channel or another. The comments encourage the viewer to contact their local cable or satellite operator if they want to continue watching their favorite shows, making it appear that only […]
Email Privacy Legislation Reintroduced in the House
Advances in technology over the past 30 years have rendered the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the law that established the standards for government access to private electronic communications, out of date. ECPA was enacted in 1986, long before individuals and companies connected with each other electronically and stored information through email and in the […]
Obamacare Repeal Has Started
Let’s be clear. There is no fixing Obamacare. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed, deductibles are so high that an insurance plan is almost worthless to millions of Americans, people have fewer choices, and many insurers are leaving the exchanges in numerous counties across the country. Remember how President Obama promised his healthcare reform law would save […]
Statement by CAGW President Tom Schatz on the Beginning of the 115th Congress
CAGW President Tom Schatz released the following statement on the start of the 115th Congress: Taxpayers have good reason to be optimistic for the New Year. For the first time, the nation will have a president and cabinet with substantial experience managing large, complex organizations; and there’s nothing bigger and more complicated than the federal […]
Anachronistic Earmark Offering from Culberson, Rogers, and Rooney
Americans might fondly remember 2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was the top grossing movie, Sexyback by Justin Timberlake was at the top of the charts, and Bob Barker announced his retirement from The Price is Right.
Power of the Purse and Budget Process Reform
Since the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) was first passed, Congress has been able to pass the 12 appropriations bills on time on only three occasions; the most recent was in 1997. Although the CBA has been amended several times, the budget process remains as broken as it is confusing. It allows members of […]
Fixing the FCC
The peaceful transfer of power to a new administration has been a key part of the nation’s history. This is particularly important when there is a change in parties at the White House.
Beware of Midnight Regulations
As President Barack Obama’s term comes to an end, many federal agencies and departments are attempting to beat the clock by jamming a flurry of new regulations onto the books before January 20, 2017.
Recovery Auditors and the Administrative Law Backlog: More “Fake News” Debunked
News junkies have been inundated lately with commentary on the ubiquity of “fake news” and its viral spread online. On December 12, 2016, The New York Times President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Thompson gave a thought-provoking speech before the Detroit Economic Club in which he made some incisive observations about the epidemic of junk news, including the fact that in this new anything-goes, free-for-all information environment, it is easy to forget that “fake news is not new. The spreading of false rumors for political advantage, for pure malice, or just for entertainment, is as old as the hills….Until something is proven to be false, it’ll remain a story. …Though it often seems like it to partisans, this is not a battle between Left and Right. …It’s a battle between facts and lies.”