The current political conversation is dominated by taxes and spending, which leaves out one of the most impactful activities of the federal government: regulations. The burdens that regulations place on individuals and businesses are often overlooked and underreported; the regulatory process is long overdue for major reform.
Congressional Insanity: Holding ITFA Hostage to MFA
When members of Congress impede the passage of popular legislation in order to attach something totally unrelated, the results are usually harmful to the American people. The ongoing effort to tie together a permanent ban on Internet access taxes with an online sales tax scheme is just the latest example of this unfortunate practice.
Why the Obamacare Reconciliation Bill is So Important
On Wednesday, January 6, 2016, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3762, the Restoring American’s Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, by a vote of 240 to 181, after which it was sent to President Obama.
Solar Socialism 2.0: The Subsidy Saga Continues
On December 1, 2015, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) published a report, “The Sun Should Set on Solar Socialism.” The report reviewed the history of federal energy subsidies, particularly the dramatic increase in funding following the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Between 2004 and 2015, tax expenditures for alternative electricity generation cost $13.7 billion, according to the Internal Revenue Service; meanwhile, the University of California at Berkeley Energy Institute at Haas Business School stated that total tax expenditures for the four largest clean energy tax credits had cost more than $18 billion since 2006.
Auditing the Federal Reserve: Foiled Again!
Overshadowed by the excitement of President Obama’s final State of the Union, the Senate considered a procedural motion on S. 2232, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015, on January 12, 2016.
State of the Union Observations
On January 12, 2016, President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address. During his address, President Obama cited some of his accomplishments while in office: the millions of people with healthcare, the increase in jobs and decrease in unemployment, and the great investments in renewable energy across the country.
The Unraveling of Obamacare
Modern Healthcare reported this week that Humana expects to lose 300,000 customers by the end of the year and that it may exit the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges if the market does not turn around for them.
Broadband as a Moving Target
On January 29, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) redefined what constitutes minimum standards for broadband access, raising the bar from the original standard of 4 Megabytes per second (Mbps) for download speeds, and 1 Mbps for upload speeds, to 25 Mbps download speeds and 3 Mbps upload speeds.
House Sends Obamacare Repeal to the President
Yesterday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, by a vote of 240-181.
Tonight: The Reconciliation Rule!
This evening, the House Rules Committee will meet to set the debate parameters for H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, a reconciliation bill that would essentially cripple Obamacare.