PASSION TO ACTION
Remember, the unions are already planning a counter rally to oppose us on March 24th in DC, so we need EVERY tea party supporter we can to join us in DC at the first stop on the Road to Repealing Obamacare! Please make sure to spend this week emailing your group members and communities about the rally, and encourage them to register at www.roadtorepeal.com. Also please post that link on Facebook, Twitter, etc. And if you are interested in organizing a bus to attend the rally, please email Gregg Cummings at gregg@teapartypatriots.org.
Federal Budget & Spending
No Budget: Tuesday, March 6th marks the 1042nd day since the Senate has passed a budget under Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Remember, when they passed the debt ceiling deal, they did not pass a budget. A budget is a ten-year document that prioritizes spending according to revenues, and deals with mandatory spending. The debt deal did none of that.
Waste: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released its second annual report on waste and duplication in federal programs. The GAO found 51 areas of government spending where taxpayers could potentially save tens of billions of dollars every year. The GAO also found little progress in reducing the waste identified in last year’s report. Of the $100 billion in waste that was found, the GAO estimates that only about 5% of it has been addressed. On top of the $100 billion from last year, they found more than $300 billion wasted annually on over 1,500 programs across dozens of government agencies. If the Senate had actually passed a budget, they would be able to address these areas of waste.
President’s Budget: The RSC compiled a policy brief detailing the President’s budget, and you can read it here.
Jobs, Economic Growth & Regulations
- Cronyism: Read about green-job cronyism here, and how our tax dollars fund it.
- Corporate Taxes: US corporate tax rate is the highest out of all non-territorial OECD countries. Read about it here.
- Recession: If the economy is improving so greatly, why does this chart look recessionary?
- EPA: The top 5 job killing regulations from the EPA as compiled by the NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business). Check out more of their resources on regulations and job growth here.
- Tax Rates: Read the RSC’s policy brief on how the welfare state creates implicit marginal tax rates in excess of 100% on working families.
- Jobs Through Growth: What do you think of the RSC’s Jobs Through Growth Act? Find more information here and let us know what you think.
- Gas Prices : An infographic from RSC about gas prices and energy below.
- Anti-Protest Bill?: HR 347 is titled the “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011” was passed by the House recently by a vote of 388-3. Ron Paul and two other Republicans voted against it, and all Democrats voted for it. The bill is meant to prevent protesting on or at “restricted buildings and grounds.” There is a good chance that this is a very bad bill, but we need to do more research. Let us know if you have any information about it.
- IRS: If you feel that your group is being harassed by the IRS due to your application for tax-exempt status, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has agreed to represent many of these groups. Please contact the ACLJ if you believe you are being harassed.
- Anti-NDAA Resolutions: There is a resolution being proposed in Moffat County, Colorado to oppose the NDAA. To see a copy of this Resolution go to http://www.bearsearspatriots.com/ and click on the link to the left titled El Paso Resolution. You can also go to http://www.theintolerableacts.org/ for more information on NDAA resolutions.
- Pro-NDAA: We try to present both sides of an issue, especially if the grassroots asks us to do so. An activist wanted us to share this article about the NDAA, and specifically to push back on the claim that American citizens have lost their due process through the law. (Note: We have had a pro-NDAA speaker on the call and we are lining up an anti-NDAA speaker for a future call.)
- New Study: New Study Shows Higher Graduation, Achievement Rates for Milwaukee Voucher Students. Students enrolled in the Milwaukee voucher program are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college than their public school counterparts, boast significantly improved reading scores, represent a more diverse cross-section of the city, and are improving the results of traditional public school students, according to a comprehensive evaluation of the program released today. If you would like to see similar voucher programs and other education opportunities in your state, visit our website http://www.teaforeducation.com/. Let us show you how together we can make 2012 the year of educational opportunities and options. After all, isn’t it time education is about the children?
- Regulations on Academic Institutions — Last Tuesday, the House approved H.R. 2117, the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act, by a vote of 303-114. The bill repeals two burdensome Department of Education regulations on institutions of higher education: (1) the credit hour regulation, which would harm innovative methods of awarding credits; and (2) the state authorization regulation, which could result in higher costs for schools and students. Additionally, the bill prohibits the Department from defining the term “credit hour” in the future. These onerous regulations on institutions of higher education inject the federal government into traditionally academic and state affairs.
- Water Usage Rights — Last week, the House approved H.R. 1837, the San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act by a vote of 245-173. The bill amends the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA, P.L. 102-575) by adding new purposes to the Act, which requires that water dedicated to fish and wildlife be replaced and provided to the Central Valley Project (CVP) by the end of 2016 and require expedited water transfers between willing sellers. H.R. 1837 also requires the Secretary of Interior to strictly adhere to state water rights laws and priorities and to honor water rights senior to those held by the CVP, notwithstanding provisions of the Endangered Species Act. The CVPIA and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have contributed significantly to water supply uncertainty and instability in California. Environmental organizations blaming the water pumps as the main cause of endangered Delta smelt declines successfully used the federal court system to achieve many of their objectives. In May 2007, a Federal District Court judge ruled in Natural Resources Defense Council vs. Kempthorne that a Department of Interior Biological Opinion on Delta smelt was “arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law.” This eventually led to a revised Biological Opinion that caused massive water shut-offs in 2009 and 2010. According to the Natural Resources Committee, the results of the water restrictions were devastating—over one million acre feet of water were lost due to the smelt and salmon Biological Opinions. Although jobs estimates differ, thousands of jobs were lost and hundreds of thousands of acres of land were fallowed in 2010.
- International Religious Freedom – Also last week, the House approved H.Res. 556 by a vote of 417-1 (after the vote, the lone no vote indicated she had mistakenly voted incorrectly). The resolution condemns the government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities and its continued violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and calls for Iran to exonerate and immediately release Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of their religion. It also recognizes that freedom of religious belief and practice is a universal human right and a fundamental freedom of every individual, regardless of race, sex, country, creed, or nationality, and should never be arbitrarily abridged by any government, and also governments have a responsibility to protect the fundamental rights of their citizens and to pursue justice for all.
- JOBS Act — This week, the House is expected to consider H.R. 3606, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. This legislation is a compilation of bipartisan House bills that will provide real solutions to encourage job growth by removing regulation impeding small businesses and startups. These bipartisan measures will increase capital formation, spur the growth of startups and small businesses, and pave the way for more small-scale businesses to go public and create more jobs.
- Hydropower Development — Also this week the House may consider H.R. 2842, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act. H.R. 2842 would jumpstart hydropower development on Bureau of Reclamation canals and pipelines by reducing unnecessary and duplicative administrative and regulatory costs. The legislation would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to permit private entities to develop small hydropower units on all irrigation canals and conduits under the agency’s jurisdiction. Under current law, the bureau or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has jurisdiction over hydropower development at such facilities. H.R. 2842 would clarify that the jurisdiction for small hydropower development on all bureau irrigation canals and conduits lies solely with the bureau. In addition, the bill would exempt small conduit hydropower (1.5 megawatts or less) from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, while retaining NEPA application for larger installations.
- Countervailing Duties – This week, it is likely that a bill dealing with the issue of countervailing duties will be on the House floor. While it has some support from conservatives, many conservatives are concerned that this legislation violates free market principles by applying punitive tariffs that not only harm U.S. importers, but will harm our negotiating position on legitimate bilateral trade concerns. Further, by allowing the Obama administration to escalate a trade war with China, it can hurt U.S. importers.
- Transportation and Budget – At this point it looks likely that the highway bill will not be considered until the week of March 19, at the earliest. It is also very likely that the House will consider the FY 2013 Budget during that work period. For the latest on the budget negotiations, please check out this article.
- Next scheduled House recess: March 12th – 16th.
Constitutional Issues
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