Last Friday, among the flurry of amendments that the Senate passed before it adjourned for a two-week recess, the Brown-Vitter amendment, which pledged to end funding advantages to banks with more than $500 billion in assets, passed in a 99-0 vote. Great, right? Senator Vitter, one of the co-authors of the amendment, stated afterwards, “This … Continue reading
What Senator Rand Paul Got Sort of Right on Immigration Reform
Last week, Senator Rand Paul spoke out on behalf of immigration reform. His proposal for reform surprised many, as he usually takes a more conservative stance on social issues. However, it’s apparent that even some of the most conservative factions of the GOP are realizing that it is not a smart move to be on … Continue reading
7 Things That Happened While You Were Following the Gay Marriage Debate
1) The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, celebrated its three-year anniversary, but a Kaiser poll shows that Americans are still divided on it. A study from the American Action Forum also estimated that the ACA has cost 111 million paperwork burden hours. 2) Cyprus re-opened its banks on Thursday, with sharp limits on … Continue reading
Can Social Security Be Reformed To Improve Work Incentives?
It is no secret that large entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare have been putting a huge strain on our nation’s finances. Mandatory spending continues to grow and takeup larger portions of the budget, particularly two of the largest offenders – Social Security and Medicare. In the past, entitlement programs were treated as sacred … Continue reading
Scrap the Medical Device Tax
On March 19th-21st, the Subcommittees on Communications and Technology, Health, and Oversight and Investigations under the Energy and Commerce Committee conducted a series of hearings to evaluate the role of technology in healthcare and to examine the potentially harmful federal regulations impacting patient safety and innovation. Following the hearing series on March 21st, the Senate … Continue reading
Ethanol Misstep
Ethanol has been a point of excitement for the EPA for some time now; unfortunately the private sector has not been able to meet their lofty standards. The federal court of appeals struck down an EPA ruling that required petroleum refineries to increase the number of gallons of cellulosic ethanol blended into gasoline. This court … Continue reading
“Equal Justice Under Law” – Four words to truly set in stone
There are four words etched in stone above the entrance of the Supreme Court building. “Equal Justice Under Law.” The essence of this engraving will permeate the highest court in the land this week as the nine justices hear arguments that could effectively reshape how the United States defines marriage. I want to give you … Continue reading
“Pump the Brakes.” Statutory Authority and the EPA.
President Obama is secure in his second term. For environmental groups concerned that an alternative result to the 2012 elections would have meant the dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), January’s inauguration was an undoubted relief. These groups may now turn their attention to the unmitigated expansion of the EPA regulatory apparatus, eyeing the … Continue reading
How Granting Citizenship Could Affect the Budget
This week has been a big week in immigration reform: legislation in the Senate and the House are both making significant progress, and even conservative Senator Rand Paul announced his support of a pathway to legalization on Tuesday. With this progress in mind, it is important to get the facts straight on what impact this … Continue reading
The ACA: Costs and Premiums
The cost of health care is high. There are several news reports and analyses being released by various organizations about the cost of the healthcare as a result of the ACA. The American Action Forum analyzed a report conducted by the Manhattan Institute, which has graded the ACA based on cost containment and premium increases. … Continue reading
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