Policy Papers
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Rural America “Less Relevant” Under Democrats
In March, Congressman Bruce Braley warned donors that if Democrats lose their Senate majority, they “might have a farmer from Iowa who never went to law school, never practiced law, serving as the next chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.” His comments disparaged Senator Chuck Grassley, mocked farmers and ranchers, and demonstrated Democrats’ growing antipathy towards rural America’s priorities. In late 2012, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the Obama... Continue Reading
April 9, 2014
Court Broadens Freedom of Political Speech
Last week the Supreme Court struck down the aggregate limit on political contributions Americans can give to campaigns and political parties in an election cycle. The court did not undo limits on the amount people can contribute to candidates, some political action committees or state parties. The decision does not allow a donor to give one more dime to an individual candidate or party than he or she could before. As Chief Justice John Roberts noted in the majority opinion, the McCutcheon case... Continue Reading
April 8, 2014
Paycheck Fairness Act: A Democrat Campaign Stunt
For half a century, workers have been protected against sex-based pay discrimination by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Despite this, Democrats are pushing their election-year campaign to seek a vote on S. 2199, the Paycheck Fairness Act. Leader Reid has moved up consideration of Paycheck Fairness before consideration of minimum wage so that a Senate vote would coordinate with the President’s speech and Executive Orders today, on what activists call... Continue Reading
April 8, 2014
Tax Day
Next Tuesday, April 15, is tax day. Millions of Americans will spend the days before the deadline dealing with the stress and frustration that has become our current tax code. April 21 is Tax Freedom Day – the point in the year when Americans have earned enough money to pay their tax bill for the year and can finally start earning money they get to keep. The Tax Code Needlessly Complicates Americans’ Lives The IRS estimates that it takes 13 hours for the average taxpayer to file... Continue Reading
April 8, 2014
Consistent Warnings against a Minimum Wage Hike
Sources January 14, 1987: New York Times February 28, 2014: President Obama January 21, 2014: Bill Gates February 7, 2014: CBO February 27, 2014: Janet Yellen March 6, 2014: Warren Buffett March 11, 2014: Bloomberg poll March 12, 2014: Letter from economists March 12, 2014: Duke University survey March 19, 2014: Survey of employment professionals March 31, 2014: Letter from trade associations April 3, 2014: Harry Reid Continue Reading
April 4, 2014
Not-So-Happy Fifth Anniversary of President Obama’s Prague Speech
Five years ago in Prague, President Obama announced he would seek “a world without nuclear weapons.” Since that time: Iran continued to accelerate its nuclear program until President Obama seemingly conceded an Iranian right to enrich uranium. President Obama then threatened to veto legislation implementing his own policy on Iran, and now it appears talks with Iran will continue for the sake of talks. North Korea conducted at least two nuclear weapon tests and multiple tests of... Continue Reading
April 4, 2014
March 2014 Unemployment Report
Unemployment Rate: 6.7 percent Unemployed Americans: 10.5 million Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 6.7 percent for March 2014, unchanged from last month. It reported an increase of 192,000 nonfarm jobs over last month. The employment figure for January was revised from 129,000 to 144,000 jobs created, with the figure for February revised from 175,000 to 197,000 new jobs. Today’s job growth figures falls short... Continue Reading
April 3, 2014
Obamacare Sign-Up Total Is Not the End of the Debate
On Tuesday, President Obama declared the national debate on the health care law “over.” The White House can celebrate its dubious 7.1 million sign-up number, but to a majority of Americans, this debate is far from over. According to an April 2 Quinnipiac poll, 55 percent of Americans remain opposed to the health care law. People understand that the administration is inflating its Obamacare numbers. The administration’s 7.1 million total includes people who selected a plan on... Continue Reading
April 1, 2014
April 2014 Policy Calendar
April 1, 2014
Minimum Wage Increase Is Bad for Jobs
President Obama has expressed support for an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour: a 39 percent increase. Senator Harkin and 37 Democrat cosponsors have introduced S. 1737. That bill would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over two and a half years and index it to inflation after that. Democrats are set on this course even though it will destroy jobs for some low-wage workers and harm job creation. CBO Predicts Job Loss from Minimum Wage Increase The... Continue Reading
April 1, 2014
Democrats Block American Energy Jobs
Senate Democrats claim they want to help the unemployed, but they support energy policies that destroy existing jobs and prevent new ones from being created. They want to mandate an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, yet fight against coal mining jobs that pay an average of $29.96 per hour, or oil and gas extraction jobs that pay an average of $36.84 per hour. Energy Jobs Are Waiting to Be Tapped Since the recession began in 2007, America’s energy sector has proven to be one... Continue Reading
April 1, 2014
Obamacare’s Bad Economics
Democrats have made countless false claims about the President’s health care law over the years. The latest, and one of the most absurd, is that the law is fiscally responsible. Last month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Budget Committee ranking member Chris Van Hollen claimed at a press conference that Obamacare saves the American people and the federal government money. The Obama administration and its allies are desperate for a good news story, but the numbers are stubbornly... Continue Reading
March 27, 2014
White House Delays ‘Firm’ Obamacare Enrollment Deadline
The White House now claims Obamacare sign-ups have hit six million. There are still big questions remaining: how many people have paid their first month’s premium; how old are they; and did they already have insurance? As an indication the Obama administration may lack confidence in its numbers, the delays keep coming. On Wednesday, March 12, HHS Secretary Sebelius told the House Ways and Means Committee that there would be no more Obamacare delays. The administration resolutely vowed the... Continue Reading
March 25, 2014
Obamacare’s Inflated Enrollment Numbers
Last week the Obama administration exuberantly proclaimed Obamacare’s “surging” enrollment had topped five million people. This was up from 4.2 million people in the previous week’s official HHS report, which gave cumulative enrollment figures through February. Several factors could cause the bloated figures to fall significantly. Monthly Enrollment Rate Falling Democrats hope more people will sign up as the enrollment deadline approaches, but this year’s sign-ups... Continue Reading
March 25, 2014
LNG Can Hit Russia Where it Hurts
Russian forces recently seized a natural gas distribution station in the Ukrainian village of Strilkove. The action showed President Putin’s willingness to use energy exports as a weapon. It is also a reminder that energy can be a powerful weapon to counter Russian aggression. “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.” – Sen. John McCain, CNN, 3/16/2014 About half of Russia’s revenue comes from oil and gas. By expediting approval of facilities to export... Continue Reading
March 13, 2014
Administration Fails to Hit Obamacare Enrollment Targets, Other Metrics
This week, HHS issued its monthly report updating cumulative enrollment figures to include February data. The Administration claims more than 4.2 million people have signed up in the exchanges so far; 942,800 million of them in February. Unfortunately the report still doesn’t provide quantifiable metrics or answer key questions. Why won’t the Administration disclose objective data so that independent analysts can determine how much the law is helping or hurting the American people?... Continue Reading
March 11, 2014
March 2014: Policy by the Numbers
The key number for March is unknown. At the end of this month, Obamacare enrollment ends. The Administration’s goal is for 7 million people to enroll, but according to HHS, there is no data to measure how many enrolled people were previously uninsured. Other recent numbers that also have major policy implications: Continue Reading
March 11, 2014
Democrats’ Political Fix Amounts to Less than it Seems
Democrats famously lied to the American people when they promised some version of, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.” When more than five million people learned last year that Obamacare actually caused their insurance company to cancel their plan because it didn’t meet the law’s new rules and mandates, the President reluctantly announced he would allow some people to keep their soon-to-be cancelled plan. Last week the President – under extreme... Continue Reading
March 11, 2014
Job Growth Remains Sluggish
Employers created 175,000 jobs in February -- job growth continues to be sluggish, and our unemployment rate remains high. February’s job-creation figure is roughly what it must be to keep up with our growing population and has fallen from an average pace of approximately 200,000 jobs created between last June and November. Sluggish Unemployment Situation The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 6.7 percent for February 2014, up 0.1 percent from January. The... Continue Reading
March 7, 2014
The Obama Malaise: GDP Downgraded
Last week, 2013’s fourth quarter growth was sharply downgraded from the first estimate of 3.2 percent to a more disappointing 2.4 percent. Real GDP in 2013 is now estimated to be just 1.9 percent. This year is off to a rocky start with indicators pointing to 2014 first quarter growth worse than last quarter. President Obama’s economic stewardship has gotten worse, and his growth record shows that the government cannot regulate, tax, and spend its way to prosperity. Obama's Economic... Continue Reading