Policy Papers
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The Three Parts of Health Reform
Part one of health care reform is underway, as the House works through a budget reconciliation plan that will repeal some of the most damaging parts of Obamacare. Part two is happening simultaneously, as the Trump administration uses its executive authority to cut regulations and increase state flexibility. Part three involves traditional bipartisan legislation to enact policy reforms. Fulfilling the promise to fully repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that lower costs and increase... Continue Reading
March 21, 2017
Can't We At Least Agree on the Rule of Law?
Democratic leaders keep trying out unfair attacks on Judge Gorsuch. Now they are attacking Judge Gorsuch for ruling against sympathetic litigants. These attacks undermine the rule of law and key tenets of due process. Democrats’ unfair and illogical attacks on Judge Neil Gorsuch have been completely predictable. They promised to use every available strategy to block anyone the president nominated to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court. Even before Judge Gorsuch... Continue Reading
March 21, 2017
Congressional Record of Regulatory Relief
Congress has passed eight resolutions disapproving Obama-era midnight rules, saving Americans 4.2 million hours spent on paperwork and $3.7 billion. The Senate will continue to provide regulatory relief as it considers additional CRA resolutions. Congress has passed eight resolutions disapproving Obama-era midnight rules under the Congressional Review Act. These resolutions have provided Americans substantial regulatory relief. According to American Action Forum, the eight rules Congress has... Continue Reading
March 16, 2017
The President's Budget Blueprint
The president’s budget blueprint includes $603 billion for regular defense spending in fiscal year 2018. Nondefense discretionary spending totals $462 billion. These 2018 totals represent a $54 billion increase in regular defense funding and a $54 billion decrease in nondefense funding. The budget submission also includes a fiscal year 2017 supplemental request. It would increase base funding at the Department of Defense by $25 billion and provide $5.1 billion in additional OCO... Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Debt Limit is Back, Time for Reforms
The debt limit comes back into effect on March 16. The Treasury Department can delay the deadline for action until sometime in the fall. Republicans have a rare opportunity to enact budget reform that will change the trajectory of Washington’s future spending. The debt limit will come back into effect on March 16. It has been suspended since November 2, 2015, when the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 was enacted. Under the terms of that law, the new debt limit will be the level of debt... Continue Reading
March 14, 2017
Dan Coats to be Director of National Intelligence
Dan Coats served his country in the Army, in the House of Representatives, and as ambassador to Germany. As a Senator, he was a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees. He has now answered the call again, to serve as the director of national intelligence. President-elect Trump announced his intent to nominate Senator Dan Coats to be the director of national intelligence on January 5. The nomination was received in the Senate on January 20. The Senate Intelligence Committee held... Continue Reading
March 14, 2017
A Down Payment on Health Reform
The House plan repeals Obamacare’s tax increases, subsidies, penalties, mandates, and Medicaid expansion. This step forward will not be the end of the repeal and replace strategy, but it will start to bring Americans relief from the collapsing Obamacare system. Keeping OUR PROMISE After almost seven years of the Obamacare nightmare, the House has put together a plan that fulfills many of the promises made by Republicans to the American people. The American Health Care Act,... Continue Reading
March 10, 2017
February 2017 Jobs Report
Unemployment Rate: 4.7 percent Jobs Created: 235,000 Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 4.7 percent for February, down 0.1 percent from last month. Today’s jobs report shows an increase of 235,000 nonfarm jobs in February, higher than analysts’ prediction of job growth of 200,000. Employment for December was revised down from 157,000 to 155,000 jobs created; and January was revised up from 227,000 to 238,000. Unemployment in... Continue Reading
March 8, 2017
Responses to Russian INF Treaty Violations
For years, Russia has been developing a ground-launched cruise missile in violation of the INF Treaty. President Obama did essentially nothing in response. This must change. The United States should link its actions on other arms control treaties to Russian compliance with the INF Treaty, as well as develop military response options. This creates incentives for Russia to come back into compliance with the treaty; but also prepares for a world in which the treaty no longer exists because Russia... Continue Reading
March 7, 2017
Restoring the People's Voice in Regulations
This week, the Senate is taking up additional resolutions that will strike Obama-era midnight rules under the Congressional Review Act. Based on the current schedule, Congress has until May 9 to overturn regulations issued between June 13, 2016, and January 3, 2017. The CRA is a bipartisan oversight tool for Congress to reclaim its policymaking authority and to rein in Washington’s out-of-control regulations. The Senate is debating resolutions providing for disapproval of Obama-era... Continue Reading
March 7, 2017
A Smooth Transition Away From Obamacare
Obamacare’s exchanges are collapsing under the weight of the law’s flawed mandates, regulations, and rules. While Congress works on repealing and replacing the law, the Trump administration is taking action to stabilize the health insurance market. The changes the administration is making will help shore up the insurance market while the U.S. health system transitions to a better system. Obamacare has wreaked havoc on the individual and small group health insurance markets. The... Continue Reading
March 7, 2017
Budget Season Set for Kickoff
The budget process in 2017 will be unusually busy. The administration will release its budget in two pieces; the continuing resolution expires in April; two reconciliation bills are possible; and the debt limit will come back into effect in March. The annual budget process is about to get underway. The new administration’s budget will come out in two pieces; the continuing resolution expires in April; two reconciliation bills are possible this year; and the debt limit will come back into... Continue Reading
February 28, 2017
President Trump's First Address to Congress
President Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress will be very different from similar speeches by President Obama. The president has already begun to deliver on promises, from executive actions to working with Congress on legislation. Tonight he will talk about a “renewed spirt of optimism” on the economy, improving education opportunities, and making our communities safe. President Trump comes to the Capitol tonight to speak to the American people. It will... Continue Reading
February 28, 2017
Executive Order on WOTUS Rule
President Trump today signed an executive order that requires the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a new “waters of the U.S.” rule. The executive order establishes a national policy to safeguard navigable waters while protecting economic growth, reducing regulatory uncertainty, and respecting states’ roles. Today, President Trump signed an executive order regarding the “waters of the U.S.” rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and Army... Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Mick Mulvaney to be Director of OMB
On December 17, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Rep. Mick Mulvaney to be director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Senate Budget Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee both approved his nomination on February 2. Rep. Mulvaney has been thoroughly engaged on budget issues during his time in the House of Representatives, including on the growth of mandatory spending and the national debt’s impact on... Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Democrats Won't be Fair to Judge Gorsuch
Democratic leaders have been promising to obstruct the Supreme Court nominee since before the inauguration. When the president nominated a mainstream and highly qualified judge, Democrats began making implausible and unfair attacks. Judge Gorsuch is one of the best writers in the federal judiciary on the importance of judicial independence and the separation of powers. democrats promised obstruction, and they intend to deliver Democrats have been promising for months to try their hardest to... Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Relief from Harmful Regulations: Week Three
Congress continues work on resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. While Congress takes legislative steps to reverse overregulation, the Trump administration also has moved to reduce bureaucratic barriers to economic growth. Congress has now passed two resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. The Senate will take up additional resolutions passed by the House of Representatives to repeal rules that are duplicative, infringe upon state authority, and... Continue Reading
February 13, 2017
Linda McMahon to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration
On December 7, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Linda McMahon to serve as the administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee approved this nomination on January 31. Linda McMahon has decades of business experience, growing her company, World Wrestling Entertainment, into a worldwide 800-employee business. Mrs. McMahon has pledged to work to lessen the burden that regulations can place on small... Continue Reading
February 7, 2017
A Consensus Pick for the Supreme Court
Judge Neil Gorsuch is “a laid back, fly-fishing, fourth-generation Coloradan who also happens to have an Ivy League education, a brilliant legal mind, and an established judicial record.” His record shows respect for the proper role of judges and the Constitution. Judge Gorsuch has garnered accolades from across the political spectrum. judge neil gorsuch According to a CNN report on February 1, “Judge Neil Gorsuch is a laid back, fly-fishing, fourth-generation Coloradan who... Continue Reading
February 7, 2017
Relief from Harmful Regulations: Week Two
Last week, Congress passed the first two resolutions of disapproval since 2001 that will be made law under the Congressional Review Act. The first set of five CRAs being considered will provide total savings of $5.8 billion and 2.6 million paperwork hours. While Congress takes legislative steps to reverse overregulation, the Trump administration has also moved to reduce the number and cost of regulations. Congress has now passed, and the president will sign, two resolutions of disapproval... Continue Reading