Policy Papers
August 2014 Jobs Report
Unemployment Rate: 6.1 percent Unemployed Americans: 9.6 million Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent for August 2014, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point. It reported an increase of 142,000 nonfarm jobs over last month. Employment for June was revised down from 298,000 to 267,000 jobs created, and July was revised up from 209,000 to 212,000. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had anticipated job growth... Continue Reading
August 15, 2014
Obama’s Iraq Withdrawal Decision
Iraq has become a strategic and humanitarian disaster on President Obama’s watch. So he has led his administration and his surrogates in trying to revise the history of how this came to pass. It was obvious from the 2008 campaign that he intended to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq based on a political timeline instead of conditions on the ground – and without any regard for the consequences of such an action. Those consequences include an Islamist terrorist group that has taken... Continue Reading
August 1, 2014
July 2014 Unemployment Report
Unemployment Rate: 6.2 percent Unemployed Americans: 9.7 million Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 6.2percent for July 2014, an increase of 0.1 percentage point. It reported an increase of 209,000 nonfarm jobs over last month. Economists surveyed anticipated job growth of 230,000. Employment for June was revised up from 288,000 to 298,000... Continue Reading
July 29, 2014
Waiting for Senator Reid: Bipartisan Jobs Bills
Here are 10 bills – passed by clear, bipartisan majorities in the House of Representatives – that will create jobs while strengthening our energy security, improving health care, cutting red tape, and making government smarter. Despite President Obama’s false claims, it is Majority Leader Reid and Senate Democrats who have refused votes on jobs bills. Energy Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3) approves the Keystone XL pipeline, as well as the thousands of jobs that... Continue Reading
July 29, 2014
Republican Solutions: Technology
Technology policy needs a refresh under Majority Leader Reid. Senate Democrats have failed to find common ground on updating a number of laws that have become obsolete in the wake of technological advances. These include the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986; the Telecommunications Act of 1996; and other statutes and regulations governing intellectual property, cybersecurity, the corporate tax code, access to the best workers, free and fair trade, the use and availability of licensed... Continue Reading
July 29, 2014
Medicare and Social Security in Trouble
Yesterday the trustees for Medicare and Social Security released reports outlining the finances of these two programs that made up 41 percent of all federal spending in 2013. The trustees’ findings reveal a bleak outlook. As with every other report on the long-term budgetary health of our nation, they show the need to stop delaying and to start strengthening these programs. Social Security Social Security Trust Funds Go Broke Combined OASDI trust funds The disability and old age trust... Continue Reading
July 22, 2014
Democrats’ Electricity Tax: All Pain, No Gain
Tomorrow, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hear testimony from Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, regarding the regulation at the center of President Obama’s agenda to impose an electricity tax on the American people. Last month, the administration proposed a rule that requires states to severely restrict carbon emissions from existing power plants, radically curtailing coal’s share of electricity generation. It offers states... Continue Reading
July 16, 2014
CBO on US Budget: “Unsustainable”
Yesterday the Congressional Budget Office reported on the long-term outlook for the federal budget. This report comes just a few days after the Obama administration released a report showing that the federal budget deficit is declining. Countering that spin, CBO shows that, while short-term deficits have decreased, they grow out of control in the long-term due in part to the president’s unwillingness to deal with Washington’s long-term budget problems. According to CBO, the immediate... Continue Reading
July 16, 2014
Energy Nominations after Reid Broke the Rules
Senate Democrats protect the president’s anti-energy agenda by curbing meaningful debate in Senate committees and on the Senate floor. Last November, Democrats went one step further, breaking Senate rules in order to place in administrative agencies and on judicial benches controversial appointees likely to support the administration’s agenda. Their implementation of the “nuclear option” reduced the threshold to confirm the president’s nominees from 60 votes to a... Continue Reading
July 16, 2014
Ambassador Nominations after Reid Broke the Rules
Last week, Majority Leader Reid and Secretary of State Kerry complained about the Senate’s processing of ambassadorial nominations. Their complaint assumes there should be no consequences for Majority Leader Reid breaking the rules of the Senate to change the rules on the processing of nominations. The consequences of that act were predictable. Senator Obama predicted the consequences himself when a rules change was contemplated in 2005, saying: “if they choose to change the rules... Continue Reading
July 15, 2014
Policy by the Numbers
The key number for July is 25 years. In just 25 years (2039), U.S. public debt will equal the highest point ever seen in our nation’s history – 106 percent of GDP. Other recent numbers that also have policy implications. Continue Reading
July 15, 2014
On Corporate Taxes, Democrats Wrong Again
Recently Democrats have turned a spotlight on two corporate tax issues: “offshoring” jobs and foreign inversions, where a company moves its headquarters overseas to pay lower taxes. Democrats have proposed treating two symptoms, rather than solving the problems themselves. Problem 1: High Tax Rates Since the United States last changed its corporate tax rate – a one percent increase in 1993 – the rest of the world has realized that high corporate tax rates discourage... Continue Reading
July 15, 2014
Democrats’ Political Stunt to Mislead Voters
In last month’s Hobby Lobby decision, the Supreme Court held that a federal law designed to protect the exercise of religion also protects the rights of Americans organized as “closely held corporations.” In response to the decision, Democrats engaged in rhetoric that was un-tethered to the facts of the case. This week, Senate Democrats will take up legislation intended to undo the safeguards set forth by the court. With little expectation that the bill will become law, it... Continue Reading
July 14, 2014
In Her Words: Obamacare’s Negative Impact on Women
This week, Republicans will continue to speak up for women who have been hurt by the President’s healthcare law. Republicans will share real life stories from women across America who have said that the law has increased their costs, made it harder for them to see their doctors, and decreased their paychecks. Here’s what women are saying in their own words about their experiences: Rising Costs "I can't afford that," she said. "There's no way on Earth." "If we could afford it,... Continue Reading
July 10, 2014
Leader Reid Goes to Historic Lengths to Block Republican Amendments
The tactic: filling the tree The result: fewer votes than the House on minority amendments Continue Reading
July 10, 2014
E-Rate Proposal Fails to Make Passing Grade
On Friday, the FCC will meet to consider reforming the E-rate program, the federal broadband initiative for schools and libraries. Ensuring that U.S. students are empowered with the connectivity required to succeed embodies a worthy cause. However, the program has suffered from poor administration and significant waste, fraud, and abuse. The reforms proposed by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, could make the problems even worse. Rather than simplifying the process for participation, for example,... Continue Reading
July 8, 2014
Supreme Court Reins in the Obama Administration
Last month, the Supreme Court unanimously rebuked President Obama for violating the Constitution’s separation of powers in the appointment process. The high court’s decision was not the only ruling from last term to repudiate the governing philosophy of the administration. It also struck down a law that, while not directly admonishing the administration, dealt a blow to its political allies – public-sector unions. NLRB v. Noel Canning In a 9-0 opinion authored by liberal... Continue Reading
July 8, 2014
More Part-Timers; Wages Stagnant
Despite employment gains in June, the labor force participation rate remains at 62.8 percent, unchanged from the previous two months and near its lowest level in 36 years. Labor force participation is down 0.7 percentage points compared to June 2013. The labor market remains weaker than the last time we had an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, in September 2008. The difference is “shadow unemployment,” people who want a job but have stopped looking, or are working part time but... Continue Reading
July 7, 2014
July 2014 Policy Calendar
July 3, 2014
June 2014 Unemployment Report
Unemployment Rate: 6.1 percent Unemployed Americans: 9.5 million Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent for June 2014, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point. It reported an increase of 288,000 nonfarm jobs over last month. Employment for May was revised up from 217,000 to 224,000 jobs created, and April was revised up from 282,000... Continue Reading