Secretary of State John Merrill joins joint letter to rescind executive order “Promoting Access to Voting”
Last week, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and 14 other Secretaries of State sent a joint letter to President Joe Biden asking him to rescind Executive Order 14019. According to Health Resources and Services Administration, Executive Order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting,” aims to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections. The order also expands access to, and education about, voter registration and election information, and combats misinformation, in order to enable all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy. The letter states, “Executive Order 14019 was issued without Constitutional authority nor Congressional approval. Executive Order 14019 calls for federal agencies to develop plans that duplicate voter registration efforts conducted at the state level and ignores codified procedures and programs in our state constitutions and laws. “If implemented, the Executive Order would also erode the responsibilities and duties of the state legislatures to their situational authority within the Elections Clause.” Secretary Merrill stated, “Not only is the administration of the election process a responsibility delegated to the states by the U.S. Constitution, but these unique policy decisions are best left to state officials. President Biden’s Executive Order 14019 is another example of the federal overreach and this administration’s attempt to federalize the election process.” Secretaries of State who joined Merrill in signing the letter include John Thurston (Arkansas), Cord Byrd (Florida), Brad Raffensberger (Georgia), Lawrence Denney (Idaho), Holli Sullivan (Indiana), Christi Jacobsen (Montana), Bob Evnen (Nebraska), Frank LaRose (Ohio), Steve Barnette (South Dakota), Tre Hargett (Tennessee), Mac Warner (West Virginia), and Ed Buchanan (Wyoming).
Senators Tommy Tuberville and Richard Shelby slam ‘reckless’ tax package
On Sunday, the U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act in a partisan 51-50 vote. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote after an all-night session. The bill includes the largest-ever federal effort on climate change, caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year, and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance. According to the AP, the whole package is paid for, with some $300 billion in extra revenue for deficit reduction by raising corporate taxes and reaping savings by allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville and Richard Shelby released statements after voting against the Democrats’ spending package. The Senators attempted to file amendments to the bill, including making Donald Trump-era tax cuts for the middle class permanent and amendments to secure American energy independence by requiring approval of all pending major pipeline projects and offshore drilling permit requests. “Democrats have once again put their own agenda ahead of helping hardworking Americans. This latest tax and spend spree will further increase inflation and raise taxes on families at a time when they can least afford it,” stated Tuberville. “I worked with my Republican colleagues to offer commonsense amendments to this package that would cut taxes, slash regulations, stand up to China, and bolster our national security. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats shot down these proposals and forced through a bill that does nothing to improve or grow our economy. Instead, their bill provides funding for their Green New Deal policies, sends American businesses overseas, and doubles the size of the IRS, giving the agency more manpower to go after small business and the middle class.” Senator Shelby argued the package would increase costs for Americans. “The so-called ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ will result in increased costs for hardworking Americans, further crushing families’ budgets and savings,” Shelby stated. “Democrats are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to raise taxes and swell the cost of living while the American people are enduring record-high inflation and a declining economy. This makes no sense. Right now, Congress should be focused on reducing costs and growing economic investment, not spending $80 billion to double the size and scope of the IRS and hundreds of billions of dollars to combat climate change.” “The policies created in this legislation are not what Americans want, nor are they what Americans need. I am disappointed that my Senate Democratic colleagues supported this legislation knowing it fails the American people,” Shelby concluded. President Joe Biden released a statement after the bill’s passage. “Today, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests, voting to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, and everyday energy costs and reduce the deficit, while making the wealthiest corporations finally pay their fair share. I ran for President promising to make government work for working families again, and that is what this bill does — period,” Biden stated.
Paul DeMarco: If GOP take majority of U.S. House, Alabama congressmen will assume leadership positions
With the start of August and the closing days of summer soon approaching, we are getting close to the 90-day count down to the fall general elections. The mid-terms look favorable for Republicans nationally and could result in the House of Representatives flipping parties. If the GOP does indeed take over the leadership of the House, that will bode well for Alabama as there are two Congressmen from the state who will be in line for powerful positions. First, Representative Mike Rogers is poised to take over as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. A powerful chair that puts him in a position to determine the direction of the country’s military for the future. This will also put him in a role that will be the envy of other states with the large number of military bases that call Alabama home. In addition, with the new U.S. Space Command looking like it may land in Alabama, Congressman Rogers will be leading the committee that will ensure the command will be fully equipped to defend against adversaries of the United States. Secondly, Representative Robert Aderholt will again serve as one of the most influential members of Congress that hold the purse strings to fund the government. Specifically, he could be chairing the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee over Commerce, Justice, and Related Agencies, which includes NASA under its jurisdiction. This is a position that few other leaders in the House ever reach. If the voters around the country put the GOP in charge of the U.S. House, Alabama leaders could soon be in some of the most prestigious positions in the Nation’s Capitol. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on Twitter at @Paul_DeMarco.
John Hendrickson and Pete Sepp: Make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent
No one knows the future direction of the American economy, but several danger signs are ahead. One is continued inflation at 40-year highs or worse – a cruel hidden tax that eats away wages and savings, with more suffering for families struggling to afford groceries and gasoline. Another is a recession triggered by high interest rates designed to fight inflation. This means job losses, lower incomes, smaller nest eggs as stock markets contract, and even tougher times for businesses reeling from supply-chain shortages. Yet President Joe Biden and his allies in Congress still have failed to learn the economic lesson that governments cannot tax and spend their way into prosperity. They keep believing that a brighter outcome is just one more giant deficit-financed program or tax-the-rich scheme down the road. Fortunately, policymakers have an opportunity to steer the nation in a genuinely hopeful direction by making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanent and working to reduce government spending. States such as Iowa are already well along this proven path with policies of their own, providing better prospects for economic growth and a stable financial foundation. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed during Donald Trump’s administration and, along with unshackling businesses from excessive regulation, created a strong economy. The tax relief generated by the TCJA benefited individuals as well as businesses. Employment increased, and many businesses offered bonuses to their employees. And contrary to the opposition’s fearmongering, the wealthy have paid more income taxes, and the poor have paid less. Income levels also increased as many Americans were earning higher wages. “In 2018 and 2019, real median household income in the U.S. rose by $5,000 – a bigger increase in only two years than in the entire eight years of the preceding recovery combined,” wrote economists Kevin Hassett and Tyler Goodspeed, who both served as chairs of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under Trump. The economic growth generated by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brought increased revenues to the federal government. This is often overlooked, and the tax cuts were blamed for causing deficits, while the real culprit was government overspending. Between 2000 and 2019, federal outlays adjusted for inflation rose 69 percent before trillions more were spent during the pandemic. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also showed numerous states how to lower their income and corporate tax rates. This was especially true due to capping the state and local tax deduction, or SALT, at a reasonable $10,000. In 2018, Iowa enacted a comprehensive tax reform measure, followed up this year by the largest tax cut in the state’s history. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a tax-reform measure that creates a low individual flat income tax rate of 3.9% by 2026 and will gradually reduce the corporate income tax to a flat 5.5%. Reynolds has made prudent budgeting and tax reform a priority. “On the economy, the contrast couldn’t be more stark. While Democrats in D.C. are spending trillions, sending inflation soaring, Republican leaders around the country are balancing budgets and cutting taxes. Because we know that money spent on Main Street is better than money spent on bureaucracy,” Reynolds said in her response to Biden’s State of the Union address. Critical parts of TCJA that affect business expenses, research and development, small business relief, and low individual tax rates have expired this year or are scheduled to do so in the next Congress. Action in Washington is needed to fix these problems and address other longstanding flaws of the federal tax code. For instance, last month, Iowa’s U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced a bill called the Middle-Class Savings and Investment Act, which would allow every taxpayer in brackets of up to 22% (about $89,000 for a single filer) to invest virtually federal tax-free. The interest income deduction would increase, as well as the “Savers Credit” for low-income households. Grassley’s legislation is wisely “paid for” by extending the SALT cap. Reynolds, Grassley, and other fiscal conservatives won’t necessarily change the progressive mindset. We’re likelier to see Elvis in the grocery store. But over time, their leadership – and the data – can demonstrate that moderate taxes and spending restraints pave the way to a better future. John Hendrickson is policy director of Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation, and Pete Sepp is president of the National Taxpayers Union. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
New federal red snapper regulations could allow bigger limits for some states, smaller for others
Dozens of congressmen in Southern states are pushing back against proposed federal regulations for red snapper, though the new rules could result in more opportunity for Louisiana anglers. Nearly 40 members of Congress, including Louisiana’s delegation, penned a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo last week urging her to direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to improve the science behind how the agency sets limits on red snapper harvest. The letter alleges proposed rules from NOAA Fisheries that concluded public comment on July 28 decreases the percentage of Gulf of Mexico red snapper that anglers can catch relative to the sustainable limit. Gulf coast states estimate angler harvest each year throughout the season, and states’ annual fishing limit was typically set just below the total overfishing limit to ensure a sustainable fishery. A Great Red Snapper Count — an independent study required by Congress — resulted in a proposed increase in the federal overfishing limit because it showed more fish than federal regulators previously realized through the NMFS’ Marine Recreational Information Program, but the proposed acceptable biological catch hardly increased. The proposed rule changes would also implement a “data calibration framework” designed to create a single currency among the various ways states monitor landings for the “state annual catch limit,” resulting in a reduction for some states and increases for others. The proposal would increase the overall red snapper overfishing limit from 15.5 million pounds to 25.6 million while increasing the acceptable biological catch from 15.1 million to 15.4 million. The proposed calibration would increase the state annual catch limit in Louisiana and Florida by 50,000 and 100,000 pounds, respectively, while the limit in Alabama would drop by about 586,000 pounds and Mississippi’s limit would decrease by about 95,000 pounds. Texas’ annual catch limit would remain unchanged. “There is no negative for us because with our calibration ratio we actually see an increase in the allowable catch from what our current number is,” Jason Adriance, finfish program manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, told The Center Square. Regardless, lawmakers contend the NMFS’ reliance on MRIP data and efforts to calibrate state numbers from different surveys contradicts federal laws that require conservation and management measures to be “based on the best scientific information available,” according to the letter to Raimondo. “This proposed rule ignores the (Gulf Fishery Management) Council and Congress’s intent. When the Gulf Fishery Management Council adopted the calibrations in 2021, it intentionally delayed calibration so NMFS could propose more accurate ways to incorporate the States’ data. To further that work, Congress appropriated $2 million for NMFS to research an effective calibration solution,” the letter read. “By requiring the States to calibrate their more accurate—and NMFS certified—catch data to an outdated and fundamentally flawed MRIP, NMFS has failed to find an effective solution and is not making decisions based on the best available science while refusing to appropriately integrate the new data.” Lawmakers also contend NMFS is ignoring new data in the Great Red Snapper Count by reducing catch limits from 97% of the sustainable limit to roughly 60%. The Great Red Snapper Count documented roughly three times as many fish as NMFS previously recognized. NOAA Fisheries explained in its request for comment on the proposed rule changes that federal officials did not significantly increase the sustainable limit with the new information because analysis found many of the fish are in low densities in areas known as “uncharacterized bottom,” rather than “hard bottom” areas typically targeted by anglers. “Because red snapper occupying uncharacterized bottom have historically faced lower fishing mortality than hard bottom, basing harvest levels on the entire population may lead to localized depletion on reefs as the overwhelming majority of harvest would be expected to occur on this habitat,” according to the proposal. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Senate Democrats pass budget package, a victory for Joe Biden
Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage Sunday, a hard-fought compromise less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs, and taxing immense corporations. The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the House, where lawmakers are poised to deliver on Biden’s priorities, a stunning turnaround of what had seemed a lost and doomed effort that suddenly roared back to political life. Cheers broke out as Senate Democrats held united, 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote after an all-night session. “Today, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests,” President Joe Biden said in a statement from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “I ran for President promising to make government work for working families again, and that is what this bill does — period.” Biden, who had his share of long nights during his three decades as a senator, called into the Senate cloakroom during the vote on speakerphone to personally thank the staff for their hard work. The president urged the House to pass the bill as soon as possible. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber would “move swiftly to send this bill to the president’s desk.” House votes are expected Friday. “It’s been a long, tough, and winding road, but at last, at last we have arrived,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ahead of final votes. “The Senate is making history. I am confident the Inflation Reduction Act will endure as one of the defining legislative feats of the 21st century,” he said. Senators engaged in a round-the-clock marathon of voting that began Saturday and stretched late into Sunday afternoon. Democrats swatted down some three dozen Republican amendments designed to torpedo the legislation. Confronting unanimous GOP opposition, Democratic unity in the 50-50 chamber held, keeping the party on track for a morale-boosting victory three months from elections when congressional control is at stake. The bill ran into trouble midday over objections to the new 15% corporate minimum tax that private equity firms and other industries disliked, forcing last-minute changes. Despite the momentary setback, the “Inflation Reduction Act” gives Democrats a campaign-season showcase for action on coveted goals. It includes the largest-ever federal effort on climate change — close to $400 billion — caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance. By raising corporate taxes and reaping savings from the long-sought goal of allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare, the whole package is paid for, with some $300 billion extra revenue for deficit reduction. Barely more than one-tenth the size of Biden’s initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion Build Back Better initiative, the new package abandons earlier proposals for universal preschool, paid family leave, and expanded child care aid. That plan collapsed after conservative Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., opposed it, saying it was too costly and would fuel inflation. Nonpartisan analysts have said the 755-page “Inflation Reduction Act” would have a minor effect on surging consumer prices. Republicans said the new measure would undermine an economy that policymakers are struggling to keep from plummeting into recession. They said the bill’s business taxes would hurt job creation and force prices skyward, making it harder for people to cope with the nation’s worst inflation since the 1980s. “Democrats have already robbed American families once through inflation, and now their solution is to rob American families a second time,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued. In an ordeal imposed on most budget bills like this one, the Senate had to endure an overnight “vote-a-rama” of rapid-fire amendments. Each tested Democrats’ ability to hold together the compromise bill negotiated by Schumer, progressives, Manchin, and the inscrutable centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., criticized the bill’s shortcomings and offered amendments to further expand the legislation’s health benefits, but those efforts were defeated. Republicans forced their own votes designed to make Democrats look soft on U.S.-Mexico border security and gasoline and energy costs, and like bullies for wanting to strengthen IRS tax law enforcement. Before debate began, the bill’s prescription drug price curbs were diluted by the Senate’s nonpartisan parliamentarian, who said a provision should fall that would impose costly penalties on drug makers whose price increases for private insurers exceed inflation. It was the bill’s chief protection for the 180 million people with private health coverage they get through work or purchase themselves. Under special procedures that will let Democrats pass their bill by simple majority without the usual 60-vote margin, its provisions must be focused more on dollar-and-cents budget numbers than policy changes. But the thrust of Democrats’ pharmaceutical price language remained. That included letting Medicare negotiate what it pays for drugs for its 64 million elderly recipients, penalizing manufacturers for exceeding inflation for pharmaceuticals sold to Medicare, and limiting beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket drug costs to $2,000 annually. The bill also caps Medicare patients’ costs for insulin, the expensive diabetes medication, at $35 monthly. Democrats wanted to extend the $35 cap to private insurers, but it ran afoul of Senate rules. Most Republicans voted to strip it from the package, though in a sign of the political potency of health costs, seven GOP senators joined Democrats trying to preserve it. The measure’s final costs were being recalculated to reflect late changes, but overall it would raise more than $700 billion over a decade. The money would come from a 15% minimum tax on a handful of corporations with yearly profits above $1 billion, a 1% tax on companies that repurchase their own stock, bolstered IRS tax collections, and government savings from lower drug costs. Sinema forced Democrats to drop a plan to prevent wealthy hedge fund managers from paying less than individual income tax rates for their earnings. She also joined with other Western senators to win $4 billion to combat the region’s drought. Several Democratic senators joined the GOP-led effort to exclude some firms from the new corporate minimum tax. The package keeps to Biden’s pledge not to
