FW Newsletter: The Coming Budget Nightmare

Blocking the Budget Busters - by FreedomWorks Senior Economic Advisor Stephen Moore via The Wall Street Journal If you want to measure the impact of tea-party voters, look no further. Oct. 1 marked the beginning of a new fiscal year in Washington, and the deficit for 2015 came in below $500 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Although that kind of overspending is still irresponsible, it’s a far cry from the $1 trillion annual deficits during Barack Obama’s first term. But it looks as if budget restraint in D.C. is beginning to waver. Congress and the White House are quietly negotiating a deal for the new fiscal year that would bust the spending caps that have brought down the deficit. Breaking the caps yet again—this would be the third violation in four years—is lousy policy. It’s also bad politics for Republicans, who won control of Congress by promising budgetary discipline. Read more here... The Coming Budget Nightmare - by Logan Albright Fiscal conservatives have been rightly celebrating the resignation of John Boehner as Speaker of the House, paving the way for new, more principled leadership. But there is a dark side to Boehner’s decision: along with his House seat, he’s also forfeited any accountability that might have reined him in for the remainder of his term. Even now, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and Barack Obama are conspiring to craft a two-year budget deal that would combine a whole slew of big government priorities into one fiendish package. Having narrowly averted a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution that funds the government until December 11, Congress has immediately turned its attention towards the end-of-year spending package. While the continuing resolution passed Wednesday was certainly an irresponsible way to govern, postponing hard fights until he holiday season when most people’s minds will be on their friends and families instead of the politicians in Washington, DC, there were a few bright spots on the horizon. Read more here... Curbing the IRS is Easy--With a Flat Tax - by Dr. Wayne Brough via Forbes The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been making headlines fairly regularly over the past year, most of them unflattering. From its pursuit of conservative political groups, to missing emails about the agency’s actions and a massive data breach that exposed the information of more than 330,000 taxpayers, the IRS has been struggling to bolster its public image. Yet recent actions at the IRS suggest that more than a public relations campaign is required to rejuvenate the agency. More specifically, it has been revealed that the IRS is targeting American businesses—big and small—with strong-arm tactics that not only raise questions of legality, but also hamper economic activity. Read more here... Federalism in the Modern Age Judge Andrew Napolitano explains that, despite the Tenth Amendment’s protection of federalism, the Supreme Court has ruled that Congress can use taxpayer money any way it likes. With this loophole, the federal government is able to incentivize states to do whatever it wants, by offering juicy funding grants, or threatening to withhold them. The codification of this kind of bribery has effectively put an end to federalism in the modern age. Read more here... FreedomWorks' Congressman of the Month - Mark Meadows    -by Logan Albright September was a big month for the House of Representatives, with the unexpected announcement that Speaker John Boehner would resign his seat in Congress, paving the way for new, more representative leadership. If there is any one man who can be credited with this victory, it would have to be Congressman Mark Meadows. Meadows was elected to North Carolina’s 11th District in 2012, and has since proven himself as a man of principle, willing to stand up to the leadership of his own party when he believes them to be in the wrong. Read more here... Rep. Mark Meadows on the Impact of Grassroots Support FreedomWorks Statement: Don't Break the Budget Caps! - by Adam Brandon Following news that Republican leadership is cutting a deal to break the budget caps, FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon commented: "The spending caps are the only meaningful reform to reduce the size of government passed since Republicans took the House in 2010. Busting the caps, for whatever reason, is simply unacceptable. Republicans are supposed to be the party of less government." Read more here... Ways and Means Advances ObamaCare Repeal - by Logan Albright The House Ways and Means Committee has advanced legislation that would repeal most of ObamaCare, including the individual and employer mandates, as well as multiple taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act. The language would employ the budget reconciliation process, which is able to bypass a Senate filibuster and pass with a simple majority in both houses of Congress. Republicans have been promising to do this for some time, and FreedomWorks has consistently supported these efforts. Read more here... Cyber Security Information Sharing Act Chicago Pensions: Time to Tax the Next Generation - by Ted Abram Chicago's government has thrust a huge debt upon it's citizens. Chicago has unfunded pension and medical promises of $33 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Over a number of years, the union leaders funneled big, campaign donations to politicians. In return, Chicago's public employees received lavish benefits. In the short-run, who cared if there wasn't enough money being invested to cover the pension and medical promises? Nearly nobody, and certainly not politicians, union chiefs and the public employees. Always remember, popularly elected politicians always please their voting constituents at the expense of future taxpayers. Read more here... October Freedom Artist: Betty Taylor - by Frances Byrd Our October artist, Betty Taylor, is one of our talented painters. All of her work is vibrant and expressive, conveying beauty in texture and color, regardless of subject. Though more of a traditional artist, Betty is beginning to branch out to create more conceptual and editorial pieces. We are excited for her new direction and look forward to seeing where she goes with her new inspiration. Read more here... Senators Unveil a Modest but Historic Justice Reform Compromise   - by Jason Pye This morning, after months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), unveiled a historic justice reform compromise. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would bring a number of reforms to the federal prison system, including an expansion of the "safety valve" exception to mandatory minimum sentences, the creation of a second "safety valve," and rehabilitative programs designed to reduce recidivism, or repeat offenses. Before diving into the details of the bill, it is remarkable that a bill, even one as modest as this, has been introduced by Grassley. In March, Grassley assailed the Smarter Sentencing Act, which FreedomWorks supports, for its proposed reductions to costly mandatory minimum sentences. The Iowa Republican has since softened his tone and shown an interest in some sentencing reforms. Grassley not only came to the table to help forge this bill with senators with different perspectives -- including Mike Lee (R-Utah), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) -- but he is also the lead sponsor.  Read more here... FreedomWorks in Action Sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update If you want an update like this newsletter twice a week, be sure to sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update! The Morning Update is your tool to keep up-to-date with all the threats to your freedom. Sign up here. Make freedom work, Iris Somberg  Press Secretary, FreedomWorks           Forward To A Friend | Update Your Email Preferences 400 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 765 Washington, DC 20001