Tuesday, March 14, 2017

American Healthcare Act, Flood Insurance, terrorists, Federal Agencies, Regulatory "Dark Matter", Free Speech, Travel Ban

CRIST STATEMENT ON CBO SCORE OF REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE REPEAL
Charlie Crist (D FL, 13th)
March 13, 2017

Congressman Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) made the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found the Republican healthcare repeal bill would result in 14 million fewer Americans having health care coverage in 2018, with a total of 24 million Americans losing coverage by 2026. At the same time, those with coverage would see higher out-of-pocket costs, including higher deductibles and premium increases of 15-20 percent. The bill also would cut $880 billion from Medicaid, gutting the program that 70 million low-income Americans depend on for care, including seniors and individuals with disabilities.
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Menendez Outlines Sweeping Reforms to FEMA’s Broken National Flood Insurance Program
Robert Menendez - (D - NJ)
March 13, 2017

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Sandy Task Force and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, laid out a series of robust reforms to the much-maligned National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that experienced widespread failures and fraud, cheating storm victims and hampering recovery in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Sen. Menendez aims to make the NFIP: simple, affordable, fair, efficient and accountable to consumers and taxpayers.
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MERKLEY: CBO SCORE SOUNDS THE ALARM – LIFE-AND-DEATH CARE AT RISK FOR MILLIONS
Jeff Merkley - (D - OR)
March 13, 2017

Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued its scoring of the American Health Care Act, or “Trumpcare:”
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Dr. Rand Paul Introduces the Stop Arming Terrorists Act
Senator Rand Paul - (R - KY)
March 10, 2017

U.S. Senator Rand Paul introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists Act (S. 532) to prevent American taxpayers’ money from being used to directly or indirectly support armed militants who are allied with or often working under the command of al-Qaeda, ISIS, or other terrorist groups. The legislation serves as a companion bill to H.R. 608, which Representative Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2) reintroduced in January.
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Sen. Moran Introduces Legislation to Restore Trade with Cuba
Senator Jerry Moran- (R - KS)
March 13, 2017

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recently introduced The Cuba Trade Act of 2017 (S. 472), which would restore trade with Cuba and grant the private sector the freedom to export U.S. goods and services to Cuba while protecting U.S. taxpayers from any risk or exposure associated with such trade.
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MURPHY ON TRUMPCARE CBO SCORE: “PASSING THIS BILL WOULD BE A HUGE MISTAKE”
Christopher Murphy- (D - CT)
March 13, 2017

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on Monday after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their projected cost and reach of Republicans’ misguided Trumpcare. The CBO report made clear that under Trumpcare, 24 million fewer people would be insured by 2026 and average premiums would increase by 15-20% for single policyholders in the individual market.
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Citizens Against Government Waste Praises President Trump’s Executive Order to Improve the Efficiency of Federal Agencies

Citizens Against Government Waste
March 13, 2017

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), America’s largest taxpayer watchdog group, applauded President Donald Trump’s executive order “directing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit a comprehensive plan to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of the executive branch,” including the elimination or reorganization of redundant or unnecessary federal agencies.
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Mapping Washington’s Lawlessness: CEI Releases Updated Inventory of “Regulatory Dark Matter”
Competitive Enterprise Institute
March 14, 2017

Today, the Competitive Enterprise (CEI) released the 2017 update to its comprehensive report Mapping Washington’s Lawlessness: An Inventory of “Regulatory Dark Matter.” This analysis covers how, in addition to Congress’s own laws and the many thousands of rules issued by unelected regulators, regulatory dark matter exists in the form of thousands of additional issuances from executive and independent agencies. This dark matter goes around Congress, the Administrative Procedure Act’s (APA) public notice and comment requirements, and the American people themselves.
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CVA TESTIFIES ON ANTI-FREE SPEECH MEASURE S.255
Concerned Veterans for America
March 14, 2017

“Veterans sacrificed for the right for all of us to stand up and speak freely about the issues we care about. But if S.255 passes, South Carolinians could be intimidated from supporting a cause or making a statement. This is America – no one should be forced to report their private information to the government and fear retaliation for their beliefs. We urge the state Senate to protect the First Amendment and block S.255 today.”
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Important information on Executive Order – Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States
Bureau of Consular Affairs
MARCH 13, 2017

On March 6, 2017, President Trump signed a new Executive Order on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States which directs us to review current screening procedures, while protecting national security – our top priority when issuing visas.
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