Contact:
Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273
Washington, D.C., January 23, 2007—As President Bush prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address after the change of control in Congress, both the White House and leaders on the Hill are facing the prospects of having to work more closely to pass new legislation.
The 110th Congress has already begun work on an ambitious domestic policy agenda including a higher minimum wage, lower Medicare drug prices, changes to oil and gas royalties and subsidies for renewable energy. As the work of the legislative session progresses, however, members will increasingly feel the perennial need for compromise. In that spirit, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has presented a free market agenda for government reform that both Democrats and Republicans can appreciate.
“During the last Congress, Republicans massively expanded the federal government—and the voters reacted negatively,” said Competitive Enterprise Institute President Fred L. Smith, Jr. “Now the Democrats have been entrusted to set aright the ship of state. In a globalized world, they will retain their majority only by eschewing the anti-market rhetoric of their party’s past. They, along with President Bush, hope to cement a legacy.”
Key elements of CEI’s proposal for the new Congress include:
Securing the Economy
Rein in the $1 Trillion Regulatory State
Reform U.S. Agriculture Programs
Roll Back Overly Aggressive Sarbanes-Oxley Accounting Rules
Make Stock Options Available to More Workers
Recognize the Value of Hedge Funds and Private Equity for Entrepreneurs and Shareholders
Encourage Innovation in Credit Availability
Facilitate Further Telecommunications Reform
Improve Access to Affordable Energy
Allow American Workers to Work Without Labor Regulation
Avoid Extension of Antitrust Regulation into New Competitive Realms
Avoid Privacy Regulation that Worsens Personal Security
Forge a Bipartisan Alliance Against Corporate Welfare
Liberalize Insurance Markets
Keep Government’s Hands off the Net and E-Commerce
Clarify the Role of Not-So-Intellectual Property in the Economy
Define Corporate Social Responsibility
Protect and Enhance Federalism
Protect Free Speech by Rejecting Content Regulation
Promote Globalization’s Benefits by Further Liberalizing Trade
Counteract Politicization of Federal Science Policy
Resist New Burdens on the Transportation Sector
Facilitate Electricity Competition
Protecting the Environment
Restore the Constitutional Right to Property
Embrace Private Conservation of Land and Natural Resources
Protect Endangered Species
Clarify the Role of Invasive Species
Develop New Approaches to Preserve Ocean Resources
Recognize the Risks of Global Warming Policies
Trash Counterproductive Waste Disposal Policies
Recognize the Elitist Nature of “Anti-Sprawl” Measures
Resist the Urge to Play the Fuel Economy Mandate Game
Rethink Water Rights Policies
Reform Wetlands Policies
Improving Health and Safety
Reject the Precautionary Principle, a Threat to Scientific Progress
Recognize the Deadly Effects of Overregulating Medicines and Medical Devices
Purify Federal Water Policies
Enhance Auto Safety
Improve Food Safety and Labeling
Secure the Future of Food Biotechnology
Resist Over-Caution on Nanotechnology and Other Frontier Sciences
Enhance the Homeland Security Role of Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity
