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Missouri’s $5 Billion State Pension Underfunding Shows Results of Faulty Accounting
Government pension managers should calculate the state contribution using a more realistic rate-of-return estimate.
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Washington Post Profile on CEI Climate Work Misses Half the Story
The Post’s story was weeks in the making, and although it gets some things right, the story continually injects presumptions and bias, resulting in an…
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Conservatives & Libertarians to GOP: Time to Evolve on Marijuana Policy
A bill introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) will prevent the Department of Justice from using taxpayer dollars to prosecute medical marijuana…
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Clinton’s ‘What Happened’ Latest Evidence that Climate Mitigation Policy Is Political Poison
Climate change policy is opposed by healthy bipartisan majorities.
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NHTSA Releases Improved Federal Automated Driving System Guidance
The Department of Transportation is putting its money where its mouth is in preventing overregulation of automated driving systems.
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Media Hype ‘Extreme’ Weather Events
Every week, the mainstream news media have some new weather phenomenon to entertain their viewers.
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Congress Moves on Financial Reform Bills
Nearly a decade on from the 2007-08 financial crisis, it is clear that the federal regulatory regime is not working.
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Net Neutrality Rules Threaten Internet Free Speech
The supposed good intentions of net neutrality advocates don’t justify the real world harm of those regulations. …
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Germany Expected to Miss Carbon Dioxide Reduction Goals
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has pledged to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2020.
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House Moves on Interior-EPA Appropriations Bill with Policy Amendments
The House of Representatives this week considered an appropriations bill that combines eight separate spending bills for FY 2018.
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Fuzzy Math behind Xcel’s New ‘Colorado Energy Plan’
The Colorado utility is claiming that unnecessarily retiring cheap power and then replacing it with new expensive power would somehow save ratepayers money.
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Senate Appropriations Committee Disappoints Again on Climate Funding
The Senate Appropriations Committee this week voted 16 to 14 to restore funding for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN…
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Study Challenges Warming Link to Syrian Civil War
There is no clear and reliable evidence that anthropogenic climate change was a factor in Syria’s pre-civil war drought…
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American Conservative Union Statement Wrong on Air Traffic Control Reform
Spinning off air traffic control responsibilities into a nongovernmental nonprofit will save taxpayers more than $10 billion per year.
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The Equifax Breach and Regulation
In the Equifax breach, regulation is a likely contributor to the problem. It is probably not a good solution.
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Ten Years of Analysis and Advocacy for Affordable Energy
Here’s to ten more years of expanding production and supplies of affordable energy for all.
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Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
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Does Global Warming Increase Motor Vehicle Fatalities?
A new study by retired Yale University epidemiologist Leon Robertson blames global warming for a 7 percent increase in U.S. road deaths in 2015 compared…
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CEI Film ‘I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit’ on Tour
"I, Whiskey" is back on the road this fall with three festivals in California.
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Education Secretary Takes Aim at Federal College Discipline Rules
The Education Department may withdraw legal guidance regarding sexual assault and harassment on colleges campuses.
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Fuel Economy Regulations Threaten Vehicle Safety
In 1992 a federal appeals court found that CAFE undercuts vehicle safety, by causing cars to be made smaller and light in order to meet…
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Rideshare Drivers’ Future at Stake in Seattle
Recent events represent an existential threat to ridesharing in Seattle, and put drivers, passengers, and communities at risk of serious harm.
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CEI Leads Coalition Urging Senators to Preserve Railroad Deregulation
The Senate Commerce Committee leadership should respect the indisputable gains of deregulation.
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Common Sense Trumps Absurd Bottled Water Ban
Cheers to the Trump Administration for taking this common sense stand on bottled water in national parks.
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5 Ways ‘Consumer Protection’ Hurts Consumers
Financial regulation does not have to be a zero-sum trade-off between consumers and businesses.
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SELF DRIVE Act to Face House Floor Vote
Congress needs to move forward on self-driving cars.
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Climate Alarmists Exploit Hurricane Harvey to Score Political Points
Global warming alarmists exploit every weather disaster, and so it is no surprise that they are out in full force for Hurricane Harvey.
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Economic Growth Rose to 3 Percent in Second Quarter of 2017
The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 3 percent in the second quarter. That was significantly higher than the 2.7 percent expected.
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Fix Payday Loans with More Competition
Last week, I wrote about the devastating impact that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new regulation on short-term, small-dollar loans could have upon…
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Why Africa Needs Economic Freedom
That is the topic I presented earlier this week as part of the panel discussion, Perspectives on African Development, at the Department of State’s…
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Who Benefits from FCC’s “No-Blocking” Rule?
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2015 Open Internet Order included a “no-blocking” rule that prohibits Internet service providers (ISPs) from charging content providers a fee…
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White House Suspends EEO-1 Form that Cost Businesses $400 Million to Gather Wage Data
On August 29, the White House suspended a burdensome reporting requirement for employers that would have cost them $400 million while yielding information…
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Texas Court Strikes Down Costly Obama Overtime Rule
Today, the Eastern Texas District Court struck down the Obama administration’s misguided overtime rule. This is a crucial victory for the rule of law and…
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Subsidy Forces Florida Taxpayers to Pay for Union Work
Most hardworking Americans would be shocked to learn that public employees at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—conduct union business that is totally unrelated…
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Happy 25th to the State Policy Network
The State Policy Network is an impressive organization that helps improve the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations and nonprofit leaders at the state level across the…
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Why Economic Freedom Is the Best Weapon against Poverty
This blog post is adapted from a speech delivered to the Foreign Service Institute at the United States Department of State on August 29, 2017.
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Conservative Air Traffic Control Reform Opponents Continue Campaign of Falsehoods
Recently, I noted how corporate jet lobby National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) had attempted to trot out “Hero of the Hudson” Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger…
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Applying Big Data Techniques, New Study Finds Most Recent Warming Could Be Natural
Recent research indicates that the earth's atmosphere is less sensitive to increases in carbon dioxide than previously assumed.
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New Film ‘Food Evolution’ Confronts Confusion on GMO Crops
Genetic modification of food crops is a valuable scientific process that has already helped feed countless millions of people around the world and provided breathtaking humanitarian…
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Smart Move to Repeal Department of Interior ‘Valuation Rule’ on Minerals
The repeal ensures that coal leasing and sales can continue while the agency develops and adopts a new rule informed by public comment.
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President’s Summer Policy Update
When it comes to the institutions of capitalism, the advance of human welfare, and liberty, we are here because we love the work.
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NYT Pesticide Exposé Only Exposes Foolish Reporting
EPA decision not to ban chlorpyrifos was based on sound science.
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Congress Expands Investigation into Inappropriate Federal Employee Political Activity
U.S. Postal Service employees and union engaged in a “systematic violation” of the Hatch Act, a law placing limits on political activity performed by federal…
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Federal Payday Loan Rule Would Devastate Vulnerable Consumers
It is clear then that the CFPB has no legitimate basis for regulating most payday loans out of existence.
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President’s D.C. Summer Update
Political posturing and high-level personnel changes in Washington have dominated the news and are shaping what policy changes are possible.
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Will Politicians Let Unsubsidized Bike Share Compete?
The problem with monopoly bike-share contracts is that they are designed to benefit everyone except consumers and taxpayers.
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Workers Desire the Freedom to Choose
It is past time to give workers the freedom to choose that they desire.
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Yes, Federal Arbitration Rule Will Harm ‘Little Guys’
The Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass a Congressional Review Act resolution to block the Arbitration Rule.
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Rethinking the National Labor Relations Board
The NLRB has become a highly partisan agency that does more harm than good.
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Net Neutrality: Market Competition or Political Control?
The Internet is no exception to the rule that markets work better than the federal government does.
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Rethinking the Commerce Department
If government is ever to stop growing, the supporters of limited government will need to provide a successful example of how it can be rolled…
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Occupational Licensing Reform in the Beehive State
Occupational licensing reform is a winner in terms of giving the working poor greater opportunities to earn a living…
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Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Standards Are Inefficient: Study
The federal government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program is a highly inefficient method for reducing either motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions or U.S. oil…
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EPA to Revise Greenhouse Gas Rules for Refurbished Trucks
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt this week approved a petition to revise the agency’s heavy truck greenhouse gas emission standards rule.
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More on ‘Sully’ and Private Jet Air Traffic Control Subsidies
Despite his status in public life, Sully does not represent the interests of American air travelers and is out of step with current airline pilots,…
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Understanding Spontaneous Order with ‘It’s a Wonderful Loaf’
Sound economic thinking combined with an artistic, poetic presentation can reach both the hearts and minds of people across the political spectrum.
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What Is the Future of Surface Transportation Finance and Governance?
The fuel tax is becoming an increasingly unstable source of dedicated user revenue.
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Rethinking the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal deposit insurance creates a systemic problem of moral hazard.
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Rethinking the Securities and Exchange Commission
The Securities and Exchange Commission be abolished and its authority to punish securities fraud be transferred to the Federal Trade Commission.
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Shrinking Government Bureaucracy in Turbulent Times
We need to ponder what the executive branch we deserve looks like and how it aligns with our Constitution and statutory limitations.
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Record Federal Income Tax Receipts Still No Match for Cost of Regulation
Corporate income taxes collected by the U.S. government, estimated as noted at $278 billion for 2017, are dwarfed by regulatory costs.
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Happy India Independence Day
Today is the 70th anniversary of India’s independence from the United Kingdom, and the nation of 1.3 billion people has seen dramatic economic and social…
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Weak Allegations Fill NYT’s Latest Ill-Founded Pruitt Expose
The New York Times is back with another attempted blockbuster on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
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Defending 4th Amendment Privacy Protections for Digital Property
People have property rights in data about themselves that is allocated by contract between them and their service providers.
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Review of ‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power’
Al Gore's newest documentary clings to the deceptive message that anthropogenic global climate change is the single greatest threat to humanity.
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TechFreedom Hosts Policy Summit on Future of Technology Regulation
Our friends at TechFreedom recently treated technology policy nerds in D.C. to a policy summit.
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Easing the Volcker Rule Would Be Good, Abolishing it Would Be Better
The Volcker Rule vowed to promote safety and soundness in the financial services industry by banning certain kinds of commercial banks trading, but has not…
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Bitcoin Reserve Proposed for Australian Central Bank
The Australian Parliament may soon consider adding Bitcoin to the currency reserve holdings of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
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Volcker Rule Harms Financial Stability and Economic Growth
The Volcker Rule’s definition is rather ambiguous, and gives little clarity as to how both regulators and banks should conduct their business.
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Congressional Leaders Call on Agency Heads to Repudiate Operation Choke Point
Five House committee and subcommittee chairmen today called on the heads of the executive branch agencies most closely connected with Operation Choke Point to repudiate…
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Regulators Mull Changes to ‘Volcker Rule’ on Bank Investments
Given that the Volcker Rule’s future hangs in the balance, it is important to review its short history, perverse effects, and what the best options…
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Congress, Courts Should Stamp Out EPA’s Power of the Purse
Federal judges should give greater thought to what is being asked of them when the government seeks a court order entering a consent decree that…
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Loretta Lynch Fake Email Account Demonstrates Pattern of Evasion
“Richard Windsor,” the first Obama administration false-identity email account discovered (by CEI), was apparently not an aberration but a way of life for Obama officials.
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NLRB Fails to Explain Departure from Joint Employer Precedent
Today, for the second time this week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision that…
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Can You Make a Living without a Government License?
There is an expanding strange-bedfellows coalition that would like to see fewer professions for which people need a government-issued license.
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$15 Minimum Wage Could Cost 47,000 Jobs in a Single U.S. County
The Washington Post has “sobering news for $15 minimum-wage boosters.”…
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Preparing for Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Sequel’
Before you watch the newest Gore film, here is a reminder of how factually troubled the first film was.
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Environmental Activists Continue to ‘Bee’ Wrong about Honeybee Health Challenges
Lawmakers need to start ignoring the environmentalist hype and let bee keepers continue to resolve environmental health challenges.
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For the Sake of Financial Privacy, IRS Subpoena of Coinbase Should Go
Our brief in United States v. Coinbase might have a lot to say about what the future of financial privacy looks like.
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‘Sully’ Wrong on Air Traffic Control Reform
We urge Sully to do his homework and to critically assess the false, anti-consumer claims he is parroting on behalf of the corporate jet lobby.
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Congress Should Confirm Export-Import Bank Nominee, End Corporate Welfare
The Export-Import Bank is one of the capital’s greatest boondoggles, handing out loans for large corporations at the taxpayer’s expense.
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Protect Free Speech Guarantees of Communications Decency Act
If operators of websites were responsible for what each of their users posted online, they could be on the hook for every potential defamation, infliction…
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As the reality television drama in Washington continues to unfold, regulatory agencies pushed the 2017 Federal Register past the 35,000-page mark and issued 75 new…
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California Legislature Moves to Replace Federal Electric Vehicle Subsidies
Thanks to the federal government, purchasers of electric vehicles are given a $7,500 tax credit.
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Democrats Introduce Carbon Tax Bills at American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute provided the venue on July 26th for Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) to introduce this year’s version of…
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Time to Fix our Nation’s Aviation Systems
The time to systemically improve our nation’s aviation infrastructure is now.
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Anthem Film Festival Award Winners
In addition to dozens of panels, debates, and presentations over the four days of FreedomFest 2017, attendees were also treated to the movies presented at…
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Financial Regulators Should End ‘Too-Big-to-Fail’ Status
In the name of financial stability, federal regulators should at the very least hit the much-need pause button on the SIFI designation process.
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Senate Committee Advances Union Subsidy Transparency Bill
The Senate took a great step forward today to bringing transparency to the wasteful practice of official time. Now it is time to finish the…
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Congress Introduces Cure to Job-Killing ‘Joint Employer’ Standard
It is of the utmost importance to repeal regulations, like the joint employer rule, that stifle small businesses.
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House Energy & Commerce Committee Considers Self-Driving Vehicle Legislation
This bill improves on the definition of “automated driving system” in a manner that likely ensures its constitutionality.
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Senate Appropriations Committee to Consider Airport Fee Increase
The Senate Appropriations Committee will consider a provision that would increase the airport passenger facility charge cap from $4.50 to $8.
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The Other Kind of Documentary
Nothing energizes a web video producer more than showing their film to a live audience.
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FreedomFest Explores ‘New Frontiers’ in Liberty
CNN’s Chris Moody recently reported from FreedomFest, the pro-liberty political conference that’s been hosted for the last 10 years in Las Vegas.
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Congress Should Protect Consumers from Harmful Finance Regulations
Overregulation from Dodd-Frank and the CFPB has taken an enormous toll on community banks, small businesses and consumers alike.
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Consumers Win as House Votes to Overturn Credit Card Arbitration Ban
The Senate must follow the House in passing this resolution of disapproval and in passing the Financial CHOICE Act to bring constitutional accountability to the…
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Campaigning for Free Speech at FreedomFest
Legal attacks on free speech and association rights have been increasing in recent years at an alarming rate.
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Democrats Peddle Job-Killing Proposal in ‘Better Deal’ Blueprint
A $15 national minimum wage would eliminate more than 7 million jobs, according to a 2016 study.
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As summer marches on, regulatory agencies issued more than 60 new regulations in the last week.
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Online Sales Taxes in Congress’ Crosshairs
The No Regulation Without Representation Act would prevent states from imposing tax or regulatory obligations on businesses that lack a physical presence in that state.