FREEDOMWORKS 10/29/2015

1. FreedomWorks Blasts the Obama-Boehner Budget After reading the specifics of the Obama-Boehner budget deal, FreedomWorks Senior Economic Contributor Stephen Moore commented: "This budget deal is a betrayal of all the fiscally conservative promises Republicans made in the last election. It is emblematic of why working-class Americans are angry with congressional Republicans. This sacrifices the one budget victory Republicans have won in the last five years - budget caps and sequester. It is a total victory for Pelosi, Obama and the lobbyists in Washington, and taxpayers are once again the victims. To raise the debt ceiling with no fiscal reforms in the budget process to stop the debt explosion assures near trillion dollar deficits for as far as the eye can see." "Every presidential candidate should be asked where they stand on this calamity and anyone who supports it is no friend of taxpayers." Read more here... 2. Ted Cruz Accepts Invitation to the Rising Tide Summit Following Senator Cruz's acceptance of the invitation, FreedomWorks Senior Economic Contributor Stephen Moore commented: "Our grassroots community is already familiar with Senator Cruz's unique brand of constitutional conservatism, his principled stands against bad economic policies, and his dynamic and fiery speeches from the floor of the Senate. Without question, he brings an important viewpoint to the national discussion on economic issues." "We're pleased that Senator Cruz has accepted our invitation. His support for a flat income tax and the elimination of the destructive 'death tax' shows his commitment to pro-growth policies. We look forward to hearing more about his plan to grow the economy at the Rising Tide Summit." Cruz is the fifth presidential candidate to confirm their attendance. Dr. Ben Carson, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA), and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) have also confirmed. Invitations were sent to every major party candidate polling above 1 percent nationally. Read more here... 3. FreedomWorks Key Vote No on the Bipartisan Budget Act - by Adam Brandon The Budget Control Act of 2011 was the one real triumph for fiscal conservatives since President Obama has been in office. Modest though they were, the BCA's across-the board cuts at least slowed down the government's ever-increasing spending. This bill increases spending over the next two fiscal years by $80 billion in on-budget spending, along with an additional $16 billion in new off-budget wartime military spending. The bill's supporters claim that the spending is fully offset by cuts and reforms elsewhere, but just like the Ryan-Murray deal of 2013, the new spending happens now while the cuts take place much later. Read more here... 4. The Conservative Case for Criminal Justice Reform - by Christina Delgado At a recent Heritage Foundation event, Senator Mike Lee made the conservative case for criminal justice reform. Noting the rationale behind the conservative's view, some background on criminal justice, and tying both concepts into reform from the conservative perspective, Senator Lee emphasized the importance of hope and redemption in the effort for justice reform. Senator Lee shared his earliest memory regarding the need for reform with the criminal law system, dating back to 2004 while working for the U.S. Attorney's office in Utah. His exposure to mandatory minimums made a lasting effect on him: "I witnessed judges forced by federal law to impose punishments that did not fit the crime - first-time offenders sometimes being locked up for longer than murderers or rapists." Read more here... 5. Impeach John Koskinen! Following the introduction of articles of impeachment against IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, FreedomWorks commented: "John Koskinen has utterly failed to reform the IRS in the wake of the targeting scandal and been an active and willing participant in the Obama administration's cover-up of it. FreedomWorks activists sent more than 38,000 messages to members urging them to remove this corrupt bureaucrat from office, and we will support the articles of impeachment filed against him." Read more here... 6. The Liberal War on Women - by FreedomWorks Senior Economic Contributor Stephen Moore via the Washington Times Now that Hillary Clinton has by default sewn up the Democratic nomination, expect Democrats to play the gender card for all it's worth. Hillary recently lashed out at the Republican field for holding "extreme views about women, we expect from some of the terrorist groups but it's a little hard to take from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States." So much for cleaning up the harsh partisan discourse in Washington. Hillary's "gender equity" agenda includes family leave legislation and a federal mandate requiring that women receive equal pay. This from a senator who from 2002 to 2008, paid her female staffers 72 cents for every dollar paid to males, or $15,708 less than the median salary for a man, according to an analysis of data from official Senate expenditure reports. Read more here... Adam Brandon President and CEO, FreedomWorks