FREEDOMWORKS 02/12/2015

1. One Way for Congress to Halt Obama's Executive Overreach - by Tom Borelli via The Washington Times President Obama’s abuse of his authority is being carried out by government bureaucrats running wild with power. Executive branch bureaucrats represent a serious threat to our liberty, and the new Republican Congress must pass legislation such as the REINS Act to rein in the excessive power wielded by the executive branch. Climate change regulations being advanced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a case study justifying the need for the REINS Act as a way to counter Obama’s executive branch of power. Read more here... 2. Activists Send Over 20k Messages to Congress: Do NOT Renew the Ex-Im Bank FreedomWorks activists nationwide have sent over 20,000 phone calls and messages to Congress, urging members of the House and Senate to let the corrupt Export-Import Bank expire at the end of June. “We have a rare opportunity in a divided government to end an entire corporate welfare program by merely doing nothing and letting its authorization expire,” commented Matt Kibbe, President of FreedomWorks. “In this instance, to advance good policy, Congress only needs to do what they do best- nothing.” Read more here... 3. Enough is Enough: The Ex-Im Bank is Subsidizing Rich Australians Now - by Logan Albright The U.S. Export-Import Bank is one of the most blatant and indefensible examples of corporate cronyism by the federal government. Started 80 years ago as a protectionist, New Deal program, the Bank lingers on like a festering sore on America’s lip that just won’t heal - because Congress can’t leave it alone. The Ex-Im Bank’s charter should have expired long ago, but Congress continues to fund it under the pretense that it is necessary to stimulate exports from American companies. In reality, the Bank hands out billions of taxpayer dollars to unsound companies based on political favoritism. Often, these companies are not even based in America. Read more here... 4. Alternatives to The Federal Reserve System - by Trey Grover 5. Elizabeth Warren is Totally Fine with Being Kept in the Dark by the Federal Reserve - by Jason Pye Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has become the populist darling of the far-left by successfully portraying herself to be a vocal opponent of Wall Street and big financial institutions, as well as a hardcore supporter of onerous financial regulations, the costs of which are passed on to American consumers. Her anti-cronyism image, though, isn't all it's cracked up to be. In July, Warren came out in favor of reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, which has, on the backs of taxpayers, doled out billions of dollars worth of loans to rent-seeking, politically-connected big businesses. Apparently, this brand of corporate welfare isn't enough to earn her ire. Read more here... 6. Authorized to Steal - by Michael Greibrok If you own a house or car, they are your property. If you produce cabinetry or quilts, they are your property. If you produce raisins, they are your property and cannot be taken by the government without just compensation, right? Not according to a decision by the Ninth Circuit. The Supreme Court recently granted a petition for a writ of certiorari to hear oral arguments in this case,Horne v. Department of Agriculture. The case concerns a federal program ran by the Department of Agriculture under the authority of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. The program covers certain raisins produced in California and requires handlers of these raisins to give a percentage of the crop to the Raisin Administrative Committee (“RAC”), or pay a fine. The RAC has discretion to sell or gift the raisins; the proceeds of which are then distributed back to the producers on a pro rata basis, minus the administrative costs of the RAC. Read more here... In Liberty, Jackie Bodnar Director of Communications, FreedomWorks