Showing posts with label Power Of The Purse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power Of The Purse. Show all posts

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Federal Court: Obamacare Insurance Payments Unconstitutional - a victory for the American people, and for House Republicans, who have stood firm for the rule of law.























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Saturday, June 6, 2015

Republicans wield the power of the purse to block Obama's gun regs



Legislation to fund the Justice Department is chock full of GOP-backed language designed to keep the Obama administration from moving ahead with gun control regulations.

The Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, which cruised through the House this week, contains several provisions directed squarely at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) rule-making authority.

Under the measure, the ATF would be prohibited from banning certain forms of armor-piercing ammunition or blocking the importation of military-style shotguns. Another provision would block federal agents from creating what critics say is a gun registry.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Democrats: We’ll Block DHS Funds Until Boehner Surrenders

◼ Top Democrats said Feb. 23 they will hold the homeland security budget hostage until the GOP’s House caucus agrees to quit its popular anti-amnesty efforts. - Daily Caller

“If we are going to avoid a government shutdown on the Department of Homeland Security, we need a commitment from Speaker Boehner that we have a bipartisan, bicameral approval to end this deadlock,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters during a Tuesday press conference in the Senate.

Durbin spoke shortly after the Senate’s GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to submit to the Democrats’ demands that the DHS 2015 budget not curb spending on the president’s November amnesty.

Democrats have filibustered the House-passed DHS budget bill four times just to block the anti-amnesty language.

McConnell agreed Feb. 22 to allow separate votes on a toothless DHS budget bill, and a bill that would curb Obama’s amnesty plans.

That’s a complete victory for the Democrats, because McConnell’s plan would allow them to kill the anti-amnesty bill, while also approving the separated DHS funding bill.

But McConnell’s surrender isn’t enough for Democrats.

They also want Boehner to give up the anti-amnesty fight even though almost 90 percent of the GOP base opposes the amnesty.

“All eyes are on Speaker Boehner,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said during the press conferenc
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Thursday, January 15, 2015

"It's About Damn Time!":



◼ Trey Gowdy Blasts Obama's Executive Actions On House Floor - Laura Ingraham
◼ Lawmakers Erupt in Applause After This One Line in Trey Gowdy’s Excoriating House Floor Speech - The Blaze

“Madam speaker, President Obama announced one of the largest, extra-constitutional power grabs ever by a chief executive. He declared, unilaterally, that almost five million undocumented aliens will receive deferred action under some newfangled definition of prosecutorial discretion,” Gowdy said. “Not only escaping consequences, he has decided to bestow benefits, such as work authorization and immigration benefits.”

He continued: “This, Madam Speaker, despite the fact that the very same president, over twenty different times, said he lacked the power to do what he just did. And he repeatedly said he is not a king. Now, Madam Speaker, his position may have changed — after the election I hasten to add — but the Constitution has not.”

...Gowdy proclaimed that the U.S. Constitution demands that Congress pass the laws and the chief executive is tasked with making sure those laws are enforced.

He went on to warn that Obama’s executive overreach will encourage future presidents to test the limits of their authority.

“This is not a fight between Republicans and Democrats. It’s not even a fight over immigration reform. This is a fight over whether this branch of government will ever find the courage to stand up for itself,” he added, a line that sparked applause from lawmakers.
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Rep. Duffy Challenges Costello With CNN's Own Poll on Amnesty, Her Own Words



◼ link - Newscasters

REP. SEAN DUFFY, (R), MEMBER, HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE: Carol, remember during the shutdown a year and a half ago, you talked about the power of the purse. Don't use funding of the government – you said use the power of the purse in these fights. And per your own prior questions to me, we're using the power of the purse to say, let's defend the homeland – but to think that you're going to come to Congress and say, I didn't include you in this executive amnesty, but I want you to fund it? The President is out to lunch thinking that we're going to do that, and if he wants to hold the security of the U.S. hostage for executive amnesty – which, I would argue, is unconstitutional...he's not on the side of the American people. Your own poll at CNN says that the American people agree with us – that the President should go through the Congress, the duly elected representatives of our states and our districts to get this done the right way.
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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

It "would go a long way toward reasserting our authority and restoring the balance of power"

◼ Rand Paul: Attach 'thousands of instructions' to every spending bill - Susan Ferrechio/Washington Examiner

Sen. Rand Paul, a prospective candidate for president, on Tuesday told a group of conservatives that Congress should play a much larger role in dictating how the federal government spends taxpayer money.

The Kentucky Republican called for “thousands of instructions” to be attached to every spending bill and for Congress to approve most regulations that come with a price tag.

“That would go a long way toward reasserting our authority and restoring the balance of power,” Paul said at the Conservative Policy Summit, an event sponsored by Heritage Action for America.... KEEP READING
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Monday, December 15, 2014

Yes, Congress can stop Obama's immigration action

◼ Think Congress can't stop President Obama's unilateral executive action on immigration? It can. - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
All money spent by the federal government is under the ultimate control of Congress. If they choose, lawmakers can issue exquisitely detailed instructions on how federal dollars are spent. For proof, look no further than the 1,695-page spending bill passed by Congress over the weekend.

A particular phrase, "none of the funds," appears in the bill more than 450 times. In each case, Congress used those words to dictate how money can and cannot be spent.

The first two times the phrase appears in the bill concern a $1.2 billion appropriation for salaries and expenses at the Farm Service Agency, part of the Agriculture Department. "None of the funds available to the Farm Service Agency shall be used to close Farm Service Agency county offices," the bill says. In addition, "none of the funds available to the Farm Service Agency shall be used to permanently relocate county-based employees that would result in an office with two or fewer employees without prior notification and approval of the Committee on Appropriations."

That's pretty specific. The Agriculture Department can't close Farm Service Agencies or reorganize them, if the result is an office with fewer than three employees, unless specifically approved by Congress. That's using the power of the purse to dictate precisely what a government agency can do.

That level of detail continues throughout the bill....

Those are just a few examples of Congress using its power of the purse to tell the executive branch precisely what it may and may not do. There are many, many, many more — just in the new bill.

And that's nothing new; this sort of restriction, and many of the specific ones in the new spending bill, have been in appropriations measures for years and years.

Under Obama's immigration order, federal offices will process the cases of illegal immigrants in a variety of ways, awarding them work permits, assigning Social Security numbers, and distributing federal transfer payments. Given the routine restrictions of all sorts of federal actions in the new spending bill, and the thousands of such restrictions in similar bills over the years, does anyone believe Congress cannot limit what the president does on immigration?

Yes, lawmakers have to be united to act. But if they choose, they can stop Obama cold. KEEP READING

◼ The 'nuclear option' worked for Dems. Will the GOP reconsider? - Susan Ferrechio/Washington Examiner
On Nov. 21, 2013, Senate Democrats made a historic rules change to end filibusters of judicial and executive branch nominees.

The move, which lowered the confirmation threshold from 60 votes to 51 votes, was considered so drastic that lawmakers labeled it the “nuclear option.”

It could soon backfire on Democrats, now that Republicans are about to take the Senate majority and, by 2016, possibly the White House....
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Thursday, December 4, 2014

Ted Cruz has a BOLD plan to deal with Obama's amnesty
House Votes Down Obama’s Immigration Plan

◼ link - CNS

Sen. Ted Cruz (R.-Texas) said today that Republicans in Congress should pass a short-term continuing resolution that defunds President Obama's unilateral amnesty for illegal aliens, and then use every constitutional means at their disposal to stop that amnesty.

This, Cruz said, would include blocking confirmation of President Obama's nominees to non-national-security-related Executive Branch positions.

The federal government is currently operating on a CR that expires on Dec. 11. Congress must pass a new CR to keep the government funded after that date. If Congress passes a CR that funds the entire federal government through the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30, 2015), it will essentially strip the incoming Republican majority Congress (which will be seated in January) of its power of the purse.

A short-term CR would give the incoming Republican-majority Congress leverage over federal policy, including giving them the power to defund Obama's amnesty through all of this fiscal year....

◼ House Votes Down Obama’s Immigration Plan - The Blaze
The House voted Thursday to nullify President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration — but the legislation members passed stands no chance of becoming law, and only served to prove that Republicans oppose Obama’s immigration plan.

Republican leaders called up the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act, which would stop Obama from implementing his plan to give safe harbor to millions of illegal immigrants, and let them work in the United States.
◼ Breaking: House passes symbolic bill to block Obama’s executive amnesty - HotAir
This was the bill proposed by conservative Ted Yoho that would, if also passed by the Senate and signed by Obama, block Obama’s authority to remake immigration policy on his own. I … thought we had a Constitution that does that, but I guess we don’t anymore. Obviously, a bill like this isn’t going to get past a Democratic Senate and a Democratic president, which means this was an empty gesture designed to show grassroots righties that the leadership shares their concerns about O’s power grab even if they’re not prepared to play hardball to stop it.






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Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Obama: Fund My Amnesty Or I’ll Shut Down The Government

◼ White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday that President Barack Obama will block a government budget bill if the GOP denies him the funds needed to provide amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. - Neil Munro/Daily Caller

If Obama blocks the budget to help the illegals, large sections of the federal government would shut down on Dec. 12.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Congress has the power. Do Republicans have the will?

◼ Actually, Republicans Can Cut The Funding For Obama’s Amnesty - Christopher Bedford/Daily Caller

Congress has the power to defund President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty order, the Congressional Research Service announced Wednesday. This, after a week of bipartisan declarations that Congress was powerless to stop the order.

“In light of Congress’s constitutional power over the purse, the Supreme Court has recognized that ‘Congress may always circumscribe agency discretion to allocate resources by putting restrictions in the operative statutes,’” reads a report from the Congressional Research Service. The report was sent to Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions’ office, first reported by Breitbart News, and has since been obtained by The Daily Caller.

◼ GOP set to fund entire government through September, except immigration services - Herman Cain

No funds for amnesty.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Government shutdown? GOP has a better strategy



◼ Government Shutdown Not Necessary to Block Obama Action on Illegal Immigrants, Republicans Say - Josh Siegel/Daily Signal

Republican leaders have zeroed in on a few options to keep the government running while confronting President Obama’s impending executive action to reshape the nation’s immigration system.

Obama’s intent to act alone to change enforcement of immigration laws — potentially deferring deportation for millions of illegal immigrants — complicates efforts by Congress to fund the government past Dec. 11, when current funding expires.

Republican lawmakers are discussing methods designed to use the power of the purse while avoiding another government shutdown — something all parties insist they want to avoid....

One option under consideration by leadership of the House Appropriations Committee is to pass a bill to fund the government until next fall but have the new Congress look to rescind funding next year from agencies that carry out any executive order by Obama on immigration.

Another option: Pass two separate funding bills — a short-term bill holding back funding for immigration enforcement agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and another measure funding the rest of the government for a full year.

Conservatives continue to push their own strategy of passing a clean, short-term bill through what is called a “continuing resolution.” That would allow lawmakers to come back to the spending fight early next year, after the GOP assumes control of the Senate as well as the House.

◼ There's no doubt where Mitch McConnell stands on the question of shutting down the government. "There will be no government shutdowns," the incoming Senate Majority Leader vowed the day after the midterms. - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
(T)oday's political world is far different from last year's. First, Republicans are contemplating answering President Obama's expected unilateral immigration action in ways that do not involve a government shutdown. And second, in light of the midterm results, some in the GOP are recognizing the original shutdown did not end up having the political effects that were once predicted.

First, the GOP response to Obama's anticipated order. The only thing Republicans will do in the lame duck session — that is, before they take control of the Senate, and keep control of the House, in January — is to make sure a short-term government funding bill is passed by the time the current one expires on Dec. 11....

Then in January, with the GOP in control — and, presumably, Obama's edict in hand — Republicans will work on crafting a new spending measure that funds the entire government, with the exception of the particular federal offices that will do the specific work of enforcing Obama's order.

Republican sources liken the contemplated action to Congress' move to stop the president from closing the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. In 2009, lawmakers denied Obama the money he would have needed to proceed. Guantanamo remains open.
◼ How Republicans Will Respond To Obama's Executive Amnesty - Conn Carroll//Townhall
Regardless of when President Obama announces his plan to give work permits and Social Security numbers to millions of illegal immigrants, House Republicans are now expected to pass a short-term government funding bill early this December that will allow them to defund Obama's work permit giveaway early next year.

“It happens all the time,” retiring Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told National Review last week. “That’s not uncommon that there’s amendments saying ‘none of the funds in this appropriation bill may be spent for’ — fill in the blank,” Levin said.

Asked specifically whether Republican attempts to defund Obama's amnesty could be called "an effort to shutdown the government," Levin disagreed. “That’s not slash-and-burn. That’s not bringing down the government. That’s a fairly traditional, targeted approach to make a policy point.”
◼ Will the GOP use “rescission” to counter Obama’s immigration executive action? - Bruce McQuain/HotAir
Whatever the eventual plan, the next two months should be quite interesting. However, should they pass the spending bill before the next Congress, rescission provides a path for the GOP to cut funding to the programs that Obama targets with his EOs and trigger quite a nasty political battle next year.
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Monday, August 25, 2014

2nd Vote tells you how companies are spending on political causes

◼ “Conservatives need to have this information so they can hold companies accountable." - Daily Signal

Before opening a new bank account, filling up your tank, shopping for groceries, purchasing a computer, booking a flight or visiting a drug store, you can now find out how those companies are spending on political causes.

Thanks to a free online app called 2nd Vote, consumers have this information at their fingertips for America’s most popular brands.

The app, which is available on Google Play and Apple’s iTunes, allows instantaneous access to a database that includes more than 400 companies. It’s the brainchild of a nonprofit based in Nashville, Tenn., which seeks to help consumers make more informed decisions....

“What we want to do is connect the dots for conservatives in terms of how their money is being spent and to show which companies are promoting something they don’t support,” Walker said, adding:
Education was a natural next step for us and that’s why we decided to take a look at Common Core. We want high standards, but local control is better. We are in global economy and have a lot of competition from companies that are trying to beat us so we need high standards. But when you federalize and centralize education, you diminish the importance of the 50 states as laboratories. This is where the best ideas come from.
Companies are then ranked on a scale of one to five, with one being the most liberal and five being the most conservative.
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