pcox, Author at Advancing American Freedom

Stopping the War on Affordable Vehicles

Topline: The Biden administration, along with progressive allies in California, is seeking to ban the sale of the vast majority of conventional vehicles and hybrids within the decade. Congress must pass legislation to stop them.

Background
• The Biden EPA is finalizing a rule that would require two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to have zero tailpipe emissions by 2032 (virtually eliminating the sale of gas-powered vehicles and also hybrids).
• The Newsom administration’s proposed tailpipe rule is even more aggressive, mandating the same targets by 2030, and a complete prohibition of new sales by 2035.
• AAF has repeatedly called on leaders to fight policies that discriminate against American energy in favor of energy that relies on resources from foreign adversaries (such as the rare earth minerals from China necessary to make electric vehicle batteries).
• In our legislative agenda for American energy, we urge leaders to “reject state and federal mandates, such as those banning gasoline-powered vehicles, that eliminate consumers’ options, drive up costs, and increase reliance on materials from our foreign adversaries.”

Protecting American Families
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH) are holding a hearing today, where they will consider AAF-backed legislation to counter progressives’ war on affordable vehicles, including the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act and the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act.
• Advancing both pieces of legislation is critical in the fight to protect the American consumer and stop the Left’s climate radicalism.
• Additionally, Advancing American Freedom also calls on Republicans on Capitol Hill to conduct rigorous oversight of the Biden administration via hearings and resolutions that roll back the administrative overreach that has become the hallmark of the green agenda.

As AAF Founder, Vice President Mike Pence, has said: “President Biden and his progressive allies on Capitol Hill have been intent on crippling the U.S. energy industry for the sake of a radical green agenda.” The Left continues in the “prioritization of its policies over the prosperity of the American people. The government has no right to tell Americans what kind of car they can drive any more than they can tell vehicle manufacturers what to produce. President Biden’s far-left climate agenda reduces options for consumers and increases our reliance on China and its electric vehicle battery production.”

Resources
• AAF Slams Biden’s Approval of Chinese Battery Production Facility
• AAF Supports GOP Effort to Roll Back SEC Overreach
• AAF on Biden Administration’s Plans to Eliminate Gas Vehicles
• The Future of Freedom: Unleashing American Energy

Reach out to John Shelton (jshelton@advancingamericanfreedom.com) with any questions.

AAF Chairman Marc Short Statement on Scott-Brown Bill Recoup Act

“Earlier this year we witnessed the failure and subsequent taxpayer bailout of three federally regulated banks as a result of regulators asleep at the wheel,” said AAF Chair Marc Short. “Senator Warren introduced a bill allowing bank regulators to claw back executive pay when banks fail, and now Senator Sherrod Brown and Senator Tim Scott have introduced a bill that is virtually identical and, in some ways, worse. These two bills are cut from the same cloth and their effects would be equally damaging to the private sector. The Scott-Brown bill would expand the role of government in the private sector, introducing greater corporate governance requirements and layers of bureaucracy. Though the addition of Senator Sinema’s amendment helps address some of the federal mismanagement, conservatives should still be looking for ways to reduce the heavy hand of the federal government in its approach to bank failures.”

AAF RECOUP Act Memo

Topline: The Brown-Scott clawback bill would give bank regulators arbitrary authority to claw back executive pay when banks fail but does nothing to hold regulators accountable for sleeping on the job.

Background

Earlier this year, we witnessed the failure of two federally regulated commercial banks (Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank) as a result of federal mismanagement and regulators asleep at the wheel in the midst of historic inflation and rising interest rates induced by a government spending spree.

The government response was pitiful in everything but the price point, and completely counterproductive to the task of preventing future failures.

By bailing out these banks, including the deposits of many Chinese companies that were SVB customers, the Biden administration continues the Obama administration’s policy of promoting moral hazard.

In the wake of SVB’s collapse, anti-bank Bolsheviks like Senator Elizabeth Warren tried to ram their progressive policies through Congress but were thwarted by commonsense.

Now, in their own “response” to these bank failures, Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown and Ranking Member Tim Scott have introduced a “Warren-lite” executive compensation clawback.

RECOUP Act – Background

Gives the FDIC discretion to claw back up to two years of compensation for the executives of failed depository institutions (exempting lenders with less than $10 billion in assets). This is just shy of Senator Warren’s proposed three-year clawback period.

Raises the civil money penalty for reckless behavior causing a substantial loss to a depository institution from $1 million to $3 million. Senator Warren’s bill contains no such provision.

Introduces new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) mandates, forcing banks to comply with additional unnecessary regulations.

RECOUP Act – Impact

This bill does nothing to address and preempt the causes of bank failures and instead punishes private companies for their own business decisions. Rather than focusing on the roles of a mismanaged Federal Reserve and a crushing regulatory regime, this legislation merely serves as a slap on the wrist to a small subset of bank executives. Additionally, this legislation would seek to codify ESG mandates that further the policy priorities of the Left through corporate governance with little to no legislative oversight.

Instead of supporting legislation that serves as a vehicle for progressive policy priorities, conservatives should address and preempt the causes of bank failures, starting with the catastrophic mismanagement of the Fed. This should include heavy scrutiny of the Fed’s dual mandate and its special exemptions from federal oversight.

Resources
Advancing American Opportunity (Advancing American Freedom)
Pence Blasts Biden Bank Bailout (Daily Mail)

Contact John Shelton (jshelton@advancingamericanfreedom.com) with any questions.

AAF Supports GOP Effort to Roll Back SEC Overreach

Advancing American Freedom issued the following statement of support for legislation from Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), which would target a proposed rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requiring companies to disclose information on their greenhouse gas emissions.

“Greenhouse gas emissions have nothing to do with gauging whether a company is profitable, and these disclosure mandates would only further inhibit a company’s success,” said AAF Executive Director Paul Teller. “Senator Mike Rounds’ bill is common sense legislation that would rein in the SEC’s attempt to expand the presence of government in the day-to-day work of American businesses. This proposed rule does nothing but create additional barriers for companies to prosper while further crippling critical American industries and investments. Advancing American Freedom will continue to support Congress in its efforts to roll back these harmful proposals and encourages lawmakers to stand against the Biden administration’s radical climate agenda.”

Background

AAF: “It’s Time to Defang the Administrative State”

Advancing American Freedom issued the following statement after the House passed the Separation of Powers Restoration Act (SOPRA), which would repeal the doctrine of “Chevron deference” that has enabled federal bureaucrats to make, interpret, and enforce laws without any accountability.

“For too long, government agencies have undermined the separation of powers set out in the United States Constitution. Rather than look to Congress to legislate, agencies have taken the legislative role upon themselves, and the courts have shrugged their shoulders, allowing the executive to run roughshod over the other branches,” said AAF Executive Director Paul Teller. “This crucial first step by the House checks the ever-growing bureaucracy and reempowers federal courts to do their constitutional duty.”

“SOPRA properly restores the judiciary to its province and duty to say what the law is, not what a self-serving bureaucracy states what it should be,” said J. Marc Wheat, General Counsel for AAF. “Advancing American Freedom will continue to be an advocate for the separation of powers and combat executive overreach like Chevron deference.”

Background:

In December, Advancing American Freedom filed an amicus brief in the Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo case before the Supreme Court, arguing for the overturn of the Chevron Doctrine. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Chevron doctrine next term.

AAF Applauds House on Gas Stoves Bill

Advancing American Freedom issued the following statement after the Republican House passed legislation that would prevent federal funds from being used to regulate gas stoves or implement a rule that would ban gas stoves.

“Biden’s bureaucrats would like nothing more than to ban gas stoves and lecture American families on how to live Green New Deal-compliant lives. The Biden administration has made it a priority to cripple American energy and insert itself into the most basic of household decisions across the country,” said AAF Executive Director Paul Teller. “As President Biden’s far-left climate agenda continues its overreach, we applaud the work of the House to push back on the radical green agenda that hurts everyday Americans.”

AAF: “Biden Administration is Bending to China Yet Again”

Today, Advancing American Freedom issued the following statement calling out the Biden administration for allowing a Chinese electric vehicle battery company to start construction in Michigan, despite protests from the local community.

“The Biden administration is bending to China yet again, this time on electric vehicle production in the United States,” said AAF Executive Director Paul Teller. “This administration is determined to cripple the U.S. energy industry with red-tape and overregulation in the name of a radical climate agenda. Now, President Biden is placing his climate priorities over our national security—allowing China to advance its own strategic interests in our backyard, all while taking away jobs and investments in American industry. The government’s job is to produce a strong national defense, and this administration continues to shirk that responsibility while the threats from our adversaries continue to grow.”

Background

The Biden administration has demonstrated a continually weak stance on the growing threat of China. This week alone the administration finally acknowledged the Chinese Communist Party has been using a base in Cuba to spy on the U.S., shifting the blame that it was a problem they inherited. The administration also this week has allowed South Korea and Taiwan to expand their chip production in China, instead of working to keep advanced chips out of CCP hands.

Just last month, Advancing American Freedom released a Future of Freedom on Countering the Threat of China which included legislation that would lower costs of energy production, vitalize domestic energy production, and mandate disclosure of contracts held with the Chinese Communist Party.

More:

AAF Releases Aggressive Agenda to Counter China Threat

AAF on Biden Administration’s Plan to Eliminate Gas Vehicles

The Year of the Congressional Review Act

The Congressional Review Act has proven its importance in holding the Biden administration accountable in a divided Congress.

Conservatives in Congress won their very first legislative victory in March with a CRA resolution overturning a District of Columbia crime bill that would have reduced penalties for violent offenders. Under political pressure for surging crime in the District, President Biden caved and signed the CRA resolution, leaving progressives high and dry without any executive branch cover for voting against common sense.

Created in 1996 through the efforts of then-Rep. David McIntosh, R-Indiana, the CRA was constructed to empower Congress to keep the executive branch and D.C. in check, which the Constitution grants Congress exclusive authority over.

Rather than the typical 60 votes necessary to advance most policies in the Senate over the potential for a filibuster, CRA resolutions are “privileged measures” requiring only a simple majority. In the current Congress, that has meant that conservatives could hold Biden’s sprawling administrative state in check with the support of only one or two Democrats, and sometimes less than 51 votes. Convince the usual suspects of Democratic senators Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema or Jon Tester that a Biden policy has gone too far, and the CRA can be used to stop that policy in its tracks.

Conservatives also forced the first veto of the Biden presidency through a CRA resolution opposing a 401(k) rule that put progressive values over economic value for American workers. Advancing American Freedom launched a six-figure ad campaign, concentrated in Arizona and Montana (we had already flipped Manchin with a massive coalition letter effort that included key West Virginia stakeholders). As a result, we were able to protect the retirement accounts of hardworking Americans from progressives’ political games.

Last week, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed two CRA resolutions, overturning Biden’s overreach on heavy-duty vehicle emissions and his student loan bailout. The heavy-duty vehicle emissions rule would add thousands of dollars to the cost of every truck on the road, driving up already exorbitant transportation costs for consumers. According to the American Truck Dealers, costs could be as much as $42,000 per truck, and the EPA estimates the rule would impose a $55 billion burden on the trucking industry over the rule’s lifetime. The CRA, which already passed in the Senate with the support of Manchin, received support from four House Democrats in battleground districts.

The student loan rule would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, breaking our already broken higher education system. Rather than helping working-class Americans struggling to get by, this rule rewards the professional class and progressives with overly expensive gender studies degrees.

The rule isn’t just a slap in the face to Americans who chose not to go to college because of the crippling expenses or those who worked hard to pay off their student loan debts — it’s a deeply misguided initiative that will actively encourage more reckless borrowing and stoke the flames of inflation. Even Biden has acknowledged that his authority is doubtful here. It’s clearly part of a corrupt political spoils system aimed at buying votes. While it did not get as many Democratic votes as the heavy-duty vehicle CRA, the student loan CRA passed with bipartisan support in the House and now moves to the Senate, where its fate will be determined.

Advancing American Freedom has been compiling a list of executive overreach called the Biden Accountability Tracker (BAT). The BAT tracks each significant policy decision made, executive action taken, or regulation promulgated by the administration that hurts the American people. This task has produced 171 entries in the past two years, the latest of which would be ripe for CRA action.

The administration has aggrandized federal power at the expense of accountability, adopting a radical “whole-of-government” approach to nearly every political or policy issue. Defeating this destructive agenda is top of mind as conservatives look to take back control of Congress in 2024. In the meantime, we should use the CRA vigorously to swat down overreach. Let history remember 2023 as the year of the CRA.

AAF Founder Mike Pence to the MLB: “It is not too late to reverse course”

Today, Advancing American Freedom founder Vice President Mike Pence sent a letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred, urging him to “act quickly” on the Dodger’s decision to host and award the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic hate group.

Excerpt from the letter:

“Now in 2023, Major League Baseball is standing by as our national pastime is desecrated by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic hate group with a history of religious bigotry. For reasons completely beyond understanding, the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to give an award to the “Sisters,” giving a public platform and spotlight for their indecency that risks sexualizing young children. For a moment, it looked like the Dodgers might reverse course, but sanity has not prevailed in Los Angeles.

…

“Baseball once stood for American greatness, but when it openly invites attacks on Christian faith, sexualizes children with graphic public displays, and undermines the family-friendly environment that baseball has long stood for, it is clear that those days are fading fast.

While baseball has had a bad streak over the past few years, that does not mean the book is closed on the MLB. “Pride Night,” when the Dodgers will recognize the “Sisters,” is not until June 16. It is still not too late to reverse course and recover the reputation of American baseball.”

Read the full letter here.

Mike Pence Statement on Debt Limit Deal

Today, Vice President Mike Pence issued the following statement on the recent debt limit deal.

“The United States is staring down a debt crisis over the next 25 years that’s driven by entitlements, and nobody in Washington, D.C., wants to talk about it. Congress’ debt limit deal doesn’t just kick the can down the road, it uses Washington smoke and mirror games to make small reforms while weakening our military at a time of increasing threats from foreign adversaries. It’s time to be honest with the American people and get everybody to the table to restore fiscal integrity to our nation. By ignoring the drivers of our national debt and avoiding honest conversations with the American people, President Biden and the Washington establishment continue to pile the burden of debt onto the backs of our grandchildren, and the American people deserve better.”

Download the Biden-Harris Administration Accountability Tracker Here

pcox

Stopping the War on Affordable Vehicles

AAF Chairman Marc Short Statement on Scott-Brown Bill Recoup Act

AAF RECOUP Act Memo

AAF Supports GOP Effort to Roll Back SEC Overreach

AAF: “It’s Time to Defang the Administrative State”

AAF Applauds House on Gas Stoves Bill

AAF: “Biden Administration is Bending to China Yet Again”

The Year of the Congressional Review Act

AAF Founder Mike Pence to the MLB: “It is not too late to reverse course”

Mike Pence Statement on Debt Limit Deal

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