An examination of “administrative earmarks” around the time of congressional votes on key pieces of President Obama’s agenda suggests the White House used its power to fund local projects as a means to “buy” votes for major legislative efforts. Administrative earmarking refers to the federal government’s allocation of funds from its discretionary budget for specific projects. The practice is less transparent than legislative earmarking, since, according to the Congressional Research Service, “[t]here is no source that defines and comprehensively identifies Administrative earmarks.” But an analysis of grants from agencies during …
The anti-fracking documentary “Gasland” has served as a rallying cry for environmentalists seeking to halt hydraulic fracturing, the process used by energy companies to extract petroleum and natural gas from underground. Even the State Department is promoting the film. Critics of the widely-debunked documentary acknowledge its impact. Irish journalist and filmmaker Phelim McAleer is among them. “I think it’s one of the most influential documentaries of maybe the last 10 years,” McAleer told us. “It’s driven the narrative. It has created a story. And it’s very, very entertaining, very well …
Livid at delays in the confirmation process for 90 of the president’s nominations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said on Friday that he would encourage President Obama to make even more unconstitutional non-recess appointments if Republicans did not accede to his demands. “Virtually every one of these nominees could be approved today if the Senate Republicans would cooperate,” Reid exclaimed. “If something doesn’t break here, I am going to recommend to the president he recess appoint all these people, every one of them.” The nominees were not being blocked, …
No. It’s that simple. A number of House members and senators have been circulating this picture of the first panel from yesterday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, which featured five clergymen, decrying it as an “all-male hearing,” in the words of Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). A number of Murray’s Senate colleagues, and numerous House members, echoed the falsehood. In fact, as this picture shows, the hearing was not “all-male.” The second panel to testify before the committee featured Dr. Laura Champion, medical director of Calvin College Health Services, and Dr. Allison …
The State Department is promoting a widely-debunked film about natural gas development as part of an effort at “smart power diplomacy.” The film, “Gasland,” is widely credited with spreading hysteria about the practice of hydraulic fracturing, a natural gas mining technique under fire from environmentalists nationwide. The film purports to show the dangers of “fracking,” but many of its key findings – including the iconic image of flames spewing from a kitchen faucet – have been shown to be wildly misleading. State announced the event in a news release last …
President Obama has been accused of violating the Constitution with two high-profile decisions over the last month. Polling and reactions from elected officials reveal an important truth: the Constitution is a winning political issue – Americans respect it and want their leaders to adhere to it. Most recently, the administration has attempted force companies and organizations that offer health insurance plans to cover the full costs of contraception. For groups that have a religious objection to doing so, the policy represents a brazen violation of their First Amendment rights. But …
The top Republican on the Senate’s health care committee warned on Wednesday that a recent administration decision to allow cabinet secretaries to raise money for political organizations could coerce individuals or organizations into financially supporting the president’s reelection in order to avoid a regulatory backlash. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is one of a handful of cabinet officials who have said they will speak at fundraising events for a major super PAC supporting the president’s reelection. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), ranking member on the Health, Education, Labor and …
The chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee blasted the president’s self-styled “accommodation” of religious employers required under the Obamacare law to provide contraceptive services to employees in apparent violation of the Constititoin’s protection of religious liberty. “Under the President’s proposal,” explained Heritage’s Jennifer Marshall, “employers and employees will still bear the cost of paying for coverage of contraception, abortion-inducing drugs, and sterilization because insurance companies will simply pass on the cost of this ‘free’ service with higher premiums to the employer.” “It’s very chilling and very dangerous,” Rep. Tom Price …
A new National Labor Relations Board regulation that expedites elections for union representation will likely lead to dramatically higher rates of unionization, a new study has found. A majority of workplace union elections are decided by five or fewer votes, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis. What’s more, “cutting the time between a request for an election and the ballot increases the chances union supporters will prevail,” according to the study. “Unions win 87 percent of elections held 11 to 15 days after a request, a rate that falls to …
The “Occupy DC” protest group is planning to disrupt the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference using a range of potentially illegal tactics that could even include violence against participants, Scribe has learned. The planned disruptions at CPAC come only days after U.S. Park Police raided Occupiers’ tent cities at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., confiscating a number of tents, and prohibiting Occupiers from camping out there any longer. During a Thursday meeting at McPherson Square, until Saturday the epicenter of the protests, Occupiers brainstormed tactics for shutting …
