Pork producers are speaking out against legislation that would give federal regulators the authority to mandate cage sizes for egg-laying hens. They’re worried it could lead to a slippery slope that increases red tape for farmers on a range of issues. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), would impose costs between $4 billion and $10 billion on farm production, according to industry estimates. The legislation requires conventional cages to be replaced with new colony housing for hens — about double their normal size. Among the bill’s other requirements: …
The Senate is slated to take up a resolution of disapproval next week that would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from regulating the Internet. With the economy still dominating the national political agenda, Senate Republicans are pointing to the measure’s expected impact on job growth. Net Neutrality regulations, explained Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) at Heritage’s Bloggers Briefing, would set up the FCC as the Internet’s “gatekeeper”: many innovations in the way the Internet is accessed and used would have to be approved by the 5-member panel to ensure they …
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) came to Washington in January ready to have a vigorous public debate over America’s debt crisis. He’s less optimistic about the outcome today — a result of the super-secret Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. “I thought it was a very, very bad idea to create a non-transparent, backdoor committee to put together something that is the responsibility of 535 members of Congress,” Huelskamp said yesterday at Heritage. “I expect nothing good to come out of it.” Huelskamp voted against the final debt-limit bill that created …
Heritage welcomes Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, for today’s Bloggers Briefing at noon ET. The event is available on Ustream.tv. Follow the action live on Twitter using the #TBB hashtag. Hultgren is a freshman from Illinois’ 14th District in the northern part of the state. He came to Washington this year focused on cleaning up the fiscal mess, achieving real health care reform and enacting pro-growth policies. Perkins, meanwhile, joins us to preview the star-studded Values Voter Summit from Friday through Sunday. …
Google is growing up. That was the message company representatives shared at Heritage this week on the Silicon Valley behemoth’s 13th birthday. (Click here to watch video of the event.) Google is making the case for the free market — and taking its message to conservatives. The Heritage Foundation hosted representatives from Google at Tuesday’s Bloggers Briefing. The meeting came just a few days after a Senate hearing in which Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt was grilled by lawmakers over the company’s search engine ranking practices. The search engine giant recently added …
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) visited Heritage earlier this week for The Bloggers Briefing and stuck around to chat in our Robert H. Bruce Radio Studio. On this week’s Scribecast, we cover tax reform, Brady’s MAP ACT, free-trade agreements and what Texas can teach the rest of America. Listen to our interview with Rep. Kevin Brady on Scribecast Brady is the vice chairman and top Republican on the Joint Economic Committee and serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. He was the point man for the White …
Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) said his office is fielding significantly more phone calls today following President Obama’s prime-time plea last night. But many constituents are relaying the opposite message from what Obama asked them to deliver on the debt-limit debate. My phone started lighting up last night. Both Twitter, Facebook, texting, people calling me even last night during the speech. It was a reverse effect from what I think he assumed. They’ve been flooded with people contacting me, saying, ‘Stand your ground. Don’t do his plan.’ Now, we’ve had plenty …
The House Ways and Means Committee welcomes former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a 2008 Republican presidential candidate, to testify on alternative tax systems. The hearing will examine the value-added tax and FairTax. It will also explore consumption tax and the issues surrounding it. Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) will speak at today’s Bloggers Briefing at Heritage. The freshman lawmaker serves on the Budget, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Oversight & Government Reform committees. He will be joined by Iain Murray, CEI’s vice president for strategy, and author of “Stealing You Blind.” Finally, Sam …
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is no stranger to fights with party leadership. And he’s not holding back in his criticism of the so-called “Plan B” that’s being developed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). “It seems to be a cover-up,” DeMint said this afternoon in an exclusive interview with Heritage. “It’s like leaving the door to the federal vault open and looking the other way and saying we had nothing to do with the robbery.” He blamed President Obama for politicizing the …
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) will be stopping by Heritage today for The Bloggers Briefing. He will be discussing his new book, “The Great American Awakening: Two Years That Changed America, Washington, and Me.” As noted in Heritage President Ed Feulner’s review, the book chronicles the rise of a movement that provided a crucial wake-up call in the aftermath of President Obama’s victory. He will be joined by American Legislative Exchange Council Senior Director for Public Affairs Raegan Weber and Tax & Fiscal Policy Director Jonathan Williams. Listen to the podcast on BlogTalkRadio or Ustream.tv. …
