At a time when the White House and Congress debate solutions for the country’s mounting debt, the Department of Justice is preparing to dole out millions for a taxpayer-subsidized program that puts violent criminals, like Chandra Levy’s killer, on the streets of American cities. States and localities have until mid-July to seek federal funding as part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. The Department of Justice is expected to award an estimated $3.5 million this year. The program was created in the 1960s to assist state and …
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) is convinced that President Obama has no viable plan to revive the economy and reduce unemployment. Two years after the failed stimulus and a year since the administration’s “summer of recovery,” the unemployment rate now stands at 9.1 percent. Without much hope coming from the White House, Hensarling said lawmakers in Congress are forging ahead with an agenda focused on job creation. “Issues of spending and jobs are inextricably linked,” said Hensarling, who spoke at this week’s Bloggers Briefing at Heritage. “The greatest impediment to job …
As gas prices continue to climb — reaching as high as $5.75 to $6.03 a gallon in some places — the Department of the Interior remains stingy with deepwater drilling permits. Since February 2011, the administration has issued an average of just 1.3 deepwater permits per month — a 78 percent monthly reduction from the historical monthly average of 5.8 permits a month, according to the latest Gulf Permit Index from Greater New Orleans Inc. The slow pace of permitting will likely eventually result in production declines — and that …
Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) — a self-described “pro-life, pro-gun constitutional conservative” — never expected to serve on the House Appropriations Committee. As he puts it, he didn’t come to Washington to be “a part of spending money.” Now, even though he serves on Appropriations, he still makes spending cuts his focus. “I’m thankful leadership has allowed me to be who I am, to ask tough questions and to take a different approach in the committee process,” Graves said yesterday at Heritage during The Bloggers Briefing. “My hopes are that we …
Despite systematically undermining domestic oil production, President Obama has recently said he hopes to drastically decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil. Luckily for the president, congressional Republicans have proposed an array of legislation to accomplish just that. The House Natural Resources Committee spent Wednesday working on three new energy bills. The Obama administration’s de facto moratorium has led to a precipitous decline in U.S. oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. That prompted Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) to take action. His committee approved three new pieces of legislation with bipartisan support …
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a longtime advocate of Internet freedom, said she’s undaunted by the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to adopt net neutrality rules. Instead, she thinks the FCC’s action will be a catalyst for renewed commitment on the issue in the 112th Congress. “What we will do is first use this as a way to show how we’re going to keep that Pledge to America,” she said yesterday at The Heritage Foundation. “We said in the Pledge that any rule or regulation that had more than $100 million impact …
According to a recent White House video explaining the administration’s opposition to extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee claims: “If you ask objective economists and analysts around the country about what is effective you will find that everyone agrees that these giant tax cuts for very high income people are the least effective thing that we can do to get the economy growing.” Everyone agrees? If your definition of objective economists is limited to the White House’s economic team, then perhaps this …
Thanks in part to prominent female leadership in the Tea Party, the upcoming elections look to be “profound” for the conservative woman and their core issues. “It’s exciting that conservative women have found their voice,” said Penny Nance, chief executive of Concerned Women for America. “We are hoping that this is the year of the conservative woman.” Nance joined Steve Bannon, director of the The Tea Party Trilogy, at this week’s Bloggers Briefing, a meeting hosted by The Heritage Foundation. The second of Bannon’s three newest films — “Fire from …
For more than 50 days — ever since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded — Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) has been “shocked.” She’s been moved by “tragic” and “heartwarming” TV scenes of the disaster. And she’s been confused by President Obama’s “weird,” “bizarre,” “odd” and “infantile” response to the oil spill. But she hasn’t been impressed. And she doesn’t expect to be impressed tonight when the president delivers his first prime-time Oval Office speech. “It appears what we’re going to hear tonight is a call for more legislation,” Bachmann said …
In the weeks since President Obama signed his health care plan into law, Republicans have done more to repeal and replace their own rhetoric than to repeal and replace Obamacare, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said at The Heritage Foundation Bloggers Briefing Tuesday. Yet, repeal is still possible, he said—and should be priority No. 1. Two days after the health care bill passed, Republicans said they would work to rescind the legislation entirely. Now, some say they’d like to revoke only its most egregious aspects. “They’re trying to redefine what ‘repeal’ …
