TPA's 2016 New Years Resolutions for Washington!

The time to say goodbye to 2015 has arrived as the New Year is upon us. From losing weight to reading more, it’s that time of year when millions of Americans make their resolutions for the coming year.  The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) put together a list of our own resolutions for Washington.

Congress
From tax reform to spending reform, there are so many resolutions they can make.   As a “catch all” resolution, we urge Congress to return to regular order in 2016. When the Republicans took control of the Senate, there was a promise of a return to regular order regarding how the appropriations process would move forward in the new session of Congress. However, lawmakers failed to return to regular order and instead continued to pass stop-gap measures to fund the government that ultimately led to another omnibus spending bill passed just days after being released. TPA hopes that in 2016 the move back to regular order will actually take place. New House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) has made that pledge, but the Senate must do their part to make this actually happen. With regular order, there is a greater possibility for real reforms.  Read more about appropriations here.

White House
One of the most serious problems that our lagging economy continues to deal with is the increase in regulations promulgated by the Obama administration. Stopping the regulatory overreach by all agencies especially the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Food and Drug Administration should be a top resolution for the White House. Regulations are the silent killer of the economy.  In 2015, the regulatory regime cost the economy an estimated $1.9 trillion according to a report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). At a time when working families are still grappling with the struggles of paying bills, the worst thing government can do is make it harder for them to make a living. In 2016, TPA is urging the White House to stop the madness on increasing regulations and do more to help the economy, rather than hurt it.  Read more about regulations here.

United States Postal Service
With more than $50 billion in mounting financial debt since 2007, a number of services that fail to cover product costs and service standards in rapid decline, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is in trouble and the future of dependable mail delivery is in jeopardy.  What is needed most from USPS is better financial management of overall postal operations and management accountability for the declining service of their core mission of letter mail delivery, a clear misguided business plan and financial mismanagement leading to their mounting debt.  Of the nine appointees to the Board of Governors, there are currently six vacancies. This provides a real opportunity for policymakers to appoint new leaders with fresh ideas who are not afraid to get USPS back on a path towards solid financial footing and providing each American with reliable mail service.  The USPS has an opportunity for fiscal improvement if they, and Congress, resolve to make real reforms such as eliminating Saturday mail delivery (saving $2 billion annually) and look at cheaper ways to buy new vehicles for their aging which could save $2 billion. Read more abotut the USPS here.

Federal Communications Commission
Even though there are plenty of harmful actions and waste to single out each agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has earned a special spot on our New Years resolution list for their massive overreach.

Municipal Broadband
This past year was a busy year as government owned networks (GONs) proliferated across the country.   With that growth, taxpayers lost hundreds of millions of dollars as these networks failed.  Even though this may seem like a state or local issue, the FCC has tried to pre-empt state laws that prohibit the expansion of these taxpayer-funded networks.  If states want to stop the spread of these networks, the FCC should stay away and let them decide. Read more about muni broadband here.

Net Neutrality
In 2015, the FCC went back to court to defend their unprecedented regulatory overreach of the Internet called net neutrality.  Next year could see intensified legal action that will likely make its way to the Supreme Court. The FCC needs to take the advice of the song from the animated movie Frozen, and just “let it go,” and give up on Net Neutrality. Read more about net neutrality here.

Agency Oversight
Oversight is critical in making sure government agencies are operating within the bounds of their authority and in an appropriate manner. The FCC has had several votes (net neutrality, muni broadband) that have called into question the credibility of how the agency is being run. TPA wants more accountability from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and also more oversight from Congress to make sure the agency is not abusing their power with new regulations that harm states and the Internet. Read more about the FCC here.

2016 Presidential Candidates
There certainly has been plenty of talk from the candidates.  Unfortunately, most of that talk has been cheap shots and not many ideas on how to eliminate the deficit and debt.

Spending Cuts
The current national debt ($18 trillion and climbing) must be addressed by all candidates. Unfortunately, we’ve heard a lot of spending proposals and not much on the cutting side. The Democratic candidates have no desire to cut spending and the Republicans say they want to bring down the debt, but there hasn’t been a single candidate that has laid out a specific plan to cut spending in a meaningful way.  As the 2016 campaign moves forward, TPA wants a more serious discussion on the debt and spending reduction from Presidential candidates on both sides of the political aisle. Read more about spending cuts here.

No New Taxes
Candidates should not only be talking about how they will reduce spending, they should also not be talking about creating or raising taxes. The debt the country faces is not because of revenue shortfalls, the government is collecting more in taxes than ever before. With record taxation, massive debt, and a lagging economy, new taxes are not what those running for President should be even thinking about much less talking about it. TPA wants to hear nothing about new taxes. Consider former Maryland Governor and Democrat Presidential Candidate Martin O’Malley, who raised taxes 40 times to the tune of $9.5 billion in 8 years. That is not something any candidate should be talking or bragging about in 2016 or ever. Read more about taxes here.

Pentagon Reform
One thing that is obviously lacking from the debate in 2016 is a real discussion on reforming spending and overall accountability at the Department of Defense. While there have been some words spoken in debates about “Pentagon reform,” TPA wants to hear more including a plan to finally audit the Pentagon and how the candidates would ensure that spending on wasteful and unnecessary programs becomes a thing of the past. Read more about Defense here.