WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) weighed in on the latest employment data, and urged policymakers to come together and expand opportunities for working Americans. In July, nearly 1.8 million jobs were added to the U.S. economy, beating projections by more than 300,000 jobs. After record-high unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, 9.3 million jobs have been added to the U.S. economy in three months.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) slammed the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) latest loss of $2.2 billion for the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2020. Multi-billion-dollar losses continued despite a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Treasury and a nearly 50 percent increase in shipping and package volume in the third quarter. According to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, “the reality remains that the Postal Service is in a financially unsustainable position absent significant fundamental change.”
Lawmakers are excited to finally leave town and lay on the beach with their faces buried in an exciting (and hopefully non-political) book. But no matter how riveting that book is, there is the ever-present tendency to…check social media for any mentions of themselves or the latest sizzling hot takes. Social media platforms and the internet writ large can be a cesspool of clap backs, ad hominem attacks, and overall nastiness. But overall, the digital domain allows for open-ended discourse and has powered a free, vibrant civil society for the past two decades. Some lawmakers want to ignore the big picture and punish digital platforms for ostensibly engaging in “censorship.” One particular area of focus for these members of Congress is Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which offers broad-based liability protections for internet platforms.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for adopting flexible, common-sense procedures for the auction of new C-band licenses. Slated to begin on December 8, the much-anticipated auction will allow for critical mid-band spectrum to be used for 5G services and enable the Internet of Things. The FCC voted today to establish clock auction design, dates and deadlines, bidding criteria, and payment and credit calculations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) slammed a group of state attorneys general (AGs) for seeking to undermine the intellectual property (IP) protections of critical medications. In an August 4 letter to federal officials, 34 AGs urged policymakers to disregard drug manufacturer Gilead’s patent on remdesivir. The AGs proposed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) license the medication to another producer, ostensibly to benefit Americans unable to afford treatment. The medication continues to be studied by researchers as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
Today, a coalition of twenty-four free-market organizations, both national and state-based, wrote a letter to Majority Leader McConnell and Chairman Grassley expressing opposition to a potential extension for the production tax credit (PTC) and the investment tax credit (ITC). These tax credits are set to expire this year.
Yesterday, a coalition of eleven free-market organizations sent a letter to Sens. Cassidy and Wicker commending them for introducing legislation seeking to address the surprise medical billing issue which do not include government rate-setting or price controls.
Bribery scandals in two states involving energy companies and lawmakers serve as cautionary tales about money in state politics and the bipartisan nature of corruption. Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder, a Republican, and four other political operatives were arrested in July in a bribery scandal. A federal criminal complaint states that an energy company (later revealed to be Akron-based FirstEnergy Solutions) paid Householder and the operatives $61 million so they would secure the company a taxpayer bailout of more than $1 billion for its two nuclear power plants along Lake Erie.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) commended President Trump for appearing to reverse course and support a private acquisition of digital platform TikTok. The President had previously announced that he planned on banning the platform in the U.S. due to concerns that TikTok owner ByteDance is cooperating closely with the Chinese government. According to media reports, prospective purchaser Microsoft has 45 days to solidify a deal with stipulations surrounding data security and Chinese government involvement in the social media app. TikTok is a widely used app, with more than 175 million downloads in the United States alone.
The U.S. Postal Service is drenched in red ink, having accrued more than $78 billion in net losses since 2007. In May, the Government Accountability Office somberly concluded, “USPS’ current business model is not financially sustainable due to declining mail volumes, increased compensation and benefits costs, and increased unfunded liabilities and debt.” Yet some lawmakers, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., want to hand the struggling agency a blank check to subsidize this failing business model.
