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A red-ink-drenched postal service

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:November 5, 2019
Post category:Postal Reform

For the American people, the frights won’t stop after Halloween is over — thanks to the most mundane of federal departments, the United States Postal Service (USPS). In the coming weeks, the red-ink-drenched agency will reveal to the public how much money it lost in the past year. It’s certain to be a nightmarish number, since the USPS has lost around $70 billion since 2007 and the agency is facing the uncertainty of new leadership after its postmaster general recently called it quits. That horrifying debt is only set to grow, too, unless the USPS can conjure up a business plan to get back on track. And who will be on the hook with higher stamp prices and bailouts?

Congress Should Quit Procrastinating on USMCA

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:November 1, 2019
Post category:Trade

Like any high schooler with a short attention span, members of Congress are expert procrastinators and save all the hard work for right before class starts or the few days before vacation. The House is set to adjourn for two weeks, even as key policy issues remain unaddressed. In particular, lawmakers are still negotiating the ins-and-outs of the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), preliminarily agreed to by the three countries in September 2018. This successor agreement to NAFTA contains key intellectual property (IP) protections, and ratification through Congress is pivotal for continued innovation across the continent. Like (many) high schoolers waiting until the last minute to get their assignments done, hopefully lawmakers ace their homework assignment and get everything right.

TPA’s Tricks and Treats for 2019

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:October 31, 2019
Post category:Government Waste

It’s hard to deny: each year, kids going around the block trying to nab candy from their crochety neighbors have had exceedingly-bad luck. When Mrs. Obama moved into that old house across the street in 2009, she only had sugar-free Twizzlers and…floss to hand out to the poor 9-year-old ghouls. Now, Mr. Schiff in that apartment complex down the way has made local news by handing out articles of impeachment instead of candy to middle-schoolers along with black sharpies to redact as they see fit.

Smarter, Fairer Tax Policies Can Drive U.S.-Poland Friendship Forward

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:October 30, 2019
Post category:International

In the 30 years since the Berlin Wall fell, America and Poland have never had a closer bond. Poland has morphed into a developed market economy, out of the shackles of a communist state. America trades vigorously with Poland, exporting more than $4 billion worth of goods each year to the seventh-largest economy in the European Union. If Poland continues to boom, opportunities abound for U.S. companies trying to gain a foothold in the resurgent country.

TPA Sends Letter to Senate Opposing Sen. Schumer’s EV Rebate Proposal

Post author:David Williams
Post published:October 30, 2019
Post category:Comments and Testimony Congress

TPA sent a letter to the Senate on Tuesday, October 29 urging Senators to oppose Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) costly electric vehicle (EV) rebate proposal. Under Sen. Schumer’s misguided plan, the federal government would spend nearly half-a-trillion hard-earned taxpayer dollars to entice drivers of older, gasoline-powered vehicles to trade-in their cars for electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel-cell cars. The proposal would break the bank, while fueling ecological and labor abuses around the globe.

New York City’s Proposed Menthol Ban is a Bust

Post author:Jeff Stier
Post published:October 25, 2019
Post category:State Issues

Bronx City Councilman Fernando Cabrera predicts that his legislation to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes to adults in New York City is “going to be one of the biggest things this council has ever done.” He may be right.

Study Committee Delivers on Bold New Healthcare Plan

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:October 24, 2019
Post category:Healthcare

Every day in the media and on Capitol Hill, Americans are being fed misinformation on healthcare reform. Lawmakers, presidential hopefuls, and talking heads try to tell anyone who will listen that, unless the federal government ushers in a $30 trillion Medicare for All program, premiums will continue to soar, and millions of Americans will continue to go underinsured.

Watchdog Praises Plan for Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:October 22, 2019
Post category:Healthcare Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) praised a plan offered by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Tex.) to establish a Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Rep. Arrington is expected to introduce an amendment during today’s Ways and Means Committee markup of H.R. 3. This Chief Negotiator would counter other nations’ attempts to underprice drug prices in their own country and prevent cost-shifting to U.S. consumers.

Watchdog Releases Report Slamming Rhode Island No-Bid Contract Proposal

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:October 21, 2019
Post category:Cronyism Press State Issues

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) released a report criticizing Rhode Island for a costly no-bid crony contracting process that will determine the future management of the Rhode Island Lottery. The current technology and video-slot producer International Game Technology PLC (IGT) is requesting a twenty-year contract extension without the state considering competing proposals by rival companies. TPA’s report finds that a more competitive bidding approach would save the state more than $1 billion over 12 years.

Taxpayers Lose With Rhode Island Lottery Contract

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:October 21, 2019
Post category:Report

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has conducted an evaluation of the costs (as well as pro- jected benefits) of IGT’s and Camelot’s proposal in an attempt to quantify the impact of different contract scenarios on taxpayers and the state of Rhode Island. In addition, TPA analyzes the poten- tial consequences of Rhode Island pursuing a no-bid contract process for lottery services. While this analysis is comprehensive, there are additional factors to consider when comparing IGT’s proposal with a more competitive approach. For instance, the state is documented to have overpaid IGT for lottery central system services, which this research brief does not address. Therefore, TPA considers its estimates to be conservative.