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Washington - Today, the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) will unveil draft legislation to reform the nation's broken tax code. Heritage Action released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham: "This tax reform proposal is an important step in launching a debate on how to revive the American economy after years of mismanagement. Chairman Camp framed the fight perfectly in his memo...

My piece on the Foundry today highlights the troubling trend of Washington walking away from even the smallest of reform efforts. Conservatives have some allies in Congress who recognize the danger of rolling back the reforms that are locked into current law, but their efforts to protect those changes are being sabotaged by Republican leadership. Speaking at Heritage Action's Conservative Policy Summit, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), the Chairman of the...

"YES" on the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014

Republicans need to stand up for themselves against the Left's vicious attacks. That's the point I make today in a piece for Breitbart on Arizona's religious freedom bill: Can a political party that refuses to challenge the most vicious mischaracterizations of its views win at a national level? The Republican Party seems intent on finding out. ... The Republican Party--the allegedly conservative party--claims to stand for economic freedom. The 201...

Remember when we told you 10 awful things about the Internet Sales Tax? It's a good time to think about the issue again. Last year, some lawmakers were pushing for the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act. It anything but fair, and though the issue died down in 2013, it's trying to rear its ugly head again this year. On March 4, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to explore...

The Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 (S.2124), contains reforms to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that are unrelated to Russia\'s aggression toward Ukraine and takeover of Crimea. The changes to the IMF would increase Russia’s power at the IMF and reduce the voice of the U.S.

This bill, passed in the House, would cancel reforms made in the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 meant to bring stability to the national flood insurance program.

The Biggert-Waters Reform Act of 2012 set forth much needed reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is currently over $24 billion in debt. While the Senate-passed flood insurance bill (S. 1926) would delay certain necessary reforms, the House bill would go a step further in the wrong direction and completely repeal many of those necessary reforms.

Washington - This morning, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2015 budget a month late. Heritage Action for America released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham: "In 2008, President Obama exploited America's eternal sense of optimism with his call for 'Hope and Change.' Six years later, he continues to double down on his failed, government-first agenda. President Obama's budget will no doubt be greeted with cheers...

"NO" on the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014

In the coming weeks, Congress will begin debating whether to take a temporary program one step closer to immortality. In 2002, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), which established a 2-year program to "allow for a transitional period for the private markets to stabilize, resume pricing of such insurance, and build capacity to absorb any future losses, while...

Fred Hochberg, the very vocal leader of a little known credit export agency called the U.S. Export-Import Bank, made a stunning admission in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the words of reporter Joe DiStefano, Hochberg explained "Big commercial jet makers like Boeing tend to arrange their own financing." This is big news. In the banking industry, the U.S. Export-Import Bank is commonly referred to as Boeing's Bank. And...

Washington's main priority is protecting and enriching Washington. In my Foundry column this week, I write that one of the central challenges facing conservatives - and really all Americans - is how to disrupt the corrupt nexus of big government politicians and the special interests that enrich them: Agree or disagree with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) on policy - and let's be clear, there is a lot to disagree with...

It may not be the return of the Cold War, but Americans are increasingly alarmed by Russia's hostility toward Ukraine. According to a new CNN/ORC International poll, more than two-thirds of Americans see Russia as a threat, which is a "25-percentage point increase since 2012 and represents the highest number on that question since the break-up of the Soviet Union," according to polling director Keating Holland. Even as Americans sour...

"NO" on Ukraine Package and Unrelated IMF "Reforms"

Washington - This afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced the Senate would jettison President Obama's controversial IMF "reforms," which were included in an otherwise noncontroversial Ukraine package. Heritage Action for America released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham: After 19 days of inaction, Harry Reid finally came to his senses. Not only did these so-called reforms have nothing to do with Ukraine, but they...

Washington - Late last night, the Obama administration announced it would ignore yet another key deadline in the implementation of Obamacare. Heritage Action released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham: Nothing says 'most transparent administration in history' like a major announcement at 9pm. Last night's announcement is the latest example of President Obama treating his signature legislation not as the settled law of the land, but...

Australian press is buzzing over the strange nexus between the country's richest person and American taxpayers. The headline in The Australian Financial Review even invokes the phrase "welfare queen." How Australia's richest person, mining heiress Gina Rinehart, secured a $US694 million ($764 million) loan from American taxpayers is surely one of the great ironies of the capitalist system.The case is the latest example of a flaw in the United States...

This week on the Foundry, I explain how conservatives win key legislative battles: It should come as no surprise The New York Times would bury news of a conservative victory over President Obama on page eight. The lead paragraph said it all:Senate Democrats, bowing to united House Republican opposition, dropped reforms of International Monetary Fund governance from a Ukraine aid package on Tuesday.The real question is whether this was merely...

The United States Export-Import Bank is essentially a microcosm of some of Washington's biggest problems, from the corruption it encourages, to putting taxpayers at risk, to the cronyism it facilitates. The alleged purpose of the Bank is to "facilitate exports and imports and the exchange of commodities between the United States and other Nations." That sounds harmless, perhaps even helpful, until the Bank's actual operations are exposed. For proof of...