Well, it’s official: Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris to be his running mate. Some people are claiming Harris is a moderate. She is not. Harris supports the Green New Deal which would cost between $8.3 trillion and $12.3 trillion over 10 years. She supports Medicare for All which would mean the virtual elimination of private insurance. And, it’s expensive. The cost of Medicare for All would be at least $2 trillion per year. Harris also wants to raise the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 35 percent which is a guarantee that businesses would flee the United States. We’ll have more analysis of Harris’ plans in the coming weeks, but so far, it doesn’t look good.
Summer Reading – IGO Watching
Hopefully, members of Congress relaxing beachside and poolside (as well as those still sweltering in the Washington, D.C. heat) remembered to put their sunscreen on. Prolonged exposure to UV radiation, after all, will make it downright painful to put that suit on once September rolls around. But not so fast, because according to one mysterious international agency, a key ingredient of sunscreen called titanium dioxide is “possibly carcinogenic”, despite “inadequate evidence in humans” being presented for analysis. The organization making this scary-sounding claim is the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a sub-agency of the World Health Organization (WHO). After the complete failure of the WHO to provide any meaningful or timely information to help the world deal with COVID-19, Americans now know just how much they were forced to pay into this fearmongering failing agency: more than $400 million per year. Well, hopefully not for too much longer, as President Trump recently kicked off a one-year withdrawal process from the corrupt, grossly negligent WHO. The WHO is just one of many bogus International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) that taxpayers pay for, receive little to no benefit from, and in many cases are downright hostile to American interests.
The WHO is just the tip of the fiscal iceberg for taxpayer funded IGOs. Other problematic IGOs include the European Union, International Monetary Fund, International Labour Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank. For example, the OECD has been spearheading a reckless global campaign to increase job-killing taxes on businesses across the globe. Heritage Foundation senior policy analyst Adam Michel notes, “The…[OECD’s]… projects on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and digital taxation are providing legitimacy to the global campaign for higher business taxes. Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. Treasury was rightfully skeptical of the OECD process to rewrite the international tax regime. The Treasury is now actively participating in OECD discussions to abandon physical presence as a necessary precondition for paying taxes and to allocate a portion of digital corporate profits through a new formulary system, thus increasing global taxes on businesses.”
Unfortunately, many taxpayers are in the dark about how their hard-earned dollars are spent by the federal government in Washington, D.C. But there’s even less knowledge about how their incomes are distributed to IGOs around the world. According to Council on Foreign Relations scholars, “The U.S. government contributed just over $10 billion to the United Nations in 2018 [including sub-agencies such as the WHO…. This represents roughly one-fifth of the $50 billion the United States spends annually on foreign aid. By comparison, that is about what the government allocates annually to the U.S. Coast Guard.”
Some of this WHO funding finds its way to niche organizations such as IARC that use taxpayer dollars to promulgate dubious medical findings. Other contributions go toward the WHO’s general operating budget, which funds lavish travel budgets for employees and dubious dealings with China. TPA and IGO Watch have been sounding the alarm to key policymakers who have kickstarted the process of US withdrawal from the WHO. By next July, the U.S. will officially leave the deeply dysfunctional organization. Lawmakers should embrace this decision and keep up the scrutiny on all IGOs that U.S. taxpayers continue to fund. With enough determination, the U.S. will stick to its announced WHO withdrawal and also start to hold other global bureaucracies accountable. And maybe, just maybe, lounging lawmakers can finally put on sunscreen.
The XL Pipeline’s Unlikely Partner
I’ve been doing policy work in DC for more than 27 years and the most excited I get is when there is bipartisan agreement on an issue. And, when private industry and unions find common ground, people should pay attention. On August 5th, TC Energy and four labor and trade unions announced a groundbreaking agreement to complete construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. This accord, which allows more than 10,000 American workers to help construct the pipeline between the United States and Canada, couldn’t have come at a better time for the American economy. Unfortunately, some in Washington want to ignore this progress and axe this massive project that will create thousands of jobs. Their preferred big government “solutions” would create a pink-slip economy and force taxpayers to foot the bill for wasteful energy projects. Policymakers should reject these “green” boondoggles and allow the Keystone project to create real opportunities for American workers.
After going through an arduous environmental review process, the Keystone XL Pipeline was finally awarded a new presidential permit in 2019. But this permit has significant opponents, including former vice president and presidential candidate Joe Biden. They would stop the project dead in its tracks, jeopardizing the entire workforce of pipefitters, welders and operating engineers, in addition to scores of other specialized professionals. The setback would be catastrophic to America’s already struggling economy, considering that the project’s union-negotiated wages and benefits are two to six times higher than the average U.S. weekly salary. This compensation not only helps the workers involved, but also stimulates the U.S. economy without bilking taxpayers. The estimated $2 billion in construction wages to be paid to American workers on this project seeds economic prosperity throughout communities, allowing for families to spend, save, and invest their hard-earned dollars. If the project is allowed to proceed, these benefits will provide an estimated $3.4 billion bottom-line benefit to U.S. GDP.
Yanking the permit would not only turn off this economic spigot, but also increase the burden on U.S. taxpayers if workers were subsequently laid off and forced to file for unemployment benefits. And, ironically, this shortsighted approach would also imperil renewable energy sources. Unions understand that they need to get their workforce trained and ready as investor-owned utilities across the United States make carbon neutral commitments. Labor unions want their workers to be hired to build renewables facilities but often lack the specialized training necessary to attain those jobs. However, this “skills deficit” is addressed in the Keystone XL deal. Tucked into this project’s labor agreements is an offer by TC Energy to contribute an estimated $10 million toward a new green jobs training program to honor the 10 million hours anticipated worked on the pipeline by union labor. This targeted private sector investment should serve as a model for renewables job training and workforce development that can be replicated in agreements between unions and private sector companies across the United States.
This agreement is a better option than proposed big government “solutions,” such as the so-called Green New Deal, which could cost taxpayers and consumers more than $1 trillion per year. Other, similar proposals floated by lawmakers, talking heads, and presidential candidates contemplate spending trillions of taxpayer dollars to prop up “green” projects heavy on bureaucracy and light on accountability.
The two pathways to the energy future of the United States are clear. The Keystone XL Pipeline delivers billions of dollars in needed economic benefits today and provides private sector investment for the future. Costly, big government alternatives would impose economic hardships today and stick future generations with a jaw-dropping bill. Policymakers must allow the Keystone project to proceed and reject “green” boondoggles that would create a pink-slip economy.
Blogs:
Monday: Watchdog Calls for Real Tax Relief to Replace Executive Actions
Tuesday: No more billionaire bailouts
Wednesday: Biden’s Broadband Plan Would Promote Risky Taxpayer-Funded Networks
Friday: SUMMER READING: International Governmental Organizations (IGOs)
Media:
August 9, 2020: The Sierra Sun Times (Mariposa, Calif.) mentioned TPA in their story, “U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein Introduces Bill to Protect Congressional Whistleblowers from Retaliation.”
August 10, 2020: Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “Biden’s Broadband Plan Would Promote Risky Taxpayer-Funded Networks.”
August 10, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about President Trump’s executive orders.
August 10, 2020: The Galion Inquirer (Galion, Ohio) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Hiring American’ policy won’t work.”
August 10, 2020: The Economic Standard ran TPA’s op-ed, “Report touting municipal broadband makes a weak case.”
August 11, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “Congress can – and must – curtail executive actions.”
August 11, 2020: Townhall ran TPA’s op-ed, “The 'Friday Night Massacre' at the Postal Service That Never Happened.”
August 11, 2020: I appeared on One America News to talk about the latest round of relief legislation.
August 12, 2020: Issues & Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “Keystone Jobs A Welcome Alternative To Pink-Slip Economy.”
August 12, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “Accidental transparency shows fiscal folly of taxpayer-funded broadband.”
August 13, 2020: I appeared on WBOB Radio (600 AM and 101 FM; Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about President Trump’s payroll tax deferral.
August 13, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about a federal investigation at the Office of the Comptroller in Baltimore.
August 13, 2020: Townhall ran TPA’s op-ed, “Biden Should Reject Harris’ Big Government Plans.”
August 14, 2020: I appeared on the American Viewpoints radio show to talk about the next round of relief legislation.
August 14, 2020: TPA Vice President of Policy Ross Marchand appeared on “The Final 5” (Fox 5 DC) to talk about the U.S. Postal Service and mail-in voting.
Have a great weekend, stay safe, and as always, thanks for your continued support.
Best,
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org
