I want to welcome two new policy analysts, Lindsey Stroud and Daniel Savickas, to the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) team. Lindsey’s work on tobacco harm reduction and other critical consumer issues comes at a pivotal time as consumer voices become more important. Lindsey’s reputation and work product in these areas is second to none. I was pleasantly surprised that she was available and TPA was able to pick her up. Dan is a master of all policy trades. The guy is super intuitive and can write like a beast. He has hit the ground running and you should definitely keep an eye out for his work.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of TPA and the team we have assembled is incredible and ready for whatever comes our way.
The World Health Organization’s 1-year Anniversary
It was January 14, 2020 when the World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted that “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in Wuhan, China.” What a tragic tweet that was, sent more in the interest of protecting China than having any basis in science. This tweet is not entirely worthless, though. It is a perfect encapsulation of exactly what is wrong with the WHO. It demands blind trust on issues of public health, despite a track record of being tragically wrong. It defers far too often to the regime in Beijing rather than to the facts or the best interests of global health. There is very little doubt that the collective trust the world placed in the WHO in the early days of this crisis cost thousands of lives and millions of jobs across the globe. President Trump withdrew the U.S. from membership in the WHO in July. It was too little, too late to save the U.S. from the consequences of the WHO’s misinformation on coronavirus, but these decisions may very well avoid similar catastrophes in years to come. Yet, despite this, President-elect Biden has promised to rejoin the WHO on day one of his administration. This would be a monumentally foolish decision. While Biden claims that Americans are “safer” when America is in the WHO, the more than 389,000 Americans who have died would beg to differ if they had the chance. Months before the virus came to our shores, the WHO claimed – without caveat – that there was no human-to-human transmission. This lulled leaders into a false sense of complacency and prevented key planning that could have taken place. WHO leaders did this to please the top brass in Beijing.
Even a cursory analysis of the WHO’s track record on coronavirus will show that they are far more a political entity than a public health organization. When Dr. Li Wenliang first raised red flags about the fact that human-to-human transmission was, in fact, very possible, he was censured aggressively by the Chinese regime. He was accused of “spreading rumors” and eventually died of the virus himself. In late March, once the scope of the pandemic and Chinese misinformation was evident, WHO officials doubled down on their defense of China’s handling of the virus. WHO Senior Advisor Bruce Aylward refused to answer questions regarding China’s response compared to Taiwan’s relatively successful approach. When asked by Yvonne Tong, a reporter for the Hong Kong media outlet RTHK, if Taiwan’s success would lead the WHO to reconsider their stance disallowing Taiwan from becoming a member nation, Aylward stalled in silence for over ten seconds. He then claimed he hadn’t heard the question and asked to move on to a different one. When Tong repeated, Aylward hung up. When Aylward and Tong got reconnected, he actually referred to Taiwan as an “area of China” and claimed China had done a very good job with the virus, before hanging up again.
It is clear that the WHO is intent on making itself a political entity that is serving the interests of some of its more authoritarian members, namely the Chinese government. Their flailing response thus far should be enough to strip them of any credibility on the coronavirus or any other public health matter. Additionally, the WHO has tried to skirt any responsibility by smearing any and all criticisms of their response as attempts to “politicize the virus.” President-elect Biden, who fashions himself as a champion of science, decency, and truth, should keep the U.S. far away from this hopelessly corrupt organization.
The New Agriculture Secretary Isn’t That New
Despite the alarming deficit and debt numbers and the call for fresh ideas, President-elect Biden seems intent to nominate for his cabinet some of the same officials who helped get us into this mess. Perhaps none are more emblematic of this trend than the prospective new Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack previously served as head of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the entirety of the Obama administration. This will be his second go-round at USDA and – if it is anything like his first – our economy and taxpayers are in deep trouble. Farm spending in the United States puts a hefty burden on our debt all on its own. For example, the 2018 Farm Bill carried a ten-year price tag of roughly $867 billion. The 2013 Farm Bill, over which Vilsack presided, had a ten-year cost of $955 billion. Vilsack and other proponents cynically claimed it would actually cut spending in the long run. However, the spending cuts were back-loaded to the end of the ten-year span, so they would predictably be superseded by subsequent legislation and never actually take effect. This is the type of underhanded political operator set to re-take the reins at USDA. Vilsack is a major proponent of commodity subsidies. These subsidies prop up crops if prices or revenue fall below a certain (largely arbitrary) benchmark. Vilsack and his allies position him as a champion of small farmers and opponents of his legacy as heartless corporatists. However, as is often the case in Washington, the opposite is true. In fact, 94 percent of subsidies go to only six crops: corn, wheat, soy, cotton, rice, and peanuts. However, these six crops only account for 28 percent of production. Roughly seven in ten commodities farmers operate just fine without assistance. Vilsack’s subsidies serve not to aide struggling small farms, but to prop up wealthy special interests. In fact, the top one percent of farms, in terms of gross annual income, receives 20 percent of the subsidies in farm bills like Vilsack’s.
Naturally, lobbyists for varied food interests across the nation are already lining up to praise Biden’s designation of Vilsack to return as USDA Secretary. Surely, the 850 millionaire “farmers” in Manhattan, who received millions in farm subsidies from Vilsack’s USDA and are still receiving them today, are thrilled to see Vilsack’s return. The federal bureaucracy has been a hotbed of cronyism for years precisely because of the type of leadership ushered in by people like Tom Vilsack. This is the proverbial “swamp” that 2016 voters wanted drained. Tom Vilsack is not an unknown quantity. He has a years-long service record of reckless agricultural policy and cronyism that comes at the expense of America’s small family farms and ranches. The senators who will be tasked with evaluating his nomination in the coming weeks would do well to study this record and ask tough questions. Ultimately, any honest evaluation will produce the conclusion that the USDA should not open its doors to Vilsack a second time.
Blogs:
Tuesday: Antitrust Suits Against Tech Expensive, Frivolous
Wednesday: End the F-35 Boondoggle
Thursday: President-elect Biden Must Steer Clear of the WHO
Friday: Watchdog Critical of $1.9T Biden Coronavirus Relief Plan
Media:
December 21, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about Xavier Becerra, Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services.
December 22, 2020: I appeared on American Family News (nationally syndicated) to talk about the COVID relief bill.
December 22, 2020: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on Richmond Morning News w/ John Reid on WRVA 1140 AM - 96.1 FM (Richmond, VA) to talk about the antitrust suits against Google.
December 22, 2020: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on Newsmax TV to talk about the antitrust suits against Google.
December 22, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “Contracting can fix postal shipping fiasco.”
December 22, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) quoted TPA in their story, “Baltimore elected leaders set to get pay raise as city faces financial crisis.”
December 22, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) quoted TPA in their story, “AG Frosh Climbing Aboard the Facebook Suit Using Your Money For The Ticket.”
December 23, 2020: I appeared on KRC Radio (Cincinnati, Ohio) to talk about Biden’s potential tax increases.
December 28, 2020: Townhall.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “Even Biden Won’t Screw Up 5G Development – Probably.”
January 3, 2021: The Epoch Times quoted TPA in their story, “Pelosi Reelected as House Speaker in Tight Vote.”
January 4, 2021: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the plastic bag ban in Baltimore, Md.
January 5, 2021: I appeared on Liquid Lunch with John Tobacco (nationally syndicated) to talk about potential tax increases in the incoming Biden administration.
January 5, 2021: I appeared on KRC Radio (Cincinnati, Ohio) to talk about New Year’s resolutions for Congress.
January 5, 2021: Townhall.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “FDA Needs Double Dose of Reform and Reality.”
January 6, 2021: Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “Antitrust Suits Against Tech Expensive, Frivolous.”
January 6, 2021: I appeared on The Jesse Kelly Show (nationally syndicated) to talk about New Year’s resolutions for Congress.
January 7, 2021: I appeared on Rush to Reason on KLZ 560AM (Denver, Col.) to talk about New Year’s resolutions for Congress.
January 7, 2021: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the Capitol riot.
January 7, 2021: I appeared on WBOB 600 AM (Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about Pres. Trump being kicked off social media.
January 11, 2021: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about Pres. Trump being kicked off social media.
January 11, 2021: The Lebanon Daily News quoted TPA, “Mail for some in central PA still arriving late amid 'perfect storm' created by virus.”
January 11, 2021: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on Rush to Reason on KLZ 560AM (Denver, Col.) to discuss the social media ban on President Donald Trump.
January 11, 2021: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “New USDA secretary: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
January 11, 2021: The Washington Examiner ran TPA’s op-ed, “End the F-35 Boondoggle.”
January 12, 2021: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on The Florida Round Table on 850 WFTL (West Palm Beach, Fla.) to discuss The Barstool Fund.
January 12, 2021: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on The Charlie James Show on 106.3 FM WORD (Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.) to discuss the social media ban on President Donald Trump.
January 13, 2021: Issues and Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “New Congress Must Slash Spending.”
January 13, 2021: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on Richmond Morning News w/ John Reid on WRVA 1140 AM - 96.1 FM (Richmond, VA) to discuss the social media ban on President Donald Trump.
January 13, 2021: TPA VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on The Ross Kaminsky Show on 630 AM KHOW (Denver) to discuss Section 230 and the social media ban on President Donald Trump.
January 14, 2021: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the proposed Maryland relief bill.
January 14, 2021: Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “New Year, New Regulations, and Big Government’s Attempts to Block Tobacco Harm Reduction.”
January 14, 2021: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “President-elect Biden must steer clear of the WHO.”
January 14, 2021: Responsible Statecraft ran TPA’s op-ed, “That $2.6 trillion stimulus was one heck of a holiday bonus to defense contractors.”
January 15, 2021: I appeared on American Family News (nationally syndicated) to talk about the next COVID relief bill under President Biden.
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
