Porkers of the Month: Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Porkers of the Month for endangering America’s financial stability with their massive spending plans.  Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Sanders are leading the charge to pass a $3.5 trillion spending bill that would devastate the economy and dramatically increase the size, scope, and power of the federal government.  Sen. Sanders outrageously claims he’s “already made a major, major compromise” from his original $6 trillion plan, while Speaker Pelosi is “very exhilarated” over the taxes and spending contained in the $3.5 trillion budget.  CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “The budget plan is a giant insult to taxpayers, especially when $3.5 trillion isn’t enough for Sen. Sanders and Speaker Pelosi is ‘pretty excited’ about spending that much money.  The government has already spent more than $5.7 trillion on pandemic ‘relief,’ yet they want to spend even more.  No one should be ‘excited’ or ‘exhilarated’ if they succeed.”  For pushing the U.S. further toward bankruptcy, Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Sanders are the September Porkers of the Month. Read more about the Porkers of the Month.

CAGW Releases New Healthcare Report

CAGW this month released a new Issue Brief, “Government-Run Healthcare Will Harm Patients and Eliminate Consumer Choice.”  Co-authored by CAGW President Tom Schatz and Director of Health and Science Policy Elizabeth Wright, the report details why a free market approach to healthcare reform is necessary to ensure individuals have the best care available at a cost they can afford. For some time, healthcare reform has been a topic of vigorous debate.  Calls for programs like “Medicare for All” sound good until a closer examination of what that would mean to Americans is revealed.  Government-run healthcare systems inevitably lead to price controls, rationing, and long waiting lists to see a specialist or have surgery.  While change is needed, there are better ways than adopting socialized medicine where government bureaucrats and politicians decide what healthcare Americans will receive.  This report discusses why a free market approach to healthcare reform is essential so that Americans remain in charge of their healthcare choices, numerous options are provided for healthcare coverage, and more innovation is encouraged.  Read CAGW’s latest report.

CCAGW Launches New Campaign to Stop Biden “Infrastructure” Scheme

CCAGW this month launched a new Action Alert campaign targeting House members demanding that they oppose President Joe Biden’s radical and wasteful “infrastructure” package, which contains hundreds of billions of dollars for programs that have nothing to do with roads, bridges, or physical facilities.  As early as today, September 30, the House of Representatives may vote on $1.2 trillion in new infrastructure spending.  If it passes, Congress will move to pass an even more wasteful and expensive $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” bill that would stand as the largest expansion of government size and power in history.  This new spending would be paid for with a massive and devastating tax hike on American families and businesses even as the nation continues to recover from the pandemic.  The current Action Alert campaign has already delivered more than 5,000 letters to House members. CCAGW’s other campaigns this year opposing new spending have sent more than 40,000 letters to Congress to date.  Tell your U.S. Representative to oppose Biden’s “infrastructure” plan.

CAGW Cohosts Event on the Future of the USPS

On September 9, CAGW and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation hosted an event entitled “Packaging Postal Reform for the E-Commerce Era.”  Over the last year, USPS package volumes increased by 25 percent, while first-class and marketing mail continued to declined. As Congress considers USPS reform legislation for the e-commerce era, members will need to account for this important structural change in the environment in which USPS operates.  CAGW President Tom Schatz and other expert panelists discussed postal reform and how to ensure the continued viability of the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a deliverer of both mail and packages.  Watch the event.