I’m not going to start out with any puns like how the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) will have 2020 vision in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at all levels of government this year. And, I will certainly not talk about how this decade will be the “Roaring ‘20s.” Nope, all I have to say is that TPA is committed to being a rapid response taxpayer/consumer organization that will continue to look past partisan politics and make sure every elected and non-elected official is held accountable for their actions. We ended 2019 with a bang, saving taxpayers tens of billions of dollars by convincing lawmakers and administration officials to have a public auction of the C-band wireless spectrum. We also helped stop the disastrous idea of government rate-setting and pushed for real solutions (i.e. arbitration) to solve the surprise billing problem. There is a lot of work to do this year and we are ready to fight the good fight.
New Year’s Resolutions for Trump, Congress, and the States
It’s that time of year again when millions of Americans will make their New Year’s resolutions. We are here to offer some much-needed, practical resolutions for the White House, Congress, and states to curb excessive taxation, reckless regulations, and the careless spending of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. So, to ring in 2020, here are a few of TPA’s New Year’s resolutions for politicians and bureaucrats. To see the full list, click here.
White House
The White House has proven it is serious about bringing markets and competition to America’s deeply dysfunctional healthcare sector and has led the way in kyboshing bad policies such as the individual mandate and numerous medical taxes. The Trump administration has also rejected calls for Medicare for All, which would destroy the healthcare system and cost taxpayers tens of trillions of dollars. But other moves taken by the Trump administration suggest a troubling embrace of top-down solutions that would lead to worsening care for vulnerable Americans. In the beginning of December, the President threw his support behind “compromise” legislation by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) that would have the government fix prices for surprise medical bills that hit millions of discharged emergency room patients per year. The Trump administration should resolve instead to examine the experiences of states such as New York and Florida, which have adopted a market-friendly “arbitration” approach to the benefit of physicians, insurers, and patients. Florida and New York’s arbitration systems ensure that patients are put first. The government shouldn’t gorge itself by making delicate healthcare decisions best left to providers and consumers.
But healthcare is far from the only issue that the White House has set its sights on. Taxpayers and consumers finally got some good news just in time for Christmas as the U.S. and China announced the halting of tariffs (aka taxes) on $160 billion worth of goods ranging from electronics (i.e. cell phones) to toys. And the administration has worked closely with Congress over the past couple of months to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free-trade agreement, which will keep goods and services flowing cross-continent tax free. But, this trade relief pales in comparison to wide-ranging tariffs still on the books which cost the average American family more than $600 per year. Farmers (and taxpayers) have been hard hit as the result of the President dubiously invoking executive authority on national security pretenses to raise trade taxes. In fact, taxpayers have had to shell out $16 billion to growers who have seen their foreign sales fall because of the trade war. A recent study by the Federal Reserve found that tariffs have directly resulted in a decrease in manufacturing employment, the complete opposite of the President’s aims. The Trump administration must continue to work out its differences with China and allies such as Brazil and India and end its disastrous trade wars.
Congress
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have an addiction to wasteful spending. Earmarks were supposedly banned in 2011, but that hasn’t stopped Congress from continuing to sneak goodies for their districts into large, unwieldy spending bills. According to TPA’s analysis of the fiscal year 2020 Defense Appropriations Act, lawmakers tacked on 785 earmarks totaling a staggering $16.1 billion. Congress requested 15.6 percent more earmarks than last year, and there’s little sign that lawmakers are poised to clean up their act. Lawmakers double-down on boondoggles such as the F-35 fighter jet program, which somehow cannot secure a parts pipeline for its aircraft despite hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer funding.
In addition, the United Nations (UN) has enjoyed a virtual blank check from U.S. taxpayers. And, the results are appalling. Here are just some of the examples we found: A UN worker faced charges in New York for sexually abusing a teenager, after purportedly entering the minor’s hotel room to charge his phone; a report showing an uptick in sexual abuse charges by staff working in UN agencies and their partner organizations; and the unjust firing of a UN whistleblower who accused a high-ranking official of sexually assaulting her.
Between February and June 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO), a sub-agency of the UN, claimed that it had to “dip into funds from some of its other budgets” due to insufficient funding from developed countries. WHO officials pleading poverty failed to mention that the organization spends around $200 million annually on luxury travel alone and their expensive conferences and events cost global taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Clearly, Congress needs to demand more accountability from the UN and other International Governmental Organizations.
Taxpayers aren’t expecting miracles, just some common sense. For example, more than $100 billion annually is improperly paid out by federal agencies. Lawmakers must curb these improper payments immediately, while setting their sights on wasteful spending across the government. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) recently released his annual Federal Fumbles report that outlines hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. This report is becoming somewhat of a tradition in Washington, D.C. Here’s just one of many examples of government run amok: “there are multiple regulations for a company that makes frozen pizza, down to the toppings, depending on whether the pizza is cheese or pepperoni. USDA would inspect the meat for the pizza up to three times, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would have jurisdiction over the cheese pizza.”
States
State lawmakers and bureaucrats will stop at nothing to bilk taxpayers for billions of dollars. Starting early this month when states begin their legislative sessions, there will be a temptation to raise taxes to compensate for budgetary shortfalls. Citizens across the country are all-too-familiar with the usual smorgasbord of taxes ranging from income to sales to property “levies.” Over the past several months, states across the country have pushed through proposals taxing reduced-risk products such as e-cigarettes, despite proven benefits in helping smokers quit their deadly habits. In November, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (D) signed into law an astounding 75 percent tax on the wholesale price of vaping products. This and similar proposals by other states such as Illinois and Minnesota will directly result in more people smoking – and dying from – deadly combustible cigarettes and increase healthcare costs for state taxpayers down the road. And states will only grow more emboldened as the FDA bans flavored vapes across the country. State lawmakers and officials should spend 2020 rolling back these onerous taxes, allowing consumers a reprieve from the heavy hand of government. A popular New Year’s resolution is to quit smoking. There is no better way to help people quit smoking than allowing innovation to flourish by increasing the availability of harm reduction products.
There you have it, TPA’s resolutions for the White House, Congress, and state officials for 2020. Unlike your personal trainer that will forget your name after two months, TPA will continue to hold all elected and non-elected officials accountable for 12 months.
Have a great weekend, 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