TPA Executive Director Tim Andrews here, filling in for David this week. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance is off to a fast start in 2020, even though Congress is dragging their feet. Our work on surprise billing resumes as we continue to make the case against government rate-setting as the "solution" to surprise medical billing. In fact, this week we launched a TV campaign thanking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for kiboshing a big government “fix” that was set to be passed last year. Check back next week as we launch a new effort to end surprise medical billing the proper way with a new website and new coalition.
Baby Steps on Trade Taxes
It was heartening to see President Trump sign "Phase One" of a trade deal with China on Wednesday, scaling back some of the destructive tariffs that were previously imposed by the administration.
Tariffs - which are simply trade taxes on U.S. consumers and businesses - have been a disaster for our economy. The combined total of President Trump's tariffs will cost each American family more than $2,000 a year , and even the Federal Reserve has admitted that trade taxes have decimated jobs in the manufacturing industry.
Any lessening of this crippling burden is welcome, as is the (alleged) commitment by Beijing to finally take intellectual property theft seriously. However, as TPA discussed in our statement, this deal goes nowhere near far enough to provide the relief that Americans deserve. Tariffs on more than $200 billion worth of products remain, and U.S. companies continue to face astronomically-high costs in bringing their goods to market. Hopefully, “Phase Two” of the trade agreement with China will allow for far more reductions in these harmful trade taxes. Millions of livelihoods depend on it.
But a far more fundamental question remains as to the continued misuse of the "national security" emergency clause in the Trade Expansion Act, which allows the President to impose tariffs with no scrutiny or oversight. This is why TPA has been at the forefront of a coalition of organizations dedicated to reforming this 58-year-old legislation to ensure that any future tariff proposals receive legislative scrutiny and oversight. The President should not be allowed to impose trade taxes on a whim (but don’t tell that to Joe Biden, who has suggested unilaterally levying “carbon tariffs”).
Postal Plan Finally Delivered
In the proud tradition of the United States Postal Service (USPS), the agency's leadership delivered a new five-year business plan this week...six months late.
While late deliveries by the USPS is something all Americans should be used to, it should nevertheless be disturbing that the agency refuses to accept responsibility for their impending 2024 bankruptcy. Nowhere in the newly-released business plan does the agency address how to rein in frivolities such as: $1 billion in excess annual payments to middle-mile contractors, "green" initiatives that will likely lead to millions of dollars annually in unnecessary spending, or reselling programs that enrich third-party businesses while leaving taxpayers high and dry. Throughout the report, the USPS touts the upcoming “digitization” of its operations without producing a realistic roadmap of how to get there.
If the USPS was serious about Postal reform (rather than simply hoping for a taxpayer bailout come 2024), they would read TPA’s report on the issue released last year. TPA’s analysis offers more than $3 billion in common-sense, easily-implementable annual savings for the agency, and can be found here.
Blogs:
Tuesday: Trump can save millions of lives by rethinking vaping regs
Wednesday: California’s surprise billing “fix” compromises care for millions of patients
Wednesday: Watchdog Urges Greater Progress on Trade Negotiations
Thursday: Postal Business Plan: The Good, Lame, and Up in Flames
Friday: TPA Announces Ad Campaign Thanking Lawmakers for Rejecting Rate-Setting
Media:
January 13, 2020: The Washington Examiner ran TPA’s op-ed, “Permitting reform is great, but we also need to privatize our ports.”
January 13, 2020: TPA President David Williams appeared on WBOB Radio (600 AM and 101 FM; Jacksonville, FL) to talk about IRS reform.
January 13, 2020: Red Maryland ran TPA’s op-ed, “Guest Post: Maryland And Virginia Must Kibosh ‘Green’ Pipe Dreams.”
January 14, 2020: Catalyst ran TPA’s op-ed, “Andrew Yang’s Misguided Obsession with Automation.”
January 14, 2020: TPA President David Williams appeared on 55KRC (Cincinnati, Ohio) to talk about Postal reform and the United Nations.
January 14, 2020: The Orange County Register (Orange County, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The Daily Bulletin (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The San Gabriel Valley Tribune (San Gabriel, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The Los Angeles Daily News (Woodland Hills, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 14, 2020: The Whittier Daily News (Whittier, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “California’s surprise billing ‘fix’ compromises care for millions of patients.”
January 15, 2020: The Herald and News (Klamath Falls, OR) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Avant-garde pension reforms can turn around trillion-dollar deficits.”
January 15, 2020: TPA Policy Director Ross Marchand appeared on “Lifeline” (KFAX 1100 AM and KDOW 1220 AM; San Francisco, CA) to discuss Postal reform.
January 15, 2020: I appeared on KTKZ Radio (1380 AM; Sacramento, CA) to discuss flavored vaping bans.
January 16, 2020: TPA Policy Director Ross Marchand appeared on “The David Webb Show” (Sirius/XM Channel 125; nationally syndicated) to discuss Postal reform.
January 16, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA's op-ed, "Iran’s online blackouts show why governments shouldn’t control the internet."
January 16, 2020: Star Local Media (Plano, TX) ran TPA's op-ed, "Iran’s online blackouts show why governments shouldn’t control the internet."
January 16, 2020: WDEL (Wilmington, DE) ran TPA's op-ed, "Iran’s online blackouts show why governments shouldn’t control the internet."
Have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for your continued support.
Best,
Tim Andrews
Executive Director
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org
