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Loser: Big Tech and A.I. Industry

Tech giants Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta lobbied in favor of a controversial provision in the House-passed version of the megabill that would have prohibited state attempts to regulate A.I. for a decade, according to the Financial Times. A group called the A.I. Competition Center, formed last year by a Big Tech-funded trade group, argued to lawmakers that regulation would cause the U.S. to be outpaced by China. Trump megadonor Marc Andreessen, joined by artificial intelligence firms OpenAI and Anduril, also lobbied intensely for the A.I. moratorium that the House included in its legislative package. In the Senate, though, the provision was struck in a 99-1 overnight vote before the chamber passed the reconciliation bill.

To push the megabill through the Senate, deep-pocketed conservative advocacy groups spread out at least $8.2 million in ad buys across congressional districts, according to research last month from the watchdog group AccountableUS. At the end of May, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced a “comprehensive advocacy blitz” promoting the bill’s tax policies after the House passed its version, and the “dark money” group American Action Network planned a $4.2 million ad buy after being bankrolled with millions of dollars from lobbying groups like PhRMA in recent years. Those campaigns are on top of the nearly $19.8 million that the Chamber spent lobbying the government in the first quarter of this year, making it the top overall lobbying spender in Washington, D.C. The group’s disclosures mentioned lobbying on the expiration of tax provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act among scores of other issues.

More Perfect Union

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OHIO FUCKERY HIMMELSTEIN

An Ohio legislator defied FirstEnergy lobbyists. Then a ‘dark money’ group helped sink her bid for Congress

by Sarah KleinerMay 22, 2018

Christina Hagan, left, at a campaign event in March. On the right, FirstEnergy Corp.'s transformer in Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Pa. Facebook / FirstEnergy Corp.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

A “dark money” organization tied to a major electric company pumped significant cash into an Ohio congressional race in what a losing candidate describes as an act of retribution over a failed financial deal.

Christina Hagan, a state representative who was running in the Republican primary for Ohio’s 16th congressional district seat, said a group called the Conservative Leadership Alliance targeted her with a barrage of attack ads after she declined to support legislation Akron, Ohio-based electric company FirstEnergy had lobbied her to help pass.

The Conservative Leadership Alliance’s treasurer is Marc Himmelstein, who has worked for years as a FirstEnergy lobbyist in Washington, D.C. FirstEnergy has paid Himmelstein’s firm, National Environmental Strategies, $640,000 since 2010, according to congressional lobbying filings.

Hagan said she didn’t think the bill, which would have allowed FirstEnergy to collect an additional $300 million annually from customers to shore up its aging power plants, was fair to electric customers. House Bill 178 would have created “zero-emission credits” that would have raised customers’ monthly bills by about 5 percent.

“I didn’t budge when they came into my office to lobby me,” Hagan said of her meetings with FirstEnergy officials, which took place over a period of many months. “I became the target of the company and the members of our leadership team who wanted to get it done but couldn’t because I wasn’t going to be supportive. I’m sure they just wanted to make an example of me in my race for higher office that if you don’t play well, this is what will happen to you.”

Hagan’s main opponent in the Ohio 16th district Republican primary was Anthony Gonzalez, a former Indianapolis Colts and Ohio State University wide receiver who won the race with 53 percent of the vote.

Hagan — an avowed supporter of President Donald Trump — placed second in the May 8 primary, with 41 percent.

Sarah Poggione, associate professor and chair of the department of political science at Ohio University, said establishment Republicans rallied behind Gonzalez, and they spent significant money to back him, because they saw Hagan as especially formidable.

“Both sides were seeing this as really competitive and the possibility that either one could potentially take it,” Poggione said.

Himmelstein did not return multiple messages left on his office phone, nor did he respond to emails to his address with National Environmental Strategies. No one responded to emails sent to a general Conservative Leadership Alliance address, either.

Todd Schneider, director of corporate communications for FirstEnergy, also did not respond to multiple emails and phone messages. When reached by phone, FirstEnergy communications staffer Tricia Ingraham said she would consult with Schneider about how to respond, then ceased further contact with a Center for Public Integrity reporter.

In an April hearing for House Bill 178 — which ultimately did not pass — FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones told members of the House Public Utilities Committee that “Ohio cannot afford to continue heading down a path that could lead to less fuel-diverse and fewer homegrown energy resources, more energy imports, fewer jobs and less economic growth — not to mention more volatile electricity prices for our customers and your constituents,” according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

FirstEnergy describes itself as a “forward-thinking electric utility powered by a diverse team of employees committed to making customers’ lives brighter, the environment better and our communities stronger.”

But the company has come under fire in the past for the high levels of pollution its plants pump into the atmosphere. A 2016 Center for Public Integrity analysis of two federal data sets from 2014 found that four of FirstEnergy’s plants were on the top 100 list of U.S. “super polluters.”

The company’s nuclear and coal-fired power plants have been struggling to remain profitable in recent years because natural gas prices have been so low. Executives have asked the federal government for emergency funds to help keep some its plants operating.

The Conservative Leadership Alliance, an entity that states it’s a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” nonprofit, spent $113,000 in the Ohio 16th district race. Such groups do not have to disclose their donors, and Conservative Leadership Alliance has not revealed who funds it. (Politico reported last week that American Action Network, a politically active nonprofit tied to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., gave Conservative Leadership Alliance $200,000 sometime in 2016 or 2017.)

Half of that money — $56,500 — bolstered Gonzalez. The other half funded ads opposing Hagan, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The Conservative Leadership Alliance, or CLA Inc., has spent money in two other congressional races so far this election cycle, federal records indicate.

The group spent $220,800 supporting Tommy Pope and $319,500 opposing Ralph Norman in a Republican runoff for South Carolina’s 5th congressional district seat in May 2017. (Norman won both the primary and special general election by narrow margins.)

CLA Inc. also spent $97,770 opposing John Eichelberger and the same amount opposing Arthur Halvorson in Pennsylvania’s 13th congressional district Republican primary on May 15, calling them, in a press release, “typical repeat politicians who are desperate to be in the swamp.” CLA Inc. spent $35,000 to support John Joyce, who won the eight-way race for the Republican nomination.

CLA Inc. has additionally aired political issue ads that targeted Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and praised Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., while not overtly advocating for their re-election or defeat.

The true nature of CLA Inc., is murky. It does not appear to be a political action committee or super PAC, as it has not registered itself as such with the FEC.

Nor does it appear in the IRS’s publicly available registration databases, possibly because it has not requested tax-exempt status or because the IRS hasn’t updated its public-facing databases, tax experts say.

Cecilia Barreda, an IRS spokeswoman, said she was prohibited by law from disclosing information about a specific organization.

CLA Inc. states on its website that its “primary purpose is to put conservative policies into action” through reforms that “grow the economy, lower our national debt, fix a broken healthcare system and make our country safer and stronger through a bold national defense.”

Entities that operate as 501(c)(4) nonprofits and spend cash in political campaigns are called “dark money” groups because they do not have to disclose their donors.

The Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission allowed certain kinds of nonprofit groups, including 501(c)(4) organizations, to spend unlimited amounts of money to independently promote or oppose political candidates — so long as they do not, in practice, spend 50 percent or more of their money on politics, per IRS rules.

Hagan said “dark money” shouldn’t “be able to hide” — a view many in the Republican party disagree with.

“People have the right to know who is putting mail in their mailbox and who is putting ads on their TVs,” Hagan said. “Context is everything.”

FirstEnergy is a politically active company that has spent $24.3 million overall on federal lobbying since 2010, according to congressional lobbying records.

Since Jan. 1, 2017, the company’s political action committee has spent $442,500 to support federal political campaign committees and other PACs. It supports both Republicans and Democrats, but in recent years has favored Republicans, according to data maintained by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The company’s PAC, which is a separate entity from the Conservative Leadership Alliance, has been supportive of Gonzalez this year, giving his campaign $5,000 for the primary race and $5,000 for the general election — the maximum contributions allowed by PACs to congressional candidate committees.

In all, Gonzalez has raised $1.1 million and spent $677,200 between Jan. 1, 2017 and April 18, the end of the latest filing period. Hagan pulled in $386,200 and spent $261,000 in the same time period.

Gonzalez did not return email messages or a phone message left with his campaign’s treasurer, Natalie Baur.

Gonzalez faces Democrat Susan Moran Palmer in the November general election.

Hagan said she will finish out the remainder of her term in the Ohio legislature, and then she will “gladly go to the private sector, but I will not disappear from the public policy sector. I want to be actively engaged.”

Jamie Smith Hopkins contributed to this report.

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andrew Ross Sorkin speaks with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during the New York Times DealBook Summit on November 30, 2022 (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, better known as SBF, burst onto the political scene and cast himself as the financial savior of the Democratic Party. In May, SBF said he was prepared to spend up to $1 billion to help Democrats win in 2022 and 2024.

Like many of SBF's claims, that turned out to be bluster. Public campaign finance filings show that SBF spent just $41 million in the 2022 midterm elections. Much of that was spent propping up unsuccessful Democratic primary candidates, including $11 million to Carrick Flynn, who lost a Congressional primary in Oregon. Still, SBF made substantial donations to Democratic Super PACs, including $6 million to the House Majority PAC, the Super PAC affiliated with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The spending made SBF one of the top two donors to Democrats in the 2022 cycle. (Billionaire George Soros technically spent more, but most of it was donated to Soros' own PAC and not distributed.)

When FTX collapsed and declared bankruptcy, the media portrayed it as a serious blow to Democrats.

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Even based on public campaign finance reports, this was an oversimplification. SBF donated to Republicans favorable to crypto, including Senator-elect Katie Britt (R-AL), Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). SBF also donated to the National Republican Campaign Committee, which supports the election of Republicans to the House. Further, another FTX executive, Ryan Salame, publicly donated about $23 million in the midterms, and almost all of it went to Republicans.

FTX itself donated to a slew of Republican Super PACs just before the election, including $1 million to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), $750,000 to Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), and 150,000 to the American Patriots PAC. These donations would have almost certainly required the approval of SBF, the company's then-CEO.

Now, SBF has admitted that his image as a top supporter of Democratic candidates was a ruse. After FTX's bankruptcy, in a phone interview with crypto content creator Tiffany Fong, SBF said that he gave just as much money to Republicans in the 2022 cycle. SBF just made sure that those donations were secret.

I donated about the same amount to both parties this year. That is not generally known because, despite Citizens United being literally the highest-profile Supreme Court case of the decade and the thing everyone talks about when they talk about campaign finance, for some reason, in practice, no one can possibly fathom the idea that someone in practice actually gave dark. All my Republican donations were dark. And the reason was not for regulatory reasons. It's just reporters freak the fuck out if you donate to a Republican. They are all secretly liberal and didn't want to have that fight. So I made all the Republican ones dark.

If SBF is telling the truth, it would make him one of the Republicans' top donors.Since much of SBF's spending on behalf of Democrats went to failed Democratic primary candidates, it's possible that SBF spent significantly more helping Republicans than Democrats in the general election.

SBF blames "reporters" for his deception, but he chose to hold himself out as someone who was willing to spend $1 billion to elect Democrats. That generated an enormous amount of media coverage and raised the profile of FTX. All the while, he was engaged in the much more mundane task of buying influence from both parties. How did SBF do it?

The top Super PAC for Republican Senate candidates was Mitch McConnell's SLF. But the largest donor, by far, to the SLF is One Nation. Through September 30, 2022, One Nation donated $53.5 million to the SLF. Like the SLF, One Nation is run bySteven Law,a former Chief of Staff to McConnell. But unlike the SLF, One Nation is organized as a 501(c)4 non-profit organization and can keep its donors secret. One Nation can collect unlimited donations from people like SBF, keep their identities secret, and then pass the money on to the SLF. The top Super PAC for Republican House candidates, CLF, also has an affiliated non-profit, the American Action Network, that operates the same way.

The truth about SBF's political spending is an example of his duplicity. But, more importantly, it illustrates how the public has no idea who is actually funding candidates in the United States. The largest sums of money spent on elections come from anonymous donors. Making disclosure effectively optional allows unscrupulous individuals like SBF to manipulate public perception.

The DISCLOSE Act is one solution to this problem. It would require "organizations spending money in elections – including super PACs and 501(c)(4) dark money groups – to promptly disclose donors who have given $10,000 or more during an election cycle." If the DISCLOSE Act was law, SBF's donations to all candidates would be public. The bill would also "crack down on the use of shell corporations to hide the identity of the donor by requiring companies spending money in elections to disclose their true owners."

The Senate brought the DISCLOSE Act up for a vote in September. All Democratic members voted for it, and all Republican members opposed it. Since the bill required 60 votes to pass, it failed.

"The American people are fed up with dark money influence campaigns that rig their government against them and stymie their priorities," Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who sponsored the legislation, said. "The DISCLOSE Act would shine a light on special interest spending to neutralize its toxic effect, giving Americans’ voices a chance to be heard. Republicans heeded the wishes of dark money donors today, but the fight to pass this bill isn’t over."

https://www.alternet.org/2022/07/billionaires-gop-congress/

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Just 27 billionaires have spent $90 million to buy GOP congress: report

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Rupert Murdoch receiving the 2015 Global Leadership Award, Wikimedia Commons

Kenny Stancil and Common Dreams July 19, 2022

A few dozen billionaires are spending tens of millions of dollars on the 2022 midterm elections—mostly to support Republican candidates, including many who have parroted the dangerous lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen—in a bid to ensure that Congress is full of lawmakers willing "to make their wealthy benefactors even richer," according to a fresh analysis.

Titled Billionaires Buying Elections, the report from Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) details how "billionaires are increasingly using their personal fortunes and the profits of connected corporations to drown out regular voters' voices and elect hand-picked candidates who further rig the nation's economy—especially the tax system."

A pair of super PACs tasked with securing Republican majorities in the House and Senate—the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and the [cnp?] Senate Leadership Fund (SLF)—raised a combined $188.3 million through the first 16 months of the 2022 campaign cycle, according to ATF. Nearly half—$89.4 million, or 48%—came from just 27 billionaires. A whopping 86% of the GOP's billionaire money came from "Wall Street tycoons" who are arguably the biggest beneficiaries of glaring loopholes in the tax code.

The Democratic counterparts of those two super PACs—the House Majority PAC and the Senate Majority PAC—raised a combined $154 million over the same time period. A smaller share—$25.8 million, or 17%—came from 19 billionaires. A majority of billionaire contributions to Democratic candidates also came from the finance and investment sector (35%), but other industries were also well-represented, including cryptocurrency (26%), and tech (18%).

"Unlike candidates and party committees, super PACs can raise unlimited donations from individuals and corporations," ATF explained. "In return they are not supposed to coordinate activities with the campaigns they support but instead act independently, though that rule is often flouted."

Top billionaire donors to congressional super PACs include hedge fund magnate Ken Griffin, who has given more than $28.5 million to CLF and SLF, and private equity mogul Stephen Schwarzman, who has pumped $20 million into the GOP's two super PACs.

"Anti-democratic vote-buying," ATF wrote, "has been facilitated by—and is facilitating—the accelerating wealth growth of the billionaire class and the record profits of the corporations they own."

The combined net worth of the nation's roughly 750 billionaires surged by $2 trillion, or 70%, during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. The collective wealth of the 27 billionaires bankrolling the GOP's super PACs alone soared by $82.4 billion over that time period, meaning that the $89.4 million they have donated to CLF and SLF constitutes less than 0.1% of their overall pandemic-era gains.

Meanwhile, the return on that modest investment could amount to billions of dollars if Republicans take back Congress in November and preserve their 2017 tax cuts or further slash taxes on superrich people and the corporations they own.

Over a recent nine-year period, the 400 wealthiest people in the U.S. paid an average effective federal income tax rate of just 8.2% when the increased value of their stock holdings is included in their income. That is a lower rate than the nationwide average of 13.3% in 2019.

As ATF explained, focusing on contributions to congressional super PACs fails "to capture the full political influence of billionaires, who in addition to personal donations also steer money to favored candidates from related corporations and organizations."

Billionaires are among the ultrawealthy Americans who control corporations through their extensive stock holdings. Many corporate giants have been distorting the upcoming midterms, ATF pointed out, by spending tens of millions to help GOP candidates who have vowed to defend special tax breaks for the top 1% get elected, including 144 far-right members of Congress who voted to overturn President Joe Biden's electoral victory.

According to the report, seven powerful corporations—AT&T,Chevron, ExxonMobil,FedEx, GM, Merck, and UPS—have collectively given nearly $1.5 million to dozens of election deniers and various Republican PACs and election committees this campaign cycle.The companies' demonstrated lack of concern for democracy, ATF noted, likely stems from their desire to keep dodging taxes. In 2021, these firms paid an average federal income tax rate of just 2.7% on a combined $78.4 billion in profits.

Notably, Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal who is worth about $5 billion and openly opposed to democracy, has been spending big on his preferred Republican candidates but not through the GOP's congressional super PACs.

Thiel "has so far spent almost $30 million through super PACs supporting the 2022 senatorial bids of two former employees who share his anti-democratic and anti-tax beliefs," ATF found. "J.D. Vance won the Ohio Republican U.S. Senate primary thanks in part to Thiel's $15 million in spending. Blake Masters has a fighting chance in Arizona's GOP U.S. Senate primary in August due to Thiel's $13.5 million in contributions."

Another source of "billionaire dominance of campaign financing, especially on the Republican side," wrote ATF, are so-called "dark money" groups, which are not required to disclose the identity of their donors. Some dark money groups—including Club for Growth, which has received $32 million from billionaire Wall Street trader Jeffrey Yass over the years—are "notorious for having bankrolled insurrectionist members of Congress" like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), ATF noted.

According to the report:

Politically active billionaire Charles Koch has not personally donated to either GOP super PAC this cycle, but his corporation—Koch Industries—has so far given them a total of $1.75 million.

Two of the biggest "dark money" groups, which do not disclose their donors, are essentially sister groups to the two congressional GOP super PACs. American Action Network gave at least $26 million to CLF in the 2020 cycle and $18.7 million so far this cycle.One Nation donated $77.5 million to SLF last cycle and has given $16.5 million so far this cycle.

The ability of the nation's wealthiest individuals to translate their disproportionate economic power into political clout has increased exponentially since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision eliminated effective limits on campaign contributions.

According to the report:

Billionaires pumped $1.2 billion into the 2020 elections, almost 40 times more than the $31 million they donated in 2010, when the Citizens United rules were first in effect. In the 2020 election cycle, billionaires contributed nearly $1 out of every $10, while making up just 0.01% of all donors contributing more than $200.

Billionaires donated almost $240 million to the combined campaign efforts of Donald Trump's two runs for president. Over half came from just one billionaire household, that of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson (who has since died).

"Billionaires, who are used to buying whatever they want, have increasingly dedicated their almost unlimited resources to buying American elections," Frank Clemente, executive director of ATF, said in a statement.

"The problem is what's good for billionaires—including cutting taxes on the rich and corporations—is bad for working families," said Clemente. "We need to rein in billionaire political and economic power through campaign finance reforms and tax reforms such as a billionaires income tax."

Several legislative proposals have emerged to tax the increased value of assets owned by the nation's wealthiest households each year regardless of whether they sell or keep them, which would ensure that income derived from wealth is taxed more like income earned from work.

Biden's plan would raise an estimated $360 billion over 10 years, while Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-Ore.) plan would raise an estimated $550 billion over a decade, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman's (D-N.Y.) proposal possibly even more.

Billionaire-backed Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), however, has joined Senate Republicans in opposing such a measure.

https://publicintegrity.org/politics/nonprofit-profile-american-action-network/

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2013

Nonprofit profile: American Action Network

by Rachael Marcus

June 21, 2012

Transparency grade: ND

Koch brothers’ plight likened to that of civil rights workers in the 1950s

By John Dunbar

July 5, 2016

‘Dark money’: a pro-veteran nonprofit’s political weapon

By Carrie Levine

June 1, 2016

Mystery donors pumped millions into liberal ‘dark money’ group

By Cady Zuvich

May 27, 2016

Nonprofit profile: Patriot Majority USA

By Alexandra Duszak

October 9, 2012

Nonprofit profile: League of Conservation Voters Inc.

By Reity O’Brien

October 3, 2012

Nonprofit profile: Club for Growth Inc.

By Rachael Marcus

August 22, 2012

Nonprofit profile: American Commitment

By Rachael Marcus

August 2, 2012

Nonprofit profile: Americans for Prosperity

By Paul Abowd

June 21, 2012

Nonprofit profile: Ending Spending

By Rachael Marcus

June 21, 2012

Nonprofit profile: American Future Fund

By Rachael Marcus

June 21, 2012

Click here for more stories in this topic

Type of organization: 501(c)(4)

Employer Identification Number: 27-0730508

Supports: Conservative candidates

Location: Washington, D.C.

Founded: July 23, 2009

Website: americanactionnetwork.org

Social media: Facebook page, Twitter profile, YouTube channel

Finances:

For the group’s fiscal year that ran from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011:

Total Revenue: $27 million

Total Expenses: $24 million

Net assets: $3.1 million

IRS Form 990 filing: 2010

Principals:

Norm Coleman (co-founder, chairman): Coleman was a Republican U.S. senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009 and also previously served as mayor of St. Paul, Minn.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin (co-founder): Holtz-Eakin is also the president of American Action Forum, AAN’s associated 501(c)(3) nonprofit. He was the director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2003 to 2005 and served as economic adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Brian Walsh (president): As former political director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Walsh helped the GOP take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.

Fred Malek (co-founder): Malek is also chairman of American Action Forum. He served under President Richard Nixon as White House personnel chief during Watergate and was deputy director of the Committee to Reelect the President, often referred to as CREEP.

Profile:

American Action Network advocates for limited government, a strong national defense and “American exceptionalism,” according to its website.

In 2010, American Action Network spent nealry $19 million on political ads in 2010, making it the second-most politically active nonprofit that year behind the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Ahead of the 2012 election, the group spent more than $11 million on ads that expressly advocated for the election or defeat of federal candidates, again ranking it as one of the most politically active nonprofits. Nearly all of that spending has been on ads against Democrats or supporting Republicans.

Billionaire Kenneth Langone, a prominent New York venture capitalist and co-founder of Home Depot, sits on the board of American Action Network, as does Fred Malek, a co-founder of the group and a top GOP fundraiser. Meanwhile, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is an adviser to American Action Network, and Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, is a board member of the associated foundation, American Action Forum.

The anti-regulatory American Action Forum was notably the recipient of a sizeable grant from a pro-environmental group in 2011, as the Center for Public Integrity reported.

While nonprofits like American Action Network need not publicly disclose their donors, an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity revealed that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, better known as PhRMA, gave $4.5 million to the group in 2010, which accounted for close to 15 percent of its income that year.

The Center for Responsive Politics also uncovered several other donors to the group including the Republican Jewish Coalition ($4 million), Crossroads GPS ($500,000) and the American Natural Gas Alliance ($35,000). In 2010, Crossroads and American Action Network shared office space in Washington, D.C.

In March 2012, election watchdogs Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against American Action Network with the Internal Revenue Service, urging it to investigate the organization’s tax-exempt status. The letter, which also called for investigations into Crossroads GPS, Priorities USA and Americans Elect, argued these groups are abusing their tax-exempt status by keeping their donors secret but engaging substantially in elections activities.

In June, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also filed a complaint with the IRS and the Federal Election Commission on similar grounds.

American Action Network and its sister super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, launched an ad blitz in September targeting races in Illinois, Minnesota and California, places that were key to retaining a Republican majority in the House but didn’t have strong state-level parties, as the Center for Public Integrity noted at the time.

See more data on American Action Network at OpenSecrets.org.

Advertisements:

“Secrets” attacked tea party candidate Dan Liljienquist, the challenger to GOP establishment favorite Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah.

“Rise of the Obamavilles,” a stylized, old-timey ad, painted the Occupy movement camps as “Obamavilles,” created by the president’s irresponsible leadership.

“Neighbor,” which debuted in September, opposed astronaut Jose Hernandez, a Democrat, in California’s 10th District. This ad was part of the Congressional Leadership Fund-American Action Network ad blitz.

For more ads, see American Action Network’s YouTube channel.

Last updated: Jan. 22, 2013

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norm Coleman (co-founder, chairman): Coleman was a Republican U.S. senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009 and also previously served as mayor of St. Paul, Minn.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin (co-founder): Holtz-Eakin is also the president of American Action Forum, AAN’s associated 501(c)(3) nonprofit. He was the director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2003 to 2005 and served as economic adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Brian Walsh (president): As former political director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Walsh helped the GOP take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.
Fred Malek (co-founder): Malek is also chairman of American Action Forum. He served under President Richard Nixon as White House personnel chief during Watergate and was deputy director of the Committee to Reelect the President, often referred to as CREEP.

Profile:

American Action Network advocates for limited government, a strong national defense and “American exceptionalism,” according to its website.

In 2010, American Action Network spent nealry $19 million on political ads in 2010, making it the second-most politically active nonprofit that year behind the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Ahead of the 2012 election, the group spent more than $11 million on ads that expressly advocated for the election or defeat of federal candidates, again ranking it as one of the most politically active nonprofits. Nearly all of that spending has been on ads against Democrats or supporting Republicans.

The anti-regulatory American Action Forum was notably the recipient of a sizeable grant from a pro-environmental group in 2011, as the Center for Public Integrity reported.

In June, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also filed a complaint with the IRS and the Federal Election Commission on similar grounds.

American Action Network and its sister super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, launched an ad blitz in September targeting races in Illinois, Minnesota and California, places that were key to retaining a Republican majority in the House but didn’t have strong state-level parties, as the Center for Public Integrity noted at the time.

See more data on American Action Network at OpenSecrets.org.

Advertisements:

” attacked tea party candidate Dan Liljienquist, the challenger to GOP establishment favorite Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah.
,” a stylized, old-timey ad, painted the Occupy movement camps as “Obamavilles,” created by the president’s irresponsible leadership.
:{“},:{” which debuted in September, opposed astronaut Jose Hernandez, a Democrat, in California’s 10th District. This ad was part of the Congressional Leadership Fund-American Action Network ad blitz.}:
For more ads, see American Action Network’s YouTube channel.

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https://americanactionnetwork.org/

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https://americanactionnetwork.org/

ENERGY18 January 2012

NEWS RELEASE: COLEMAN: FOREIGN COMPETITORS CHEERING OBAMA REJECTION OF KEYSTONE PIPELINE

WASHINGTON –Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the American Action Network, today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline:

“The Obama job killing machinehas struck again and the president’s politically-motivated decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline will have major ramifications both domestically and abroad,” said Coleman. “The facts are clear: the pipeline would create thousands of jobs at zero cost to taxpayers, China is cheering rejection of the pipeline so it can gain a foothold in North American energy production, rising Middle East tensions again threaten the stability of the global oil supplyand Canadian tar sands will be developed with or without us.

“Not only is this a loss for unemployed Americans and our economy, this represents a big win for foreign competitors who will use the oil under far less stringent environmental guidelines than are in place here. As he has done time and time again, the president chose politics over doing the right thing for Americans desperate for work, and a country that is eager to secure our energy independence from hostile regions of the world.”

# #

The American Action Network is a 501(c)(4) ‘action tank’that will create, encourage and promote center-right policies based on the principles of freedom, limited government, American exceptionalism, and strong national security. The American Action Network’s primary goal is to put our center-right ideas into action by engaging the hearts and minds of the American people and spurring them into active participation in our democracy.

American Action Network is a 501(c)(4) ‘action tank’ that will create, encourage and promotecenter-right policies based on the principles of freedom, limited government, American exceptionalism, and strong national security. The American Action Network’s primary goal is to put our center-right ideas into action by engaging the hearts and minds of the American people and spurring them into active participation in our democracy.

America is a nation that has always favored individuals’ enterprises instead of government solutions. To remain a worldwide leader for ideas, investment and innovation, America must continue to offer thebest combination of economic freedom and pro-growth, smart regulation. American Action Network will support policies that will make America safe and secure; where choices in education, health care and retirement abound; where taxes are fair and comprehensible; and where government is smaller and smarter with a focus on core functions.

To accomplish these goals, the American Action Network will work in close cooperation with like-minded organizations, like our sister organization, the American Action Forum, to magnify our combined efforts and policies. In addition, we will support and promote center-right policies that connect with the challenges and hopes of our fellow citizens in a real and meaningful way.

Mission: Our primary goal is to put center-right ideas into action by engaging the hearts and minds of the American people and spurring them into active participation in our democracy.

The American Action Network is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization, and it is not affiliated with or controlled by any political candidate, party, or officeholder. The Network welcomes supporters of its center-right values and policy proposals regardless of party affiliation, and looks forward to working with legislators, government officials, and advocates of either party who are willing to advance policies consistent with the Network’s principles.

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Dan Conston

President of American Action Network

Board Members of the American Action Network

Norm Coleman

Senator Norm Coleman

Chairman, American Action Network and Of Counsel, Hogan Lovells US LLP

Isaac Applbaum

Founding General Partner, Opus Capital

Rick Berg

Real Estate Entrepreneur

Governor Luis Fortuño

Former Governor of Puerto Rico, Partner of Steptoe,Member of the Corporate, Securities & Finance Group and the Government Affairs and Public Policy Group

Dylan Glenn

Managing Director, Guggenheim Advisors

Barry Jackson

Strategic Advisor, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Jeff Larson

CEO, Roosevelt Group

Thomas Reynolds

Congressman Tom Reynolds

Senior Strategic Advisor,Holland and Knight LLP

Congressman Vin Weber

Partner, Mercury

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TAXES & REGULATIONS

16 February 2022

AAN Launches New Ad Calling Out Hakeem Jeffries’ Sweetheart Tax Deal

WASHINGTON — The American Action Network released a new ad campaign this morning, calling out Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, the widely-expected successor to Nancy Pelosi, for pushing higher taxes on Americans while voting for a sweetheart deal that lets him to pay just $200 in property taxes on his $1.2 million NYC condo. The new ad campaign will educate Jeffries’ […]

JOBS & ECONOMY

19 November 2021

AAN Blasts House Vote To ApprovePelosi’s Tax And Spending Hikes

Americans won’t soon forget who’s responsible for its disastrous consequences WASHINGTON — American Action Network President Dan Conston released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to pass Pelosi’s massive tax increase and spending package: “This vote is a defining moment that will cast a shadow over every Member of Congress that lined […]

16 November 2021

AAN Releases New Ads Urging Reps. Spanberger & Luria To Stop Pelosi’s Tax and Spending Hikes

WASHINGTON – American Action Network released new ads in VA-02 and VA-07 this morning, calling on Congresswoman Elaine Luria and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger to stop Nancy Pelosi’s tax and spending hikes. The new ads focus on the recent results in the Virginia Governor’s race, where Virginians overwhelmingly rejected the left’s tax-and-spend agenda, and urge the […]

JOBS & ECONOMY

15 November 2021

AAN Expands Ad Campaign UrgingRep. MurphyTo Stop Pelosi’s Tax and Spending Hike

WASHINGTON – American Action Network expanded its issue advocacy campaign urging Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy to stop Nancy Pelosi’s tax and spending hikes. The new ad, which will run on Orlando broadcast television, features the latest in a series of testimonials from a Florida senior reflecting on inflation and how out-of-control Washington spending is impacting his tight […]

JOBS & ECONOMY

15 November 2021

American Action Network Adds $2 Million To IssueAdvocacy Campaign To Stop Pelosi’s Tax and Spending Hikes

WASHINGTON – American Action Network expanded its months-long issue advocacy efforts to stop Nancy Pelosi’s tax and spending hikes, and this morning added $2 million in new advertising across 8 House Districts. The campaign includes advertising on broadcast and cable television as well as digital mediums calling on Members of Congress to vote no on the […]

27 October 2021

AAN Expands Reconciliation Campaign With 2 New Ads To Stop Pelosi From Monitoring Americans’ Banking Info

New Ads Highlight How Tom Malinowski & Susie Lee Hid Their Finances While Demanding Americans Disclose TheirsWASHINGTON — American Action Network expanded its efforts to stop Nancy Pelosi’s “reconciliation” package with new ads focused on Pelosi’s proposal to allow the IRS to monitor Americans’ private banking information. The new ads show how Congressman Tom Malinowski and Congresswoman Susie Lee are demanding […]

26 October 2021

New AAN Ad: To Protect The Border, Stop Pelosi’s Tax and Spending Plan

Tom O’Halleran And Nancy Pelosi Would Make Our Border Crisis Even Worse WASHINGTON — American Action Network released a new television ad today calling on Tom O’Halleran to protect the border and stop Pelosi’s massive tax and spending “reconciliation” package and its massive giveaways to illegal immigrants. The new ad, backed by a six-figure buy, […]

21 October 2021

AAN Launches New Ad To Stop Pelosi from Snooping In Your Bank Account

WASHINGTON— American Action Network launched a new TV ad this morning honing in on Nancy Pelosi’s plan to allow the IRS to snoop in working Americans’ bank accounts in order to pay for her socialist tax and spending increases. The new ad will run in Chris Pappas’ district (NH-01) on broadcast television and digital, exposing Pelosi’s proposal […]

JOBS & ECONOMY

20 October 2021

AAN Releases $4.5 Million Ad Campaign To Stop Pelosi’s Tax and Spending Hikes

New Ads Will Cross 16 Districts on TV and Digital & Brings AAN’s Spending to $20 Million WASHINGTON — American Action Network is turning up the heat again on Nancy Pelosi’s tax and spending hikes, launching $4.5 million in new TV and digital advertising this morning to stop the left’s reckless “reconciliation” package. AAN’s latest […]

12 October 2021

New AAN Ad: Pelosi Wins. Middle Class Loses.

AAN’s New Ad Blasts Cronyism In Pelosi Spending Bill And Urges Jared Golden To Keep His Promise To Oppose It American Action Network released its latest ad to stop Nancy Pelosi’s massive tax increase and spending plan this morning. The new ad shows how Pelosi and her allies would get special handouts and leave working Americans with […]

5 October 2021

AAN launches SocialistSpendingSpree.com

Adding to our ongoing advertising efforts to stop Nancy Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion tax increase and spending spree, American Action Network launched a new website this morning – SocialistSpendingSpree.com – that showcases how Pelosi and her friends will get handouts, and stick middle-class families with the bill. The new site follows polling AAN released last week […]

1 October 2021

So-called moderates let Pelosi walk all over them (for third time)

The so-called moderates laid down and let Nancy Pelosi walk all over them… again. For those keeping track at home they let Pelosi: Pass her budget without a vote on infrastructure Ignore the September 27 vote they agreed to Then blow past the new deadline they set for a vote last night If any of […]

29 September 2021

AAN District Polling: Reconciliation Bill Unpopular, Key Elements Toxic in Middle of the Road Districts

American Action Network released the results of three separate live caller surveys today examining key elements that surfaced in committee markups of Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion tax and spending bill across three districts: IA-03, NJ-07 and VA-02. The surveys found that raising taxes on small businesses, funding a park in Pelosi’s district, giving tax breaks to elite universities, and subsidizing […]

28 September 2021

Golden sells out seniors

New reports from Social Security say the program will go bankrupt a year earlier than expected, no longer be able to pay benefits starting in 2034. But instead of helping seniors make it to retirement, what is Congressman Jared Golden working on? A $3.5 trillion package chock full of wasteful spending to build a $200 million […]

28 September 2021

Cartwright sells out seniors

New reports from Social Security say the program will go bankrupt a year earlier than expected, no longer be able to pay benefits starting in 2034. But instead of helping seniors make it to retirement, what is Congressman Cartwright working on? A $3.5 trillion package chock full of wasteful spending to build a $200 million park […]

27 September 2021

Vicente Gonzalez backs pink slips for oil and gas workers

Vicente Gonzalez announced his support for Pelosi’s disastrous tax and spending proposal, writing that he supports “swift passage of the President’s $3.5 trillion reconciliation package” – even though it puts 47,000 Texas oil and gas jobs at risk. Texans rely on oil and gas to make ends meet for their families, and Gonzalez is selling out […]

TAXES & REGULATIONS

22 September 2021

AAN Launches $7.5 Million Advocacy Campaign Showcasing Ever-Growing Mountain of Liabilities In Pelosi’s $3.5 Trillion Tax And Spending Plan

This morning, American Action Network launched a new $7.5 million issue advocacy campaign to stop Nancy Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion tax and spending proposal. The new campaign includes broadcast, cable and digital advertising across 24 Congressional Districts and features 6 new advertising messages that spotlight the growing wealth of new and emerging liabilities the bill is bringing […]

JOBS & ECONOMY

17 September 2021

AAN Launches New Ads To Stop Pelosi’s Tax-And-Spending Spree

American Action Network launched a string of new broadcast and digital advertisements this morning to stop Nancy Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending spree. The new ads, together backed by more than $1.5 million, will run on broadcast TV and digital over 3 weeks in the districts of Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Abigail Spanberger […]

13 September 2021

VIDEO: Pappas refuses to say if he backs “the largest tax increase in half a century”

Congress is proposing “the largest tax and spending increase in half a century,” and already Congressman Chris Pappas is REFUSING to talk about. After an event, Pappas was approached and asked if he supports the new tax package, but rather than telling constituents where he stands, he had has his staff work desperately to block […]

13 September 2021

“The largest tax and spending increase in half a century”

Small businesses are struggling to get back on their feet. Trillions in reckless spending has set off record inflation. Price increases are eating away rapidly at families’ paychecks. And the left’s answer? “The largest tax and spending increase in half a century.” The numbers are staggering. Per POLITICO today, the changes proposed include $1 trillion in […]

9 September 2021

AAN has Murphy scared

Moments ago, Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy announced she will not back Pelosi’s reconciliation bill saying she has “a list of issues” with the proposal. Sadly, Murphy only found the courage to speak up after coming under massive pressure from American Action Network to oppose it. For example: LAST WEEK: AAN went up in Murphy’s district with new ads blasting […]

7 September 2021

New AAN District Polling: Biden Sagging, “Build Back Better” Agenda Toxic In America’s Middle Districts

American Action Network released seven new congressional district polls today from middle-of-the-road districts from coast to coast. The surveys found that President Biden’s approval is now well underwater, that the left’s $3.5 Trillion “Build Back Better” agenda is deeply toxic, and that Americans widely believe the plan will worsen the economic pain families are facing. The surveys were conducted […]

31 August 2021

ICYMI: Bourdeaux takes heat at Coffee with Constituents

As first reported in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Carolyn Bourdeaux got a bit of a surprise this weekend during her “Coffee with Constituents”, as a mobile billboard paid for American Action Network circled the event reminding Georgians of her vote to advance Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend plan. The billboard, which rolled through the city throughout […]

31 August 2021

AAN Releases New Ads Blasting Murphy, Gottheimer For Caving To Pelosi On $3.5 Trillion Tax-And-Spend Spree

American Action Network today announced an expansion of its $5 million issue advocacy campaign to stop Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend proposal, adding 2 key new districts to its buys. Starting today, constituents in the districts of Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (FL-07) and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) will see new ads and heavy rotations of digital advertising slamming their decision […]

24 August 2021

AAN Slams “Moderates” For Folding To Pelosi On $3.5 Trillion Socialist Spending Plan

American Action Network released the following statement slamming the 10 “moderate” Members of the House of Representatives for folding to Pelosi, betraying their promises to their constituents, and voting to advance Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion socialist wish list. AAN has been up in 39 districts with a $5 million issue advocacy and advertising campaign to stop […]

13 August 2021

House members revolt after AAN hits the airwaves

Well that was quick. This morning, 9 House Democrats are “threatening mutiny” over Speaker Pelosi’s $3.5 trillion liberal spending bill, just 48 hours after American Action Network took to the airwaves with $5 million+ in TV advertising in their districts, warning their constituents about the impact of the dangerous plan. All of which is to […]

11 August 2021

AAN Unveils $5 Million+ Issue Advocacy Campaign Opposing Pelosi’s Reconciliation Bill

American Action Network announced it will spend north of $5 million on a new issue advocacy and advertising campaign to stop the $3.5 trillion “reconciliation” proposal Nancy Pelosi announced earlier this week, with huge tax hikes, wasteful spending, and a socialist takeover of the prescription drug market. AAN’s new campaign will run across 39 Congressional Districts in total with television and […]

ENERGY18 January 2012

NEWS RELEASE: COLEMAN: FOREIGN COMPETITORS CHEERING OBAMA REJECTION OF KEYSTONE PIPELINE

WASHINGTON –Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the American Action Network, today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline:

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random grab no lnx grf

Week in Regulation

April 18, 2022

SEC Reclaims the 2022 Regulatory Crown

Dan Goldbeck, Dan Bosch

Despite its domination over the rulemaking activity of 2022’s first quarter, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had seemingly ceded the regulatory throne to other agencies in recent weeks. This last week saw that brief interregnum come to an end. A controversial SEC proposal that would require extensive “climate risk” disclosures from publicly traded companies officially hit the Federal Register and allowed the agency to reclaim credit for the costliest rulemaking of the year thus far. Across all rulemakings, agencies published $20 billion in total net costs and added 24.7 million annual paperwork burden hours.

REGULATORY TOPLINES

Proposed Rules: 50

Final Rules: 63

2022 Total Pages: 22,778

2022 Final Rule Costs: -$5.5 billion

2022 Proposed Rule Costs: $68.2 billion

NOTABLE REGULATORY ACTIONS

The most significant rulemaking of the week – by orders of magnitude – was the SEC proposed rule entitled “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” At its broadest level, the proposal “would require information about a registrant’s climate-related risks that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on its business, results of operations, or financial condition.” A deeper breakdown of the potentially required points of information can be found here.

The estimated administrative burdens involved are quite substantial. SEC calculates that complying with the proposed rule would involve nearly 24.7 million additional hours of paperwork each year, with associated costs of roughly $6.4 billion. For reference, the current administrative burdens for the relevant forms to which SEC would append these requirements add up to merely 18.8 million hours and $3.9 billion in costs. These new burdens represent 131 percent and 164 percent increases over current regulatory baselines, respectively. Extending the annual cost figure across the three-year period in which paperwork requirements are officially approved yields approximately $19.1 billion in total costs, good enough for pole position among all rulemakings thus far into 2022.

TRACKING THE ADMINISTRATIONS

As we have already seen from executive orders and memos, the Biden Administration will surely provide plenty of contrasts with the Trump Administration on the regulatory front. And while there is a general expectation that the new administration will seek to broadly restore Obama-esque regulatory actions, there will also be areas where it charts its own course. Since the American Action Forum (AAF) RegRodeo data extend back to 2005, it is possible to provide weekly updates on how the top-level trends of President Biden’s regulatory record track with those of his two most recent predecessors. The following table provides the cumulative totals of final rules containing some quantified economic impact from each administration through this point in their respective terms.

With the main regulatory actions of the week coming on the proposed rule side, there was virtually no movement in the Biden Administration’s running final rule totals. There were, however, some notable shifts around this time in the other covered administrations. The Trump Administration saw a roughly $300 million decrease in its regulatory cost total, driven primarily by a deregulatory Department of Labor rule. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration saw a substantial upward spike in both regulatory costs and paperwork totals, increasing by $1.8 billion and nearly 6 million hours, respectively. This final rule regarding changes to Medicare Advantage provided the bulk of those increases.

THIS WEEK’S REGULATORY PICTURE

This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) takes aim at ghost guns.

On April 11, President Biden announced at an event at the White House that DOJ would soon publish a final rule expanding the definition of firearms to include privately made firearms and gun kits.

The newly covered weapons are commonly referred to as ghost guns, since they are difficult to trace because they previously were not required to have serial numbers. The final rule requires kits sold commercially that can be readily assembled by a purchaser to have serial numbers. In addition, if a gun retailer buys a firearm without a serial number from a gun owner, the retailer must serialize the gun before reselling it. In addition to the serial number requirements, the rule requires gun kit retailers to conduct background checks.

The rule also amends recordkeeping requirements to obligate retailers of all firearms to keep records for as long as they are licensed to sell, up from the previous minimum of 20 years.

DOJ cited rising prevalence of ghost guns, and their increased use in violent crimes, as justification for the new rule. According to DOJ, the number of suspected ghost guns recovered has increased from less than 1,800 in 2016 to more than 19,000 in 2021. The challenge for law enforcement, according to DOJ, is that since the weapons lack serial numbers, they are extremely difficult to trace back to owners when conducting criminal investigations. In addition, since they were previously not subject to background checks, the weapons are more likely to end up in the hands of those who could not pass federal checks. The DOJ estimates that the new rule will lead to approximately 1,000 additional guns recovered in investigations per year. The agency also estimates the rule will cost an estimated $14.3 million annually and will take effect 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

The rule is not without opposition. By the end of the week, four Republican senators announced they would file a Congressional Review Act resolution in a longshot attempt to nullify the rule.

TOTAL BURDENS

Since January 1, the federal government has published $62.7 billion in total net costs (with $5.5 billion in new cost savings from finalized rules) and 45.1 million hours of net annual paperwork burden increases (with 3 million hours in increases from final rules).

Disclaimer

DAN GOLDBECK

Senior Regulatory Policy Analyst

Dan Goldbeck is a Senior Regulatory Policy Analyst at the American Action Forum.

DAN BOSCH

Director of Regulatory Policy

Dan Bosch is the Director of Regulatory Policy at the American Action Forum.

RECENT POSTS

Also lining up behind the effort was the American Action Network, a major conservative nonprofit advocacy group, with $7.9 million in ads. PhRMA gave the American Action Network $4.5 million in 2019, along with $75,000 to the 60 Plus Association, according to tax filings.

AHA note // direct mail dark posts neg ads

ref

no lnx

Pharmaceutical industry likely to shatter its lobbying record as it works to shape Democrats’ spending bill

A years-long battle over prescription drug prices reaches its apex as the industry spends tens of millions to alter the plan.

By Yeganeh Torbati and Jonathan O'Connell

November 5, 2021

In September, Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) began noticing mailers arriving at homes across his district, including his own and that of his parents, with an alarming message. The mailers alleged that Kim was intent on preventing Medicare patients from getting the drugs they needed.

That was news to Kim, who has made lowering seniors’ health-care costs and expanding their access to Medicare a signature issue. The mailer, along with a slew of digital ads and text messages, was sponsored by a group called A Healthy Future, LLC, and claimed that Kim and other New Jersey Democrats wanted to cut off “access to lifesaving medicines” and shift Medicare money into other social safety-net programs.

Soon after the mailers landed in New Jersey mailboxes, Kim’s office began receiving calls from puzzled constituents.

“I’ve been attacked before, but I’ve never seen one as egregious as this one in terms of ‘Andy Kim’s trying to cut Medicare,’” Kim said. “That’s just so absurd, and I actually think that has affected how the district has responded.”

Watershed or watered down? Democrats’ drug pricing deal leaves many unsatisfied.

Kim was certain the attacks were coming from the pharmaceutical industry, but it was hard for him to be sure. A Healthy Future’s website includes no contact information, and a message to its Facebook page went unanswered. But a nonprofit group called A Public Voice listed A Healthy Futureas being under its control in its 2018 and 2019 tax filings and described the LLC’s primary activity as “supporting a vibrant health care system.”

A Healthy Future and its anonymous funders, it turned out, had fought previous efforts in Washington to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. According to Google digital ad data, A Healthy Future also paid for ads in fall 2020 arguing against a Trump administration attempt to address prescription drug costs.

Brian Newell, a spokesman for PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s chief lobbying arm, when asked whether the organization had ever had any financial or other relationship with A Healthy Future or A Public Voice, said: “Like most industries and associations, PhRMA engages with groups and organizations that have a wide array of opinions and priorities, including those who do not want the government to come between patients and their medicines.” DENIAL NON-DENIAL ~ WATERGATE b&wOODWARD

The ads targeting Kim and others were one strand of a massive, months-long advertising, lobbying and political donation blitz undertaken by the pharmaceutical industry and its allies, perhaps the strongest of all corporate voices in Washington, to kill a Democratic proposal to lower the cost of prescription drugs by empowering the federal government to negotiate their prices.

That provision to control drug prices became a focal point of the $1.75 trillion spending package Democrats are trying to move through Washington. The measure was in, then out, then watered down, going through a fierce ping-pong of backroom negotiations that is likely to continue once the Senate considers the bill in coming weeks.

Pharmaceutical industry lobbyists defended their effort, alleging that the Democrats’ proposal would stifle research. They also said many other groups poured millions of dollars into the other side of the debate.

“As we’ve said repeatedly, our advocacy has focused on delivering solutions that will lower what patients pay out of pocket for prescription medicines, while opposing reforms that would ultimately leave patients trapped in a broken insurance system, restrict access to lifesaving medicines, and destroy the development of new treatments,” Newell said.

The influence campaign at times worked through groups whose funding sources are hidden. At least 20 different advertisements were run on television and online across the country. The advertisements were augmented by a campaign byPhRMA, which spent nearly $23 million on lobbying through the first nine months of 2021, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets, which tracks corporate spending and political influence. That puts PhRMA on track this year to beat its own spending recording of $29.3 million in 2019.

“The intensity right now of K Street and the deployment of lobbying and dark money is extraordinary,” said Nick Penniman, chief executive of Issue One, which advocates for transparency in Washington. “It is a frenzied state right now.”

The intense effort is reflective of just how much many companies have at stake in the Democrats’ evolving tax-and-spending bill. This article, which is based on interviews, documents and lobbying and ad spending data, offers a window into the efforts one sector took to shape the bill, much of which was crafted in secret.

The drug pricing provision agreed to by House Democrats this week does not go as far as many Democrats including Kim had hoped. But it still delivers reforms that could cut costs for millions of Americans bycapping out-of-pocket spending for seniors at $2,000 a year, capping insulin costs, preventing price increases that exceed the rate of inflation, and allowing Medicare to begin negotiating prices for some drugs.

“What we’re trying to do is defying one of the most powerful special-interest lobby groups in Washington, D.C.,” Kim said. “The fact that we were able to get something that will meaningfully help people was important.”

Other industries, including tobacco and electric vehicles, have worked aggressively to pare down or reshape parts of the bill in their favor, too. But the effort to fight back on drug-price increases stands out because of the enormous scope of the campaign waged by the pharmaceutical industry and its allies, which have derailed similar proposals for the past two decades, despite how popular many of the changes are with voters, according to polling data.

“They’re the Goliath,” said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of OpenSecrets. She said that aside from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, of which pharmaceutical firms are members, the industry had spent more than any other by a wide margin so far this year, deploying so many lobbyists — 1,600 — that they outnumber members of Congress 3 to 1.

The industry made $90.6 million of political contributions during the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets,61 percent of that to Democratic candidates and groups.

The industry’s focus on drug pricing has increased dramatically in recent years as the issue became more top-of-mind for voters. In 2012, lobbyists registered to work on the issue of “drug prices” 69 times for 20 different clients. In 2021 so far, they have filed to lobby on the issue 1,192 times for 242 different clients, according to OpenSecrets data.

While the industry lobbies on many different issues in a given year, the Democratic bill H.R. 3 that would have given the government more expansive power to negotiate drug prices was the bill PhRMA cited most often for lobbying; the bill appeared in its reports 35 times so far this year, OpenSecrets found.

Research by Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, which advocates for lower prices, found that PhRMA and its allies spent at least $26.5 million on television and digital ads attacking proposals on price negotiations between July and early November. That included $2.7 million spent by PhRMA, but also $4.5 million in ads by the 60 Plus Association, which bills itself as a conservative version of AARP anddid not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) holds one of Congress’s most competitive seats, having wrested it from Republican control in 2018 and narrowly winning reelection in 2020. She shaped her campaign around a platform of tackling rising health-care costs and has maintained focus on that issue, inviting a Type 1 diabetes patient with sky-high insulin costs to be her guest at the 2020 State of the Union address.

According to data tracked by Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, the American Action Network funded an ad in Slotkin’s district starting in August that accuses Democrats of pushing a “socialisthealth-care plan to control what medicines you can get.”

Her office is now accustomed to fielding calls from constituents who see ads like that one on television, Slotkin said.

“We can really tell the first couple of days those ads run because that’s when we’ll see a spike in the number of people calling our office,” she said. “We literally write a response that our staff can use to forcefully push back and try to contradict the purposeful misinformation.”

Asked about the accuracy of the advertisement targeting Slotkin, American Action Network spokesman Calvin Moore reiterated its message, saying such proposals amount to “socialist price controls” that could limit development of new prescription drugs. “Stifling innovation to this degree has profound consequences,” Moore said.

Many of the backers of these efforts are difficult to identify because of rules allowing anonymous funding of political groups. A Public Voice, which described itself on its 2018 and 2019 tax forms as the “direct controlling entity” of A Healthy Future, is based in Thornville, Ohio.It listed nearly $5 million in contributions in 2018, though it declined to name its donors, and spent the money on consulting, marketing and funding conservative causes across the country. That year, its donations included $240,000 to Fund for a Working Congress, a political action committee that supported Republican candidates, and $370,000 to Ohio First PAC, which supported a challenge by Republican James B. Renacci against Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

A voice mail left at a number listed on tax filings for A Public Voice received no response. Documents filed with the state of Ohio show that the entity originally formed in 2012 as Protect Your Vote Ohio and show its registered agents as lawyers with Langdon Law, a Cincinnati-area law firm known as a nexus for “dark money” groups on the right.

David Langdon of Langdon Law did not respond to an email and voice mail requesting comment.

The approximately 20 digital and television video ads compiled by Patients for Affordable Drugs Now and reviewed by The Washington Post warned viewers about an array of crises that could befall them should Congress allow Medicare to negotiate prices for drugs, among them that the industry could no longer develop new medications, that the government would limit access to prescriptions, that Medicare would be cut or that millions of jobs would be lost.

“They call it negotiation, but it really means government decides what medicines I can get,” says “Sue,” awoman labeled in one ad as a diabetic from Ohio.

“Imagine a future in which a vaccine for covid-19 was never discovered,” says a voice in another spot.

Pro-industry advertising ran during opinion shows on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, as well as during college football games, according to the advertising data firm iSpot.tv.

Once the drug cost proposal was added to President Biden’s larger legislative package, some advertising took direct aim at Democrats’ spending priorities. One claimed the proposal called for “gutting Medicare” in exchange for “pie-in-the-sky special-interest kickbacks.” It depicts House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) riding atop an animated unicorn, she and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) sliding down rainbows, and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a dessert buffet. Another depicts the proposal as a shell game that “loots Medicare.”

Jayapal says Democrats almost have the votes to pass Build Back Better

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) described her frustration with lengthy negotiations on the Build Back Better act in an interview with The Washington Post Nov. 5. (Zach Purser Brown/The Washington Post)

Previous presidents, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump, vowed to pass bills to lower prescription drug costs, only to see their efforts die on Capitol Hill, in part because of a relentless lobbying blitz.

When Montana’s Brian Schweitzer ran for Senate in 1999, he elevated his long-shot campaign by busing senior citizens to Canada so they could illegally buy drugs at lower prices.

He got his first taste of the pharmaceutical lobby shortly afterward, when he said television ads started attacking him for trusting medicines made in other countries. He said in his case, the attacks helped make his political career. “Virtually everybody in America has a friend or family member who is taking that expensive medicine,” he said.

Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) holds anothercompetitive seat, representing an Allentown, Pa., district that narrowly favored Biden in the 2020 election. She said that as she began supporting drug price reform early in her career, lobbyists began relentlessly calling her office, even though she had vowed not to take corporate PAC donations.

“If they’re calling me nonstop, imagine what they’re doing to those who actually do take their money,” she said.

During the most recent negotiations, Wild began receiving automated emails from constituentsworried they wouldn’t be able to get their medicines if the government could negotiate prices. But on Sunday she joined 14 colleagues from other competitive districts, including Kim and Slotkin, to urge Democratic leadership to deliver on their promise to reduce drug prices.

She said she knows what comes next.

“I am quite certain that because I have been so outspoken on this issue, that I am going to face an attack ad,” Wild said. “I have an idea for what it could be, but I don’t want to tell you in case they see it. I don’t want to give them any ideas.”

https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/political-nonprofits/summary?id=270730508

peak 2012? reports end 2013?

https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/C90011230/summary/2020

Official PAC Name:

AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK INC

Location:

WASHINGTON , DC 20006

Industry:

;

Treasurer:

FEC Committee ID: C90011230

hardly any data?!

2018

Bera, Ami

House

$326,250

Bergman, John

House

$15,000

Bonoff, Terri

House

$336,250

Caforio, Bryan

House

$326,250

Costello, Ryan

2016

American Natural Gas Alliance Several nonprofit organizations that don't disclose their donors but have been deeply involved in partisan politics during the last several years have received multimillion-dollar contributions from groups that are familiar players in Republican circles.

The GOP nonprofits -- American Action Network, which spent $26 million on ads in the 2010 mid-term elections; Crossroads :{GPS:(style="background-color:#ffff66;"):}:, which spent $16 million; and the American Future Fund, which laid out $9.6 million -- are all organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. They and the individuals who run them have strong ties to some of the same political networks, research by OpenSecrets Blog shows.

One of the previously unreported donor groups, according to forms filed by nonprofit groups with the Internal Revenue Service, is the Republican Jewish Coalition, which gave $4 million in 2010 to Crossroads GPS -- perhaps the most well-known of the outside spending groups that were running ads in the 2010 cycle, with ties to GOP strategist Karl Rove.

Crossroads GPS launched several ads critical of President Obama as well as of Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill just this month. In December, it spent $1.1 million spent on ads eviscerating four Democratic Senate candidates, including McCaskill and two other incumbents. The super PAC American Crossroads -- of which Crossroads GPS is an offshoot with a different corporate form -- has raised more than $23 million in this cycle and has said it plans a major ad barrage against Obama.

RJC gave another $4 million in 2010 to American Action Network, which shares office space in Washington, D.C. with Crossroads GPS.

RJC also shares two board members with American Action: Fred Malek, a former Nixon administration official, and former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman, who is American Action'sboard chairman.

For all the talk about super PACs this election season -- their influence in keeping some candidates afloat, their ability to accept unlimited contributions from almost any source, the handful of millionaires and billionaires who are their primary funders -- they are not at the top of transparency advocates' list of horrors. That's because super PACs have to disclose their donors to the public.

But 501(c)(4) groups can keep their donors hidden from public view, leaving voters in the dark about who is behind them and the millions they spend on advertisements promoting or attacking candidates. While they are supposed to function as social welfare groups, they can get involved in politics as long as they limit their political activity to less than half of their operations. But "social welfare" is loosely defined, and the groups have thus far escaped much scrutiny by the IRS.

The chart below shows 2010 donations to Crossroads GPS, American Action Network and the American Future Fund from RJC and two other groups that reported grants to the 501(c)(4)s in their IRS form 990 filings. Groups have not yet filed returns showing 2011 activity.

Organization	Crossroads GPS	American Action Network	American Future Fund	Total
Republican Jewish Coalition	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	$0	$8,000,000
PhRMA	$0	$4,500,000	$300,000	$4,800,000
American Justice Partnership	$0	$0	$2,400,000	$2,400,000

Jim Joseph, a tax partner at the law firm Arnold & Porter, noted that the identities of individuals and corporations who donate to the 501(c)(4) groups such as Crossroads GPS are still a mystery; those donors file tax returns that don't require them to disclose such contributions publicly. However, the forms filed by nonprofits, such as RJC, who give to the groups require them to list the grants.

And the information can be revealing. The board of RJC is loaded with major Republican donors -- figures such as Las Vegas casino owner Sheldon Adelson, who, with his wife, gave $10 million in January to Winning Our Future, the super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Hedge fund executive Paul Singer gave $1 million to the super PAC that's played a key role in Mitt Romney's bid for the White House, Restore Our Future, while RJC's chairman, David Flaum, has given $100,000 to the same group. Yet another board member Lewis Eisenberg, an adviser to private equity firmKohlberg Kravis Roberts,has donated $25,000 to Restore Our Future. Lobbyist Wayne Berman, who also sits on RJC's board, has bundled $358,000 for Romney's campaign this cycle.

The mission statement of RJC -- which is itself a (c)(4) group and can thus keep its donors' names private -- says that it is "committed to building a strong, effective and respected Jewish Republican voice in Washington and across the country."

RJC itself spent $24,000 attacking Democrat David Weprin in a special election in New York's 9th congressional district last year. The Republican, Bob Turner, won the seat in an upset. Several days ago, it began airing an ad critical of President Obama's Israel policy. Tag line: "Call President Obama. Tell him not to slash funding for Israel's missile defense."

American Action Network also received a $4.5 million grant in 2010 from PhRMA, the brand-name pharmaceutical makers' trade group, IRS forms indicate, and PhRMA gave another $300,000 to the American Future Fund. The latter group continues to be very active, announcing a new anti-Obama ad today that it says it will spend $4 million to air in nine states.

American Future Fund also received a 2010 gift of $2.4 million from the American Justice Partnership,according to the IRS. AJP was established by the National Association of Manufacturers to "battle greedy trial lawyers' scam lawsuits and win legal reform fights in states all across the country," according to its website.

Correction: The table in the original version of this story showed the PhRMA gave $4.5 million to Crossroads GPS. PhRMA gave $4.5 million to American Action Network, not to Crossroads. The text of the story is accurate, and the table has been corrected.

http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=American+Action+Network&cycle=2010 3/12

Yet, hundreds of these (c)(4)s – mostly right-wing – are flagrantly violating the tax law by operating primarily as political fronts for funneling secret corporate donations into raw, partisan campaigns. How did they get their privileged status as charities? By outright lying to the IRS, then defying the agency to stop them as they dump millions of corrupt dollars into our elections.

For example, American Action Network, a (c)(4) created by Wall Street lobbyists, has spent two-thirds of its revenue on elections, including putting up $745,000 from secret donors to elect Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. How ironic, then, that Johnson is now one of the tea party mad dogs howling at IRS officials. It’s scandalous, Johnson shrieks, that some tea party groups have not been given (c)(4) status, because IRS agents have had the temerity to question whether the groups actually are charitable enterprises – or just rank political outfits fraudulently posing as charities.

Tea Party groups should not be singled out for IRS scrutiny, but neither should they be allowed to cheat by shamefully masquerading as Little Sisters of the Poor. That’s the real scandal.

"Groups Targeted By I.R.S. Tested Rules on Politics," The New York Times, May 27, 2013.

"Five 501(c)(4) Groups That Might Have Broken the Law," www.thenation.com, May 21, 2013.

"Dubious Dealing of Tea Party Groups Could Have Drawn IRS Scrutiny," www.motherjones.com, May 17, 2013

"Whose Welfare?" The New York Times, June 4, 2012.

American Action Network Launches New Issue Advocacy Campaign in Florida

Urges Floridians to Sign a Petition at www.changingcharlie.com Asking Gov. Charlie Crist to Oppose the Obama Agenda and Job Killing Taxes

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The American Action Network started a new television and internet issue advocacy campaign today with an ad today called “Tattoo.” The ad highlights Governor Charlie Crist’s flip-flopping on important policies that directly affect Florida’s families and small businesses. The ad encourages Floridians to sign a petition urging Gov. Crist to commit to the policies and take the actions as Governor that will create jobs in a state that suffers from 11.7% unemployment.

“The Network’s education effort is a call to action for the citizens of Florida that smaller government, lower taxes and jobs creation are the key to a stronger America. Floridians have the power and ability to take back control of their government and the policies that are negatively impacting their everyday life—they just need to get involved,” said Norm Coleman, CEO of the American Action Network.

“We are asking for the citizens of Florida to sign a petition asking Governor Charlie Crist to stand up to the Obama agenda and stop supporting job killing taxes,” said Rob Collins, President of the American Action Network. “During these challenging times policymakers must resolutely stand by the time tested center-right principles of lower taxes, smaller government and real job creation.”

View the ad here: www.changingcharlie.com

...

After

Charlie Crist then broke his pledge not to raise taxes:

“The $65 billion-plus fiscal year FY2010 budget Crist signed requires a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase estimated to cost the taxpayers of Florida $2 billion over the next two years. In addition to the tobacco tax increase, the budget requires an estimated $800 million in ‘fee’ increases, many of which are actually mislabeled tax increases. Because of this, in signing the bill, Gov. Crist broke the Pledge he made during his gubernatorial campaign to ‘oppose and veto any and all tax increases.’ (Americans For Tax Reform Press Release, May 27, 2009; http://www.atr.org/taxpayers-disappointed-crist-pledge-violation-a3319)

“The budget relies on a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax and a $900 million infusion of new cash from expanding gambling at the Seminole casinos and parimutuels across the state.

[Crist] said that he doesn't consider the cigarette tax a broad-based tax. ‘I view it more of a health issue than a tax issue,’ he said. ‘Ronald Reagan used to say if you want to kill smoking. Tax it. Maybe it wouldn't be bad if we killed smoking and saved a lot of lives.’” (Miami Herald Blog, “Naked Politics,” May 27, 2009, By Mary Ellen Klas;

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/05/crist-signs-budget-...)

Crist Support of an Energy Tax

Gov. Crist Signs Legislation for Florida’s Cap-and-Trade Program:

“On June 25, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law House Bill 7135, enacting several new energy and climate change policies. The policies include the Florida Climate Protection Act, which authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection to develop an electric-utility greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade program.” (Pew Center on Global Climate Change, “Florida Utility-Sector Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Program,” http://www.pewclimate.org/node/6020)

“Governor Charlie Crist today announced that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will provide a keynote address tomorrow during the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, June 25-26, 2008, in Miami. Governor Crist kicked off the summit with a keynote address during breakfast entitled ‘Green Technology Drives Green Economies.’ Following his remarks, Governor Crist signed House Bill 7135, the most comprehensive energy and economic development legislation in Florida’s history.” (Governor Charlie Crist Press Release, June 25, 2008, “GOVERNOR CRIST ANNOUNCES CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT SERVE TO PRESERVE SUMMIT,”http://www.flgov.com/release/10074)

President Obama’s Cap-and-Trade Program Raises Energy Taxes:

“The Obama administration has privately concluded that a cap and trade law would cost American taxpayers up to $200 billion a year, the equivalent of hiking personal income taxes by about 15 percent.

“A previously unreleased analysis prepared by the U.S. Department of Treasury says the total in new taxes would be between $100 billion to $200 billion a year. At the upper end of the administration's estimate, the cost per American household would be an extra $1,761 a year.”

… “The document written by [Treasury Department’s Judson] Jaffee includes this line: ‘It will raise energy prices and impose annual costs on the order of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.’ The Treasury Department redacted the rest of the sentence with a thick black line.” (CBSNews.com, September 15, 2009, “Obama Admin: Cap And Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 A Year,” By Declan McCullagh;http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504383_162-5314040-504383.html)

Gov Crist Supported the Stimulus Bill Then Denied He Ever Did

Crist Supports Stimulus Bill:

“‘We know that it's important that we pass a stimulus package,’ Florida's popular Republican governor said amid "Yes, we can!" cheers as he introduced the Democratic president.” (St. Petersburg Times, February 11, 2009, “Crist, Obama Join to Promote Stimulus,” by Adam C. Smith;http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article974949.ece)

"It's going to help [Floridians'] children. It's going to help their traffic situation. It's going to help produce more jobs here in the Sunshine State. That's a perspective that I have to have as, in essence, the CEO of Florida. And that's why I support it." (MSNBC, February 3, 2010, “Hardball with Chris Matthews”)

“Dear Mr. President, We are writing to express our support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which passed last week int eh House and is under consideration currently in the Senate.” (Letter to President Obama, February 3, 2010;http://flarecovery.com/_resources/browse/file/2.3.2009_Potus_Fed_Stimulu...)

Crist Denies He Supported Stimulus Bill:

WOLF BLITZER: “ Do you have any regrets about endorsing the economic stimulus package?”

CRIST: “Well, I didn’t endorse it. I — you know, I didn’t even have a vote on the darned thing.” (CNN, November 4, 2009, “Situation Room,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkPwJeGEI68)

Watchdog Group Says Crist “Appears to be Trying to Rewrite History”

“Facing a primary challenge from the conservative wing of the Republican Party, Crist appears to be trying to rewrite history. But there are mountains of evidence that he not only supported the stimulus, he sang its praises.” (Politifact.com, November 5, 2009, “Charlie Crist says he didn't endorse stimulus bill,” By Aaron Sharockman; http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2009/nov/05/charlie-crist/c...)

Ballooned the deficit as a result of the stimulus bill

“On Friday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said this year’s budget deficit is now nearly $1.7 trillion, more than $400 billion larger than it forecast two months ago. Next year’s deficit will be nearly $1.1 trillion, $430 billion more than its prior forecast. And that doesn't count President Obama’s budget plans to cut taxes and increase spending.

“Although the deepening recession is partly to blame for the increase, the nonpartisan CBO says the increases are largely due to the sharp rise in spending (think fiscal stimulus package) and the higher cost of saving the financial system.” (Christian Science Monitor, March 20, 2009, “CBO: US deficit ballooning to record $1.7 trillion,” By Ron Scherer; http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/2009/0320/cbo-us-deficit-ballooning-to-re...)

The American Action Network is a 501(c)(4) ‘action tank’ that will create, encourage and promote center-right policies based on the principles of freedom, limited government, American exceptionalism, and strong national security.

For more information, please visit our Web site http://www.americanactionnetwork.org