HEALTHCARE:
Under Obamacare, Competition Is Costly For Consumers
“Normally, market competition is good for consumers. More competition generally means competitors are battling each other to lower their prices and/or raise the quality of their goods. But when it comes to Obamacare, the market is working backwards, at least for people receiving health insurance subsidies through the exchanges. The more competitive the marketplace, often the more people have to pay for insurance. How did this happen? The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, created a series of exchanges where people can shop for health insurance if they don’t already receive it from the government (e.g. Medicare or Medicaid) or from their employer. The exchanges are a pro-market approach to healthcare reform. But they aren’t a simple market, by any means. In part, they are complicated because most people purchasing insurance through the exchanges receive subsidies. If you earn less than 400% of the federal poverty limit, you’ll probably qualify. In other words, the exchanges are subsidized markets. But subsidies inevitably mess up with normal market functioning. After all, insurers usually compete with each other, in part, based on price. And the cost of insurance varies dramatically, depending on who’s applying for insurance. A single man will typically pay less for his insurance than, say, a family of four. The price of insurance also changes depending on where someone lives, an expensive place like New York City or a cheap one like Topeka (please don’t send me nasty-grams, all you Topekans. I am a Midwesterner just like you!) Because of this normal market variation in the price of health insurance, the ACA stipulated that the size of the subsidy would vary, in part, based on the cost of the plans in a person’s local market. Specifically, people purchasing insurance on the exchanges are offered plans ranging from bronze ones – with low monthly premium and high out-of-pocket costs – to platinum ones – with high premiums and low out-of-pocket costs. Subsidies are tied to the cost of the second cheapest silver plan…”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2015/04/17/under-obamacare-competition-is-costly-for-consumers/
How Obamacare Neglects the Poor
Its “coverage gap” leaves some low-income Americans uncovered and subject to fines.
“The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that states were allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. The question of expanding Medicaid in Florida has been a long-running political fight between the GOP-led state house and senate, and now it is spreading to include Governor Rick Scott’s administration. The wrangling will likely cause an extended legislative session as the Obama administration insists on offering certain federal health-care funds only to states that expand the entitlement. This is just one of the many distortions and other problems brought on by Obamacare’s massive federal intrusion into states’ health care. Five years ago, nobody thought Obamacare would create a situation where someone with annual earnings around the price of a used car would have to prove to the Internal Revenue Service that they cannot afford health insurance, or else pay a fine. Fortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell, expected in June, may provide a much-needed political opening to address the consequences of the 2010 health-care law on the poor, and perhaps offer states a way out of the Medicaid-expansion dilemma…”
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417069/how-obamacare-neglects-poor-vann-ellison
Despite Obamacare goals, buying health insurance remains confusing
“President Obama’s healthcare law aimed to make notoriously confusing health insurance policies clearer for consumers. But despite some requirements for insurers to explain medical benefits in plain English, health advocates are still frustrated by a lack of transparency. In a report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, researchers found that some insurers aren’t fully complying with the law’s mandates to cover birth control but were unable to ascertain coverage policies from others. “What did we learn? Getting this information is really difficult,” said Laurie Sobel, a senior policy analyst for Kaiser. Insurers are mandated by Obamacare to give customers a form explaining how they cover health services. But the form is so opaque that it is having to be redesigned. Kaiser reviewed how 20 plans cover different kinds of birth control. Not a single type of birth control coverage could be clearly explained by all the insurers providing it…”
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/despite-obamacare-goals-buying-health-insurance-remains-confusing/article/2563202?custom_click=rss
HHS Announces $201 Million for Obamacare Navigators
“The system of federal and state “exchanges” or “marketplaces” that offer health insurance through the Affordable Care Act lean heavily on “navigators” to guide consumers in their choices. Organizations such as community health centers, legal aid societies, social service groups, church groups and even Planned Parenthood chapters have received grants in the past to serve in this capacity. Now the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced $201 million in grants to be made available for navigators over the next three years. Until now, grants have been awarded on an annual basis. This time around, HHS is planning to change the “project period” from 12 to 36 months. Tricia Brooks of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families is enthusiastic about this change. Writing at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms blog (CHIRblog), Brooks says: But what really excited me about the notice – drumroll please – is that, in the supporting statement, CMS signaled its intent to provide three years of funding in the next round of navigator grants. Extending the length of the funding period is important to build stability in enrollment assistance programs. No longer will individual navigators have to put their resume on the street at the end of the grant year, just in case. Three-year funding periods will enable navigator entities to recruit and retain permanent, professional consumer assisters and assure high quality assistance for consumers…”
https://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/hhs-announces-201-million-obamacare-navigators_921671.html
Warning: Affordable Care Act Penalties Start This Year
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245185
More investigations into ObamaCare state exchanges are needed
“It has been five years since the Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, was signed into law. The disastrous rollout of the federal marketplace website, Healthcare.gov, is well-known. According to a Bloomberg Government analysis released in September 2014, the cost of Healthcare.gov was more than $2 billion, more than twice the Obama administration’s estimates. Appropriately, the federal marketplace has been a subject of numerous congressional hearings. But state-run websites have also squandered hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars. While the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has been investigating some of the problems with state-run websites, much more can and should be done. Every House and Senate committee that oversees healthcare issues should carefully examine the roles played by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), state officials and contractors in the design and implementation of the websites. Examples of costly and/or failed exchanges include those of the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont. However, the poster child for a failed state exchange is Oregon, and it deserves special scrutiny by Congress. In the fall of 2012, Oregon’s exchange was “leading the nation,” according to Carolyn Lawson, chief information officer for the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Human Services. In May 2013, Sarah Kliff of The Washington Post declared that Oregon’s online marketplace may be “the White House’s favorite health [e]xchange.” Yet two months after the Oct. 1, 2013 open enrollment began, Cover Oregon was an object of ridicule. According to CMS, the exchange cost taxpayers more than $305 million. Cover Oregon was closed in April 2014 and the state is utilizing the federally facilitated exchange. Now there is evidence emerging that election politics may have played a role in the demise of Cover Oregon. According to two Oregon-based news reports in February 2015, disgraced former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) tried to have his personal emails removed from the state’s servers, but state officials refused to do so. It was later discovered that the emails show the governor surreptitiously hired his chief campaign consultant, Patricia McCaig, the self-described “Princess of Darkness,” to oversee Cover Oregon in February 2014. The emails show that McCaig and other campaign consultants were deeply involved in shaping official state news about Cover Oregon and in discussions about whether to settle a dispute with Oracle, the prime vendor for the website, or sue the company. Indeed, lawsuits between Oracle and the state are flying back and forth over the exchange’s catastrophic collapse. Oracle is seeking unpaid fees and claiming defamation and copyright infringement. The company is also accusing Kitzhaber’s former political consultants of interfering with the website, and this claim seems to be supported by emails that show McCaig, among others, based management decisions on polling and how voters’ views of Cover Oregon would impact the governor’s reelection campaign. The state is accusing Oracle of substandard performance and racketeering. Taxpayers need to know what exactly happened in Oregon and why, as well as how other state exchanges have cost more than expected and worked far less effectively than advertised. Since the ACA requires state exchanges to be self-sufficient by January 2015, it would also be interesting to learn how much the purported “successful” websites are costing taxpayers to run and maintain…”
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/239191-investigations-into-obamacare-state-exchanges-are-needed
GOP senator wants to subpoena D.C. health exchange
Move ratchets up Obamacare fight
“Republican Sen. David Vitter will ask his Senate committee next week to authorize a subpoena against the D.C. health exchange, turning up the heat in his lengthy quest to find out who allowed Congress to use the city’s small-business Obamacare portal. A draft agenda circulated Friday says the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship will vote whether to force D.C. Health Link to produce unredacted pages from Congress‘ application to use the exchange, or “SHOP,” that the District set up for its small businesses. For months Mr. Vitter, a Louisianan who chairs the small business panel, has tried to find out who signed the application papers at House and Senate personnel offices, although D.C. officials argue privacy laws have compelled them to black out the names. “The goal of this investigation is to find out who authorized the decision to allow Congress — which employs nearly 16,000 people — to join Obamacare as a ‘small business’ and receive a special taxpayer-funded subsidy that is not available to the rest of America,” Mr. Vitter said. “We are seeking accountability within the body that creates this nation’s laws and moving forward with the subpoena process in a transparent manner.” Since no Democrats are likely to approve the subpoena, Mr. Vitter’s office said it needs all 10 committee Republicans to get on board at its business meeting Thursday. It thinks it’s almost there, but it is still lobbying members. Mr. Vitter has become a chief critic of Obamacare and how Congress has treated itself under the law, which required members of Congress and staff members who want insurance through their jobs to join the same health exchanges the law imposed on millions of other Americans…”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/17/david-vitter-wants-subpoena-dc-exchange/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
Boehner: ‘Conservatives should be happy’ about Medicare ‘doc fix’
“Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday took a jab at the small group of fiscal conservatives who have fiercely opposed his bipartisan, $200 billion deal to reform Medicare. “Conservatives should be happy we got this done, and confident Republicans will continue fighting to curb Washington’s worst habits for the sake of our children’s future,” Boehner wrote in an op-ed Friday for the IJ Review. The Medicare “doc fix” bill, which was personally negotiated by Boehner, was passed overwhelmingly passed in the Senate Tuesday night. President Obama signed the bill Thursday, staving off steep cuts to payments for doctors who accept Medicare.
Still, the bill drew sharp criticism from influential Republicans in Congress, including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Marco Rubio (Florida), who are both competing for the GOP presidential nomination…”
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/239240-boehner-conservatives-should-be-happy-about-medicare-bill
Majority of Americans: Leave Obamacare as is, see how it works out
“Republicans want Obamacare repealed, but Americans have other thoughts. A majority of U.S. adults (51 percent) say that while the Affordable Care Act may need some small changes, “we should see how it works,” according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll. Twelve percent said the law should be left alone, compared to 35 percent who said it should be repealed. Two percent said they were unsure. As expected, there was a partisan divide over repealing the law. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans said they supported repeal, compared to just 10 percent of Democrats. Since Obamacare was signed into law by President Obama in early 2010, the government said roughly 16.4 million Americans have gained health insurance. The poll was conducted April 6-8 and 1,008 adults were surveyed with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.”
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/majority-of-americans-leave-obamacare-as-is-see-how-it-works-out/article/2563217?custom_click=rss
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Medicaid expansion: No, yes, no, we’re suing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/04/17/florida-gov-rick-scott-on-medicaid-expansion-no-yes-no-were-suing/?wprss=rss_national
IMMIGRATION:
Obama asks court to lift block on immigration actions
“The Obama administration on Friday asked a federal appeals court to lift a judge’s order blocking the president’s executive actions on immigration. The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans held a rare oral argument session in a case that could determine the fate of Obama’s immigration programs, which would halt deportations and offer work permits to millions of immigrants in the country illegally. A top Justice Department lawyer argued that a federal judge in Texas was wrong to issue a preliminary injunction freezing the programs. The injunction was requested by 26 states that are challenging the legality of the executive actions. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer told the three-judge panel that the states, led by Texas, had no legal standing to bring the lawsuit because the federal government has sole jurisdiction over immigration policy. “The district court’s decision to entertain this suit was therefore wrong as a matter of law and this court should enter an immediate stay,” he said. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen granted the states’ request for an injunction in February, agreeing that the programs would cause them harm through added economic costs, such as driver’s licenses, healthcare and education. With 21 months remaining in Obama’s presidency, his administration is acting aggressively to resolve the legal issues surrounding the immigration programs. If the court sides with the Obama administration, it would allow the government to begin implementing the programs. But Obama’s lawyers faced a tough sell before the judges; the 5th Circuit is the most conservative federal appeals court in the country…”
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/239271-obama-asks-court-to-lift-block-on-immigration-actions
Federal appeals court to take up Obama’s immigration action
“As demonstrators gathered Friday outside a New Orleans federal courthouse, appellate judges were preparing to consider whether to lift a temporary hold imposed by a federal judge in Texas on President Barack Obama’s executive action seeking to shield millions of immigrants from deportation. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a closely watched case that is holding up Obama’s immigration action. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville granted a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama’s action. Hanen’s rulings have temporarily blocked the Obama administration from implementing the policies that would allow as many as 5 million people in the U.S. illegally to remain. Under grey skies threatening rain, immigrants and protesters in favor of Obama’s immigration policy held banners and waved at passing cars. One banner read “Immigration reform” and another said “Deportation Destroys Families.” They also shouted demands and could be heard inside the courtroom from the street. Victor Ibarra, a 43 year old protester from Houston, was with a group of restaurant workers. He said it’s time to change immigration policy. “We are human. We want family to be together. We just want to be OK in this country, cause no trouble and have the opportunity to be in the U.S. all our life.”…”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/17/appeals-court-to-take-up-obamas-immigration-action/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
Panel to hear appeal on Obama immigration actions
“The Obama administration will attempt Friday to convince a federal appeals court to lift a lower-court ruling that has blocked the government from implementing the president’s executive actions to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation and to grant them work permits. In a rare oral argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, Justice Department lawyers will have at least one hour to make their case that a federal judge in Texas erred in February when he halted Obama’s deferred-action program as he deliberates over a lawsuit filed by 26 states. The Obama administration has appealed Judge Andrew Hanen’s injunction and is asking the appeals panel to stay the order, in hopes that federal agencies can begin enrolling immigrants in the broader deferred-action program. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose state is leading the lawsuit, also will be granted an hour to argue that President Obama abused his authority when he announced plans in November to dramatically expand a deferred-action program started in 2012 for immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. “The district court has taken the extraordinary step of allowing a State to override the United States’ exercise of its enforcement discretion in the immigration laws,” administration lawyers wrote in their legal brief filed with the appeals court. In a statement reported by the Texas Tribune, Paxton said the lawsuit “is about a President who has recklessly acted outside of the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution, circumventing Congress to rewrite the law as he sees fit.” The stakes are high for Obama, whose move to reshape U.S. immigration policies through his executive authority stands as one of the most important and boldest initiatives of his second term. After Congress failed to pass a comprehensive immigration overhaul last summer, Obama declared that he would act unilaterally over fierce objections of Republicans…”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/panel-to-hear-appeal-on-obama-immigration-actions/2015/04/17/d3c23fae-e488-11e4-81ea-0649268f729e_story.html?wprss=rss_national
Federal Appeals Court to Take up Obama’s Immigration Action
“As demonstrators gathered Friday outside a New Orleans federal courthouse, appellate judges were preparing to consider whether to lift a temporary hold imposed by a federal judge in Texas on President Barack Obama’s executive action seeking to shield millions of immigrants from deportation. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a closely watched case that is holding up Obama’s immigration action. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville granted a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama’s action. Hanen’s rulings have temporarily blocked the Obama administration from implementing the policies that would allow as many as 5 million people in the U.S. illegally to remain. Under grey skies threatening rain, immigrants and protesters in favor of Obama’s immigration policy held banners and waved at passing cars. One banner read “Immigration reform” and another said “Deportation Destroys Families.” They also shouted demands and could be heard inside the courtroom from the street. Victor Ibarra, a 43 year old protester from Houston, was with a group of restaurant workers. He said it’s time to change immigration policy. “We are human. We want family to be together. We just want to be OK in this country, cause no trouble and have the opportunity to be in the U.S. all our life.” Obama announced the executive orders after the November midterm elections, saying inaction by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own. A coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, sued to overturn Obama’s executive action, arguing that it is unconstitutional and would force them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education. Justice Department attorneys have argued that maintaining the temporary hold harms “the interests of the public and of third parties who will be deprived of significant law enforcement and humanitarian benefits of prompt implementation” of the president’s immigration action. The appellate court is taking up the case at a special hearing. It was uncertain how quickly the panel might rule following the hearing. Each side was to get an hour to argue their case. The first of Obama’s orders — to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children — had been set to take effect Feb. 18. The other major part would extend deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for several years. That provision was slated to begin on May 19…”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/appeals-court-obamas-immigration-action-30384504
Federal appeals court hears arguments on Obama immigration action
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-appeals-court-hears-arguments-on-obama-immigration-action/
The Amnesty Battle Continues in the Big Easy
“Today, April 17, the immigration lawsuit filed by 26 states against the administration goes to the next level. The Fifth Circuit will hear oral arguments on the government’s request for an emergency stay of the injunction issued on February 16 by Judge Andrew Hanen pending appeal. This is the just the preliminary round, since the Fifth Circuit will hear separate arguments later on the substantive issue of whether an injunction was properly issued in the first place. Still, today’s courtroom drama marks an important step in the fight to stop President Obama’s unilateral immigration action to grant the equivalent of amnesty to 5 million illegal aliens. As I explained here, on April 7 Judge Hanen refused to lift his stay and issued an additional order accusing the administration of misleading the court about its partial implementation of the president’s amnesty plan. RELATED: Liberal Law Profs Take Their Best Shot at Defending Obama’s Amnesty, Fail This Tuesday the states filed their final, supplemental brief with the Fifth Circuit for tomorrow’s hearing. It argues that nothing in the government’s brief “identifies an ‘emergency’ need to stay the preliminary injunction until resolution of this already expedited appeal.” In fact, the states note, the injunction “preserves the status quo, which has existed for decades, without touching the Executive’s prosecutorial discretion not to pursue certain removal proceedings.” In addition to reiterating many of the arguments they made in the district court, the states claim that “the Executive’s unclean hands are yet another reason to deny the equitable relief of a stay.” They point to Judge Hanen’s April 7 finding that the government engaged in “‘misconduct’ in misrepresenting whether it had immediately implemented Expanded DACA.” The states cite a 1945 Supreme Court case, Precision Instrument Mfg. Co. v. Auto. Maint. Mach. Co., in which the Court said that the unclean-hands doctrine “closes the doors of a court of equity to one tainted with inequitableness or bad faith relative to the matter in which he seeks relief.”…”
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417073/amnesty-battle-continues-big-easy-hans-von-spakovsky
Appeals court to take up Obama’s immigration action
“Appellate judges on Friday were to consider whether to lift a temporary hold imposed by a federal judge in Texas on President Barack Obama’s executive action seeking to shield millions of immigrants from deportation. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a closely watched case that is holding up Obama’s immigration action. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville granted a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama’s action. Hanen’s rulings have temporarily blocked the Obama administration from implementing the policies that would allow as many as 5 million people in the U.S. illegally to remain. Large numbers of advocacy groups and immigrants were planning to rally outside the New Orleans courthouse. Obama announced the executive orders after the November mid-term elections, saying inaction by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own…”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/appeals-court-to-take-up-obamas-immigration-action/
Obama immigration order back in federal court
“Demonstrators gathered outside a New Orleans federal courthouse on Friday as President Obama’s efforts to overhaul the country’s immigration system dangled in legal limbo. Justice Department lawyers urged a federal appeals court to lift an injunction on a plan that would let up to 5 million illegal immigrants live in the country, obtain work permits and receive other benefits. In February, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen granted a preliminary injunction at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama’s action. Hanen’s rulings have temporarily blocked the Obama administration from implementing the policies that would shield illegal immigrants from deportation. “We have health costs,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose state is leading the lawsuit, said. “We have law enforcement costs. Then there’s additional costs to the federal government, because basically this is a benefits program for people who are not actually supposed to be here.” Victor Ibarra, a 43-year-old protester from Houston, was with a group of restaurant workers. He said it’s time to change immigration policy. “We are human. We want family to be together. We just want to be OK in this country, cause no trouble and have the opportunity to be in the U.S. all our life,” Ibarra said. Obama announced the executive orders after the November midterm elections, saying inaction by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own…”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/17/obama-immigration-laws-back-in-federal-court/
TEXAS AG: ‘CONFIDENT IN OUR ARGUMENTS’ BEFORE APPEALS COURT AGAINST EXEC. AMNESTY
“The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is considering arguments dealing with the injunction a federal district judge placed on President Obama’s executive amnesty. Texas is leading a coalition of 26 states in a challenge against Obama’s executive actions, and defended U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s February injunction on the orders — which blocked the administration from moving forward with its expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, efforts expected to grant millions of illegal immigrants legal status and work permits. Following oral arguments, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton expressed confidence in the state’s arguments. “The rule of law matters, and we are confident in our arguments before the Fifth Circuit today as we continue to defend our citizens against President Obama’s unconstitutional amnesty plan,” Paxton said in a statement. The Texas attorney general further stressed the veracity of the states’ arguments. “The executive branch is bound by our legal system and U.S. Constitution – it cannot simply create new laws unilaterally,” he added. “The Obama Administration defied this foundational principle when it bypassed our elected leaders to re-write national immigration policy, granting federal and state benefits to law-breaking immigrants, and when it misled a federal judge over the premature implementation of executive amnesty.” The Obama Justice Department is appealing the Hanen injunction, seeking to have Obama’s executive amnesty programs go forward. According to the Associated Press, the government argued that Texas’ case lacked merit and standing. “If Texas is right, it could challenge an individual’s right to seek asylum,” Benjamin Mizer, an Obama Justice Department lawyer argued, according to the AP. “The states do not have standing in the downstream effects of a federal immigration policy.”…”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/17/texas-ag-confident-in-our-arguments-before-appeals-court-against-exec-amnesty/
Shocking images from cameras on Texas-Mexico border capture steady stream of illegal immigrants sneaking into the United States with packages of drugs and guns
“–Network of more than 1,000 cameras are installed on farms and ranches
–Have been strategically placed in areas that have not been secured
–‘Sophisticated’ system led to the apprehension of nearly 30,000 suspects
Has also slowed down cartel operations and drug smuggling..”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3042805/Shocking-images-cameras-Texas-Mexico-border-capture-steady-stream-illegal-immigrants-sneaking-United-States-packages-drugs-guns.html
Watchdog: ICE could have saved millions on detainee flights
“A Homeland Security Department internal watchdog says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could have saved millions of dollars on charter flights carrying deported immigrants to their home countries by not leaving seats empty. The Inspector General report says ICE Air flights, which mostly returned deported immigrants to Central America, could have saved up to $41.1 million by flying at capacity. According to the report, ICE spent about $116 million on flights from October 2010 through March 2014 that flew at less than 80 percent capacity. The report acknowledges various factors prevent ICE’s aircrafts from flying at full capacity, but recommends the agency determine better data and management plans for its air removal operations to ensure it uses its resources effectively. ICE officials said the agency would comment later…”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/17/watchdog-ice-could-have-saved-millions-on-detainee/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
JEFF SESSIONS: HELP LOW-WAGE WORKERS BY CONTROLLING IMMIGRATION
“Low-wage workers are rising up to protest their wages and call for a drastic increase in the minimum wage. The disgruntled, largely fast food, workers — spurred by labor organizations such as the Service Employees International Union — staged a rally this week calling for a $15-an-hour minimum wage. They insist the current economy is unfair to low-wage workers. But while labor unions and progressives push for a higher minimum pay, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) argues that what’s really depressing wages is the continued influx of immigrant labor — which, ironically is also part of the current big labor agenda. “Regrettably, real hourly wages have fallen beneath 1973 levels,” Sessions explained in an exclusive commentary to Breitbart News. “Yet, as some union leaders seek higher pay they are also pushing for immigration policies that would reduce both their members’ pay and job security. Improved wages and employment in low-skilled industries comes when labor markets tighten.” Sessions, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, pointed to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute which showed that there are about 20 unemployed people in the food and accommodation service industries for every 15 job openings. “If you were to raise the wage floor without reducing the supply of new immigrant labor into these various industries, three things would happen: First, you would end up with an even more unbalanced ratio of jobseekers to jobs and thus artificially high unemployment; second, pay increases would remain scarce due to the surplus of available entry-level labor; and third, American workers with a poor employment history would be disadvantaged when applying for the same jobs as newly-arrived immigrant workers,” he wrote….”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/17/jeff-sessions-help-low-wage-workers-by-controlling-immigration-not-raising-min-wage/
GOHMERT: HOMELAND SECURITY TOO BUSY WITH AMNESTY TO PROTECT US CAPITOL
“This week on the “The Lars Larson Show,” while discussing a Florida mailman landing a gyrocopter on the U.S. Capitol lawn, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said the incident shows the Department of Homeland Security is so busy with President Barack Obama’s executive order amnesty they are not capable of protecting the U.S. Capitol. Gohmert said, “It ought to scare people because Homeland Security is so overwhelmed in trying to bring on and ship around illegal aliens and give amnesty to as many people as they can, the millions we are told that will ultimately have this amnesty, that they can’t do something as simple as protect the Untied States Capitol. “A lot of people thought the fourth plane those American heroes took down in Pennsylvania was probably going for the White House,” he continued. “The information I have is he was going to the Capitol. There are some surveys that show the U.S. Capitol is the most recognized building in the world.” “That dome is a symbol of what’s right with America. We have just seen that, that whole thing can be taken out by anybody without Homeland Security or any of our security doing one thing to stop it,” he added…”
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/04/17/gohmert-homeland-security-too-busy-with-amnesty-to-protect-us-capitol/
Steve King: Obama ‘importing millions’ of illegal immigrants to boost Dem vote
“Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Thursday said President Obama is using his executive actions to swell the ranks of Democratic voters with illegal immigrants. “To put it simply, the president is importing millions of illegal aliens who when they arrive here he thinks, and he’s right, they are undocumented Democrats, and so the next phase of this is to document these Democrats so they can vote,” he said on Virginia’s “John Fredericks Show” radio program, according to BuzzFeed. King also compared Obama’s immigration actions to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The law’s creation allowed many blacks in the segregated south to cast ballots for the first time. “It erodes the politics of this country, the respect for the rule of law, and it creates this massive electorate that will likely vote in large numbers for Barack Obama and his party, just like African-Americans have done so after Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which by the way took the majority of Republicans in the House and Senate to make sure that that passed,” he added. The Iowa lawmaker claimed that executive action on immigration makes Democrats “the beneficiaries” of an unfair electoral advantage. “This is the president of the United States trying to stack the electorate with millions of people, lawlessly bringing them into the United States of America and giving them a presence here, and thinking and realizing that the longer you can keep them here the less likely it is that they will go home,” he charged. “They don’t understand the law, they come from lawless countries,” King said of undocumented immigrants. “So they’re not at all likely to defend our Constitution or the rule of law.” A federal appeals court in New Orleans will consider whether or not to lift a block on Obama’s executive order on Friday. The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals will hear arguments from the federal government and 26 states opposed to Obama’s actions that afternoon…”
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/239244-steve-king-obama-importing-millions-of-illegal-immigrants-to-boost
Congresswoman questions $730K repairs to Arizona border fence
“The high price tag and slow repairs to a part of the border fence that divides the U.S. and Mexico are of great concern, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-Arizona) said Thursday. McSally wrote a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske on Thursday after an Associated Press report found the repairs to about 60 feet of fencing cost $730,000. “Given the limited availability of funding and the need for new, more effective technologies along our southern border, I find the cost of the repairs to be of great concern,” McSally wrote. Repairs on the 60 feet of rebar-reinforced fencing in Nogales, Arizona, were completed in December, and the federal agency released the cost of the repairs last month after a request by The Associated Press. Agents discovered the downed fence in July after heavy rain in Nogales, Mexico, caused debris to build up against the fence, toppling it. The fence stood between 18 and 26 feet high and extended at least 7 feet underground. It was built in 2011. The debris, which included tree trunks, was so heavy that it crossed into Nogales, Arizona, damaging businesses and mobile homes near the border. City officials last year said they planned on suing U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, accusing the agency of failing to open floodgates that would have prevented such strong runoff. But city attorney Julia Holman said Nogales is no longer pursuing that effort…”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/17/congresswoman-questions-730k-repairs-to-arizona-border-fence/
Dartmouth Lawyer Destroys NYT Editorial On Legal Immigration
“Dartmouth lawyer and conservative writer John Hinderaker poked all kinds of holes in the logic of the New York Times editorial board this week, after it published a piece criticizing Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions’ argument that legal immigration should be slowed. In a time when most Republicans wouldn’t dare say they oppose legal immigration, Mr. Sessions, in the words of the Times, chooses “instead to echo an uglier time in our history, when nativists wielded the spurious argument that the more immigrants taken in by America, the worse off America is,” the board wrote in an editorial Wednesday. “He’s advocating for ‘slowing the pace’ of legal immigration, supposedly to increase job opportunities for native-born, low-skilled workers, particularly African-Americans,” the board wrote. In a scathing rebuke, Hinderaker challenged the idea that unlimited immigration is good for the economy, and took the board to task for omitting obvious facts and fallacies in the open borders argument…”
http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/17/dartmouth-lawyer-destroys-nyt-editorial-on-legal-immigration/
Republican Party Wrestles With Immigration Stance as It Courts Hispanics
Texas fight over college benefits for immigrants highlights GOP split
http://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-party-wrestles-with-immigration-stance-as-it-courts-hispanics-1429289017
DEM REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ HANDING OUT ‘DO NOT DEPORT ME’ TOOLKIT TO ILLEGAL ALIENS
“Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez has launched a new effort to aide illegal aliens to resist deportation with a “toolkit” that contains a “get out of deportation” card. Gutierrez is handing out what he is calling the Family Defender Toolkit contained in a pamphlet that includes an “emergency” card that informs illegal immigrants how to avoid deportation. Introducing his pamphlet in a video on his Congressional website, Gutierrez tells illegals how to use his emergency card. “By using this card after you’ve been arrested or detained,” Gutierrez says in a promotional video, “you can explain that under the policy in place today, you should be released because you are not a priority for deportation.” Gutierrez says that his pamphlet is aimed at preparing illegals for the full implementation of Obama’s amnesty after a federal court takes its hold off the policy. “I created this toolkit for you to protect yourself from deportation. Even though you cannot apply yet for the expanded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and new DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) you can still prepare,” Gutierrez said on the video. The “emergency card” reads: Do not deport me because I am eligible for DACA or DAPA. No me deporte porque soy eligible para DACA o DAPA….”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/17/dem-rep-luis-gutierrez-handing-out-do-not-deport-me-toolkit-to-illegal-aliens/
United We Dream’s Cristina Jimenez On Rubio, Clinton and Immigration
“Cristina Jiménez, managing director of United We Dream, spoke to MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart and took issue with what she said were “flip-flops” by Republican Florida Senator and presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. Jiménez also questioned former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on her stance about deporting some of the children who had crossed the border illegally from Central America last summer…”
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/united-we-dreams-cristina-jimenez-rubio-clinton-immigration-n341691
JEB BUSH: LEGAL STATUS FOR ILLEGALS ‘RATIONAL, THOUGHTFUL’
“On Friday in New Hampshire, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said giving illegal immigrants a pathway to “earned legal status” is a “rational, thoughtful” way to deal with illegal immigrants in the country. Speaking at the Politics and Eggs breakfast, Bush, who said last year that illegal immigration is an “act of love,” proposed giving illegal immigrants provisional work permits after they pay taxes and fines and granting them legal status that they can “earn over an extended period of time.” Bush said that illegal immigrants should not earn citizenship, which will again bring up his waffling on the citizenship question. Bush has gone back and forth on whether he supports granting citizenship for illegal immigrants over the years. Before Bush published his Immigration Wars book with Clint Bolick, he told Charlie Rose that he would “support” either a “path to citizenship” or a path “to residency of some kind.” After Bush and Bolick wrote in their book that permanent residency for illegal immigrants “should not lead to citizenship,” Bush went on Morning Joe and again expressed support for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, saying, “If you can craft that in law, where you can have a path to citizenship where there isn’t an incentive for people to come illegally, I’m for it. I don’t have a problem with that.” He also told CNN that, “I have supported both–both a path to legalization or a path to citizenship–with the underlying principle being that there should be no incentive for people to come illegally at the expense of coming legally.” As Breitbart News noted, Bush, along with Bolick, also “urged House Republicans to vote for the Senate’s ‘Gang of Eight’ comprehensive immigration bill, which included a pathway to citizenship for nearly all of the country’s illegal immigrants.” And in a February MSNBC appearance, Bolick argued that though illegal immigrants would not have a “special pathway to citizenship” under Bush’s immigration plan, they would have a “path to permanent legal residency” that would eventually lead to citizenship.” When asked explicitly whether illegal immigrants could eventually get citizenship under Bush’s plan, Bolick answered, “Oh sure. Absolutely.” “And, in terms of citizenship, you’d have to wait in line with everyone else,” Bolick said in February…”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/17/jeb-bush-legal-status-for-illegals-rational-thoughtful/
SPENDING/BUDGET/ECONOMY:
Obama Betrays Blacks with Poisonous Economic Policies
“Way back in 2010, I shared two very depressing numbers to illustrate how Obama’s policies were creating “regime uncertainty.” I shared data on the cash reserves of companies and suggested it was bad news that those firms thought it made more sense to sit on money rather than invest it. I also shared numbers on the excess reserves that banks were keeping at the Federal Reserve and speculated that this was because of a similarly dismal perspective about economic prospects. At the time, I figured that those numbers eventually would get better. But I was wrong. Companies are still sitting on the same amount of cash and banks have actually increased the amount of money they have parked at the Federal Reserve. Now let’s look at some more data that doesn’t reflect well on Obamanomics. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has some very discouraging analysis about worker compensation. “… real wages have barely risen—real compensation per hour has risen only by 0.5 percent, much less than at this point in past recoveries. The lack of strong wage growth has been one factor that has held down the growth of income, consumer spending, and the recovery. … Some longer-term changes in the economy have likely played a larger role in depressing real wage growth. …Productivity growth in the nonfarm business sector has averaged only 1.46 percent since 2004 and 0.85 percent since 2010. As the growth of labor productivity is a key determinant of real wage growth in the long run, the slowdown of productivity has probably helped to depress wage growth.” And here’s a chart from the article. The brown line at the bottom is what’s been happening under Obamanomics. As you can see, compensation has basically been unchanged for the past five years. In other words, living standards have stagnated…”
http://cnsnews.com/commentary/daniel-mitchell/obama-betrays-blacks-poisonous-economic-policies
Boehner: US won’t default on debt
“Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed Friday that the United States would not default as lawmakers face a fall deadline to raise the debt ceiling. “Nobody here wants to default on our debt and the United States is not going to default on our debt,” Boehner said in an interview on Fox Business’s “Opening Bell.” “No good decisions have been made about how we’re going to deal with this, but we are going to deal with it,” he continued. “And I would argue, we ought to do it sooner rather than later. But that’s not quite the way Washington works.” Boehner declined to explain how he’ll handle the debt limit. Lawmakers had voted to suspend the borrowing cap in February 2014, but that maneuver expired in mid-March. The Treasury Department, however, can draw on extraordinary measures to delay the threat of default for several months…”
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/239209-boehner-the-united-states-is-not-going-to-default-on-our-debt
Obama Affirms Support for Trade Agreements in Asia, Europe
President, in news conference with Italian Prime Minister Renzi, calls trade bill a ‘progressive’ deal
“President Barack Obama vowed Friday to negotiate trade agreements that are good for U.S. businesses and workers while acknowledging many Democratic lawmakers and labor unions would oppose his trade agenda “just on principle.” Mr. Obama’s comments came one day after lawmakers struck a deal clearing the way for the president to finish negotiating a major Pacific trade accord. He said the trade legislation was a progressive framework that would protect human rights, labor and environmental standards. He noted…”
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-affirms-support-for-trade-agreements-in-asia-europe-1429292046?mod=fox_australian
Obama: Trade politics difficult, but opposition helps China
“Conceding that trade is a difficult topic for his Democratic Party, President Barack Obama on Friday defended his efforts to broaden commerce with Asia and Europe and warned critics that opposition would give China a leg up in setting the rules for international trade. In a news conference at the White House, Obama sought to reassure critics by saying deals with Asia and Europe would have enforceable labor and environmental protections. His remarks came a day after leading members of Congress reached a deal that would pave the way for the broadest trade policy pact in years. “The fastest growing markets, the most populous markets are going to be in Asia,” Obama said. “If we do not help to shape the rules so that our businesses and our workers can compete in those markets, then China will set up rules that advantage Chinese workers, and Chinese businesses.” Under the agreement reached in Congress, Obama would get so-called trade promotion authority to negotiate trade that Congress could approve or reject, but not change. Congress still has to vote on such fast-track authority and many Democrats, including strong Obama allies, have vowed to fight it…”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obama-trade-politics-difficult-but-opposition-helps-china/2015/04/17/6c86125a-e520-11e4-ae0f-f8c46aa8c3a4_story.html
Obama pushes Congress to act quickly on trade authority
“President Obama on Friday pressed Congress to act quickly and grant him the trade authority he needs to finalize major deals with Asia and other markets. Speaking at a White House press conference alongside Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Mr. Obama praised an agreement reached Thursday between key lawmakers in the House and Senate to give him the fast-track trade power he seeks. Fast-track authority would allow the president to negotiate trade agreements and then present them to Congress for a simple up-or-down vote, rather than allow lawmakers to rewrite the deals or make substantive changes. Mr. Obama pushed back against skeptical Democrats who aren’t yet on board with the administration’s push for massive new trade deals. He tried to tamp down Democrats’ concern that the agreements are bad for U.S. workers, arguing the deals aren’t meant to help corporations but instead will contain the necessary rules and regulations to protect average American families. “My whole presidency has been about helping working families and lifting up wages and giving workers more opportunity. And if I didn’t think this deal was doing it, I wouldn’t do it,” Mr. Obama said. “I didn’t get elected because of the sponsorship of the Business Roundtable or the Chamber of Commerce. Those aren’t the ones who brung me to the dance. The reason I’m doing it is because I know this is an important thing to do and I also know it sends signal throughout Asia that we are out there competing. And we are going to help maintain international rules that are fair for everybody and not so tilted in favor of one country.” Should Congress grant him fast-track trade authority, Mr. Obama reiterated that the first deal on his agenda would be the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would include the U.S. and a dozen Pacific Rim nations. Mr. Obama stressed that such a deal is necessary not only to allow U.S. businesses greater access to burgeoning Asian markets but also to counter China’s growing influence in the region. “If we do not help to shape the rules so our businesses can compete in those markets, then China will set up rules that advantage Chinese workers and Chinese businesses and that will set the stage over the next 20, 30 years for us being locked out” of international markets, the president said….”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/17/obama-pushes-congress-act-quickly-trade-authority/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
Obama presses Dems to back trade deal
“President Obama on Friday pressed liberals in Congress to back his trade agenda, warning that a defeat of the trade agreements he is negotiating would be a “ratification of the status quo.” Obama conceded the politics of trade have “always been tough” for Democrats, but said new trade pacts with Asian and European nations would “absolutely” be good for businesses and workers alike. “Being opposed to this new trade agreement is essentially a ratification of the status quo,” Obama said during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The president dismissed accusations from labor unions that the trade agreements are a giveaway to corporate America. ‘“If I didn’t think this deal was a good one, I wouldn’t do it,” he said…”
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/239232-obama-pushes-dems-to-drop-trade-opposition
Obama Tries Tough Sale of Trade Deal to Fellow Democrats
President has to rely on GOP votes in Congress to win fast-track authority for Trans-Pacific pact
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-tries-tough-sale-of-trade-deal-to-fellow-democrats-1429312837?mod=fox_australian
Obama downplays Democratic divisions over Fast Track
“President Obama on Friday downplayed Democratic divisions over a bill that would give him special authority to strike one of the world’s largest trade accords, arguing that the new power is needed to ensure the United States can compete in the global marketplace. “We can’t stop the global economy on our shores – we’ve got to get in there and compete,” he said Friday during a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The president said he understands his own party’s concerns that previous trade deals led to so-called outsourcing: creation of jobs overseas and reduction in demand in different parts of the American labor market. But he said the new trade promotion authority measure, the result of a Senate compromise reached Thursday, reflects lessons from the past. The trade promotion authority bill, Obama said, is “the most far-reaching and progress