Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to express concerns over the near monopoly currently held by Mylan Pharmaceuticals on the EpiPen (epinephrine injection) which is used in the treatment of severe allergic reactions. The price of these life-saving devices has skyrocketed recently, making them unaffordable for many Americans families.
“Like many government bureaucracies, the Food and Drug Administration stifles innovation and creates unnecessary roadblocks that end up hurting the American people,” said Garrett. “In this case, their short-sightedness has made a common treatment that millions of Americans rely on prohibitively expensive. The FDA has a job to protect Americans and ensure the food and drugs we use are safe, but they also need to make sure their actions don’t hurt the very people they’re trying to protect.”
The letter, signed by a number of Members of Congress, asks the EPA to allow other companies to make alternatives to the EpiPen product by streamlining the FDA review process. Specifically, the letter asks:
– If the FDA can clarify whether any barriers exist to the approval of safe alternative products to EpiPens.
– How many alternatives to Mylan’s EpiPen are currently being reviewed by the FDA
– Where these alternatives are in the review process
President Obama vetoes bipartisan bill that would let families of 9/11 victims sue the government of Saudi Arabia, setting up a showdown with Congress where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle aim to override the president’s decision.
By Jordan Fabian – 09/23/16 04:26 PM EDT
President Obama on Friday vetoed legislation that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia in U.S courts, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Congress.
Obama’s move opens up the possibility that lawmakers could override his veto for the first time with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
Republican and Democratic leaders have said they are committed to holding an override vote, and the bill’s drafters say they have the support to force the bill to become law.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) unanimously passed through both chambers by voice vote.
But the timing of the president’s veto is designed to erode congressional support for the bill and put off a politically damaging override vote until after the November elections.
Obama waited until the very end of the 10-day period he had to issue a veto, hoping to buy time to lobby members of Congress against the measure.
White House officials also hope congressional leaders will leave Washington to hit the campaign trail before trying for an override, kicking a vote to the lame-duck session after the election.
Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett, (NJ-05) Chairman of the subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, delivered the following opening remarks at Financial Services Committee hearing entitled, “The Annual Report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council” featuring Treasury Secretary Jack Lew:
Congressman Scott Garrett’s opening remarks as prepared for delivery:
Mr. Secretary, it’s great to see you again. I understand you were a tough man to nail down to testify today – I guess I would be too if my job was defending FSOC
So we’re starting to get to that point in this Administration’s tenure where people inevitably start to talk about the “legacy” it will leave behind
Unfortunately, when it comes to FSOC, the Obama Administration’s legacy will be remembered as one of secrecy, obfuscation, and a continued refusal to answer questions or provide transparency to either Congress or the American public
Thankfully, it’s not just us in the legislative branch that have taken notice
The recent court decision invalidating the designation of MetLife is a reminder to all of us we live in a system governed by the rule of law and not the rule of bureaucrats.
I hope the Treasury Secretary understands this as well, and I look forward to his answers before our Committee today.
Rep. Scott Garrett had a lively interaction with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew at yesterday’s Financial Services Committee oversight hearing. Garrett addressed Lew’s scandal ridden record at Citibank directly causing the layoff of over 50,000 employees requiring a taxpayer bailout.
When the dust settled, we learned that as usual there are a different set of rules and standards for high-ranking government officials–like Secretary Lew–when it comes to lavish Wall Street pay packages.
The Port Authority and the West Side elected officials who have been engaged in a protracted battle over plans for a new bus terminal in Midtown Manhattan appear to have signed some sort of peace treaty.
On Tuesday morning, they issued a joint statement endorsing “a new expanded, comprehensive planning process,” one that allows for the consideration of “ potential temporary and additional bus facility sites” and takes into account “how a new bus facility should be integrated with current and future regional transportation assets.”
Ridgewood NJ, In the film “Erin Brockovich,” the environmental crusader confronts the lawyer of a power company that polluted the tap water of Hinkley, Calif., with a carcinogenic chemical called chromium-6. When the lawyer picks up a glass of water, Brockovich says: “We had that water brought in ‘specially for you folks. Came from a well in Hinkley.”The lawyer sets down the glass and says, “I think this meeting’s over.”
It’s almost 25 years after that real-life confrontation, the conflict over chromium-6 is not over. A new EWG analysis of federal data from nationwide drinking water tests shows that the compound contaminates water supplies for more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states.
Federal and state regulators are stalled with no national regulation of a chemical yet ,state scientists in California and elsewhere say causes cancer when ingested at even extraordinarily low levels.
Alarm bells have been rung by the Environmental Working Group a Environmental Advocacy group who’s mission is to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. With breakthrough research and education, we drive consumer choice and civic action.
EWG says in 2008, a two-year study by the National Toxicology Program found that drinking water with chromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, caused cancer in laboratory rats and mice. Based on this and other animal studies, in 2010, scientists at the respected and influential California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that ingestion of tiny amounts of chromium-6 can cause cancer in people, a conclusion affirmed by state scientists in New Jersey and North Carolina. https://www.ewg.org/research/chromium-six-found-in-us-tap-water
In New Jersey, the press reported the water quality institute’s recommendation before it could be formally submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection for development of a regulation. According to former DEP planner Bill Wolfe, now an environmental advocate, this angered Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie. Wolfe said Martin not only blocked submission of the recommendation, but effectively stopped the institute from meeting for four years,[15] delaying drinking water regulations for more than a dozen chemicals.
In a statement to EWG, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said the department “vehemently disagrees with the EWG’s contention that political pressure in any way influenced the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute’s consideration of an MCL for chromium-6.” The spokesman said EWG’s characterization is based on the “opinion of a single, former NJDEP employee who was last employed by the agency 12 years ago,” and that EWG’s criticism is “critically flawed – and blatantly misleading.” https://www.ewg.org/research/chromium-six-found-in-us-tap-water
Human studies by government and independent scientists worldwide have definitively established that breathing airborne chromium-6 particles can cause lung cancer, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets strict limits for airborne chromium-6 in the workplace. Whether inhaled or ingested, it can also cause liver damage, reproductive problems and developmental harm. Studies have found that exposure to chromium-6 may present greater risks to certain groups, including infants and children, people who take antacids, and people with poorly functioning livers. https://www.ewg.org/research/chromium-six-found-in-us-tap-water
In a 2009 letter the NJ DEP stated , “We agree that the results of the recently completed National Toxicology Program (NTP, 2007) chronic drinking water study indicate that hexavalent chromium is carcinogenic by ingestion. We also agree that development of an oral cancer slope factor for hexavalent chromium based on a non-threshold approach is appropriate, and that the data from the NTP (2007) study provide an appropriate basis for developing such an oral cancer slope factor. Prior to the completion of the NTP (2007) study, several laboratory animal and human epidemiology studies suggested that hexavalent chromium could be carcinogenic by the oral route, but no study showing this definitively or providing data suitable for quantitative risk assessment was available.” https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/water/comment/112509nj.pdf
Ridgewood NJ, according to Lt Col Mann the US national and local leadership are handling this weekend’s terror attacks on civilians in New York City, New Jersey, and Minnesota like a little boy whistling in the dark. “Except whistling in this situation doesn’t make the “boogey man” go away, it makes him stronger. The inability of politicians and some law enforcement to identify, grasp, and respond to these emerging local terror realities continues to put American’s at risk,” says Lt Col Mann.
Lt Col Mann gives us some quick thoughts;
Every U.S. citizen should note that ISIS has changed the application of terrorism in America and the West.
Where al Qa’ida strives for grand, spectacular attacks like the World Trade Center and Pentagon, ISIS targets us with a centralized message but de-centralized execution.
While politically correct leaders label these strikes “lone-wolf attacks” and dismiss their effects as local, home-grown amateur events – ISIS is maximizing their ability to bring horrific, inter-personal violence right into our shopping malls, 5K runs, and cafes.
As a Green Beret who spent his life learning and practicing the dark art of Guerrilla Warfare abroad, I say this, “Get Ready America…ISIS has found their game of “horrorism”. And they are going to bring it to us up close and personal than we’ve ever seen. Expect more and more local attacks in our schools, restaurants, and shopping centers for pennies on the dollar to what al Qa’ida manages to do once every couple of years.
The game has changed, and it’s high time we demand in this election year that our leaders acknowledge it.
Scott Mann, is a former Lt. Col and Green Beret. He is the CEO of Mission America and #1 Amazon International Best Selling Book, Game Changers, Going Local to Defeat Violent Extremists. Scott helped pioneer a program of community-based stability in the roughest places of tribal Afghanistan that has been widely accepted by community leaders and law enforcement across the U.S. Scott speaks and trains today’s civilian leaders on recognizing the erosion of trust in our society today, and learning the skills he developed as a Green Beret to address group tensions, make deep human connections, restore trust, and then bridge communities back together from the bottom-up. He spent 23 years in the Army Special Forces Career involved in Foreign Internal Defense, Counter-insurgency, and Stability Missions. He served in the Special Operations for over 18 years and has been a Green Beret for over 15 years in combat deployments in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is one of the only former Lt. Col’s that is actively still involved in the day-to-day transition of Green Berets from active duty into civilian life. You can view his latest commentary here: www.mannup.com.
Reader says , “You know when Keith Killion lost by just 6 votes to that dimwit Gwenn Hauck, he exited with great grace and dignity. These three who were unelectable in any possible was are going out with absolutely no grace and no dignity. They are all so pissed off that their three replacement candidates were trounced and that their garage to save the world was voted into oblivion. Sore losers hardly describes their behavior. They should take a lesson from Keith, and other very fine council people who left office, and be classy about it.” Definition of sore loser
: a person who becomes very upset or angry when he or she loses a game, contest, etc.
I don’t remember Tony, Rurik, et al trashing Paul/Al/Gwenn during their tenure. Sore losers just throwing mud. And yes, Tony is petty because no one chose him to be part of ANOTHER team. If I remember correctly, he couldn’t play nice with the COC so he left to start the guild. Never thought that him as president of the guild would be a lifetime gig.
To be fair, PSEG has been a pain in the azz this summer. That said, Rurik is stirring the pot and is coming across as the latest village troll. TD is a triple sore loser with the garage being voted down, the 3 amigos no longer on the council and now, he can’t play “historian”. All very petty.
Fool us once…Let them just go away. They will never return despite them still hanging around? Chamber of Commerce etc. Sore Loserman ran and lost and they eventually went away. So will these 3. The new Council is awesome and out of the ordinary issues will be attributed to those 3….so we will overcome. They are already off to a great start repealing Pfundwood! Can we get rid of that Gyro Wall next? Tell the sidewalk Nazi he may be next after the wall fall…wasn’t he responsible for the $750,000 coin guy? People have to be held responsible. Thank you 1st amendment…
Aronsohn’s recent op ed piece in The Record and Pucciarelli’s letter to the editor in The Ridgewood News suggest that their plan is to lob hand grenades into the Knudsen administration’s agenda with the hopes of inflicting casualties of some sort. SORE LOSERS.
Clearly, he is the sorest of the sore losers. The two websites, his and Gwenn’s, are pitiful testaments to their longing for a return to power. Good riddance to bad rubbish, the both of them.
He is just an angry sore loser.He needs a hobby.
Clearly, the sore losers are now out in force trying their best to disrespect (got that Gwenn?) those who were able to successfully bring their 4 year reign of terror to an end.
What a bunch of sore losers. Where were all of you when the dirt bag mayor, nit wit Gwenn, fatso Roberta, and full of himself Albert thought nothing of calling Susan every derogatory name in the book? You’re a bunch of losers who just can’t let it go
photo Rep. Garrett with Jon Stewart discussing the Zadroga Act
September 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In response to misrepresentations of Congressman Garrett’s record, specifically on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, Garrett for Congress released the following fact check to clarify these falsehoods. Congressman Garrett voted for the legislation that first established the program and was a cosponsor of its reauthorization. He clearly supports the program, and clearly opposes its politicization – like when the legislation has been attached to unrelated tax increases or bloated spending bills. Additionally, many leaders in the Fifth District community are standing strong with Congressman Garrett, as seen by their statements below.
Robert Knapp, former Oakland Volunteer Fire Department Chief: “The community of Oakland is only a short car ride from New York City, and our residents remember both the heroism and the losses of September 11, 2001. In the days following the 9/11 attacks, I went to Ground Zero to lend my support. I saw the devastation and destruction first hand. Our residents also remember the advocates for our community in the aftermath – one of whom is Congressman Scott Garrett. Scott has fought for our First Responders and he has opposed efforts to politicize their struggles. Just as they stand strong in the face of adversity, we know we can rely on Scott to stand strong for them in the face of political pressure.”
Assemblyman Parker Space, former Wantage Fire Department Chief: “Scott Garrett is a champion for the brave men and women in uniform that serve the Fifth District. Any suggestion otherwise is a shameful smear manufactured to score cheap political points. I’ve known Scott for years and have personally witnessed his public service and dedication to our community’s First Responders. As a third generation firefighter, I’m deeply offended by the lies cooked up by some Washington, DC political operatives in a ploy to obscure the truth here in New Jersey.”
Freeholder Carl Lazarro: “After the horrible attacks of 9/11, thousands of firefighters, police officers and others have been out of work because of the illnesses they suffer as a result of their heroic sacrifices. Congressman Scott Garrett has been a vocal supporter of the Victims Compensation Fund established by the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and actively fought to have the program reauthorized. He has continually demonstrated his commitment to our First Responders and I am proud to stand beside him.”
Zadroga Fact Check
FACT: Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduced the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act bill in 2007 to provide compensation and treatment to workers who had been affected by the cleanup. This was a bipartisan piece of legislation, and solely addressed the needs of those affected by the 9/11 cleanup. Congressman Garrett was a cosponsor of this legislation.
FACT: Congressman Garrett again cosponsored the bill when it was reintroduced in 2009. Up through this, it was still a bipartisan effort and many were working together to find ways to pay for this program.
FACT: Democrats politicize the Zadroga Act by attaching it to a tax increase. Congressman Garrett voted against this legislation, outraged at this manipulation of the legislation.
FACT: Congressman Garrett voted for final passage of the Zadroga Act after the tax increases were removed by a Senate amendment. This legislation was then signed into law.
FACT: Reauthorization of the Zadroga Act was introduced in mid-April 2015. Congressman Garrett was again a cosponsor of this legislation.
FACT: Congressman Garrett wrote a letter to Congressional leadership asking for the Zadroga Act to be voted on by itself as stand-alone legislation, rather than being used as a political bargaining tool.
FACT: Congressional leadership attached the Zadroga Act to an unrelated year-end $1.1 trillion spending bill, using the legislation as an incentive to get votes for the passage of the underlying spending bill that was thousands of pages long and had a litany of other programs. Congressman Garrett could not support a $1.1 trillion government spending bill, despite strongly voicing his support for the permanent reauthorization of the Zadroga programs.
A couple of months back we posted 9 charts that, at least in our minds, debunked the myth of the “Obama Recovery” despite suggestions from the administration that any such efforts were just a futile attempt at “peddling fiction” (our original post: “These Are The 9 Zero Hedge Charts Showing “Obama’s Recovery” That Angered The Washington Post”).
Turns out that Harvard likes to dabble in “fiction peddling” as well:
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In true “say anything to get elected” Clinton-style politics, Josh Gottheimer’s campaign rhetoric doesn’t match his actual beliefs.
Before he was a congressional candidate, Gottheimer was a political strategist who served as a surrogate for Obama/Clinton foreign policies as a frequent contributor on cable news and helped the Clinton’s raise money.
Gottheimer and his media allies continue to brag about his fund raising prowess, like the Clinton campaign Gottheimer has raised significant amounts of money from dubious sources like disgraced New Jersey former congressmen Robert Torricelli and a Saudi wife beater.
While Gottheimer and his media and political allies have attempted to paint Rep. Scott Garrett as an anti gay bigot and both Gottheimer and Clinton champions of the LGBT community ,money continues to flow to both campaigns from anti gay ,anti women and anti Jewish sources.
Petra News Agency reported in June that Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has provided 20 percent of the total funding to the prospective Democratic candidate’s campaign.
It gets worse ,one of Clinton’s largest contributors is Billionaire George Soros a Nazi collaborator who, “Says He Feels No Remorse For Collaborating With Nazis During WWII to Send His Fellow Jews to the Death Camps, and Steal Their Property.”
Many oil rich Islamic countries with strict anti LGBT have made massive donations to the Clinton campaign:
Algeria donated $250,000 to $500,000 to the Clintons
Saudi Arabia donated up to $50 million to the Clintons
The Nation of Brunei donated $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 to the Clintons
United Arab Emirates donated up to $11.5 million to the Clintons
Kuwait donated $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 to the Clintons
Qatar donated $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 to the Clintons
Lets not for get Anti-LGBT Russia were Bill Clinton earned $500,000 for a speech in Moscow paid for by a Kremlin-backed bank.
Gottheimer claims he opposes President Obama’s Iran (another anti LGBT country) deal but on FOX news he sounded very much like a supporter.
Voters in the Fifth District are curious to know – what does Josh Gottheimer really think? Is he saying one thing just to get elected, when really, he’s just a mouthpiece for a Democrat Administration? Is he willing to say anything and take money from anyone ?
Ridgewood NJ, YWCA Bergen County is offering its Vacation Day program for children in grades K-6 on October 3rd and October 12th. Trips and activities include FunPlex, Aqua Adventures and Lentini Farms. Transportation is included. For complete details, please visitwww.ywcabergencounty.org/mSIqO.
The YWCA Vacation Day program provides full day care from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on designated school holidays. Based at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility, the program is supervised by the YWCA’s trained child care staff. The fee is $70 per child per day for families that are currently participating in YWCA Before or After School programs, and $90 for non-participating families. Advance registration is required. To register call 201-444-5600, ext. 352 or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org for details and registration forms.
YWCA Before and After School Programs are offered at schools in seven Bergen County districts: Allendale, Cresskill, Dumont, Old Tappan, Oradell, Ridgewood, and Westwood. An after kindergarten program is available in Oradell. All programs are licensed by the State of New Jersey, Department of Children & Families.
Trenton NJ, Governor Chris Christie announced the Christie administration went to court on behalf of New Jersey taxpayers, to the Supreme Court, to say three things:” First, that this funding formula has failed for 30 years and that it needs to be overturned. Second, that the real thing that’s preventing us from teaching kids in these districts are the ridiculous work rules that are imposed upon us by statute and by collective bargaining agreements with the teachers union that prevents us from doing common sense things like, if there are going to be layoffs in our schools, that we should layoff the least effective teachers, not do layoffs, as we are required to do by state law, based purely upon seniority. If you’re there the longest you get to keep your job. If you’re there the shortest you lose your job. How does that ensure that children are getting a thorough and efficient system of education? And, how is it that in Camden, one of the worst school districts in the state, the union contract requires only four hours and forty five minutes of instruction for every seven and a half hour day that a teacher puts in. Four hours and forty-five minutes of instruction for every seven and a half hour day a teacher puts in. It’s these kinds of work rules and collective bargaining agreements that we are stuck with in this state that prevents these kids from having, in urban districts, that what they really need. Let’s talk about what happens in a lot of these urban districts, what happens is that the family life isn’t there often, to support what you need to do to make sure that your kids do well in school. Now sometimes this is because of broken homes but sometimes it’s in intact homes and because those families are struggling to make ends meet, sometimes those folks have to work three or four jobs to keep a roof over their heads, And when you have to do that you’re not going to be home at 3 o’clock when the kids get home from school. So who’s checking when they’re going to do their homework? Who’s encouraging them to do their reading. Who’s sitting down with them to help them do their math? It’s not happening. So what should we do? Should we just give up on those kids and give up on those families who out of no fault of their own, are just working 15, 16 hours a day to keep a roof over their head. In those districts, we should have a longer school day. In those districts we should have a longer school year. If those children are falling behind, let’s spend more time with them. That kind of result, we should be willing to pay for. “Gov. Christie On Urban Education: We’re Tired Of Paying For Failure, We Need This System To Change
Christie went on to say, “I’ve had enough of sitting back and waiting. I’ve tried negotiating with the legislature. I’ve tried negotiating with the teacher’s union. I’ve tried every other course, today my patience has run out. For the first time, it’s your governor going to the court and saying enough is enough, on behalf of the people of this state we’re tired of paying for failure we need this system to change, we filed that today and we’re going to fight for you in the Supreme Court rather than have the educational interest being the ones who are always fighting there with her handouts saying they need more of your money. And the fact is no one knows how it is going to go but I’m not going to sit back and be a bystander in this. I want urban education to get better in this state. I want those families to have an opportunity for their children to achieve their fullest potential. I also want your families to be able to continue to live here. “
When in doubt, hang up and call the number listed on your bill
September 16,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, is urging customers to be alert to scams demanding immediate bill payment via a pre-paid card.
“During the last several days, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of phone scams being reported,” said Greg Dunlap, vice president of Customer Operations for PSE&G. “Scammers can – and do – target anyone. But they tend to more often target small business customers, because they have larger bills than residential customers, but don’t have all of the checks and balances to prevent fraud that large business customers typically have.”
Here is how this latest payment scam works:
An individual pretending to be a PSE&G employee calls a customer and tells them that without immediate payment via a pre-paid card, their service will be shut off.
Customers are given a telephone number to call back after they have purchased the card. When they call that number, they hear interactive voice response prompts that imitate those they would hear when calling the real PSE&G customer service line.
When a fake representative answers the line, they ask for the number on the back of the pre-paid card. After the scammers have that number, they can take the money from the card – usually within a matter of minutes.
The only way to protect against these scams is for customers to be cautious when contacted by someone threatening service termination if they do not receive immediate payment via a pre-paid credit card. Before terminating service, PSE&G alerts customers in a number of ways: messages on their bill, letters and phone calls. The utility offers a number of payment options, and would never require a customer to use one specific type of payment.
“If you receive a call from anyone demanding immediate payment, do not give them any personal or account information,” said Dunlap. “Hang up the phone, and call the number listed on PSE&G’s website and bills: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).”
“Nobody is even putting up a pretense here that the Democratic lobbying establishment isn’t trying to buy an election”
(Hackensack, New Jersey) – BuzzFeed News just posted an explosive story about how the Democratic lobbying establishment is looking to help buy Josh Gottheimer New Jersey’s Fifth District congressional seat:
“Josh Gottheimer has the entire D.C. Democratic political establishment working to help buy him this election. He doesn’t care about the views and values of Fifth District residents — he’s working to win the approval of the D.C. elite like lobbyist Steve Elmendorf and Goldman Sachs. This is merely a preview of what Josh Gottheimer would be like as a member of Congress. If Josh Gottheimer is so interested in representing Goldman Sachs’ values, maybe he should be their lobbyist, rather than a congressional candidate. Scott Garrett’s values are not for sale. He represents the people of the Fifth District — not the check-writing lobbyists in Washington, D.C.,” Neibart said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
Gottheimer is a former aide in the Clinton White House, and has not only the support of the Clinton machine but also Washington’s Democratic establishment. He also has outraised Garrett this cycle by a wide margin, taking in $2.9 million compared to Garrett’s $1.3 million, according to Open Secrets.
Democrats have made toppling him a priority. Last week, a political action committee connected to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi began running ads against him. And as election-day approaches, Garrett can expect that more is on the way, Democratic operatives warn.
But most damning for Garrett has been the campaign by Elmendorf and a group of other financial and technology lobbyists to end Garrett’s tenure in Congress by drying up his pool of potential corporate contributions.
Elmendorf and his allies began meeting with lobbyists for major corporations, focusing particularly on investment firms and banks, Garrett’s campaign finance life-blood.
[A] Republican campaign strategist insisted that regardless of where the business community stands on LGBT issues, the involvement of powerful lobbyists is little more than the sort of backroom dealings most Americans believe happen every day in Washington. “Normally, we like to pretend that lobbyists don’t have the kind of influence the rest of America thinks they do. But nobody is even putting up a pretense here that the Democratic lobbying establishment isn’t trying to buy an election,” the strategist said.
TRANSCRIPT OF ECONOMIC SPEECH – DELIVERED TO THE ECONOMIC CLUB OF NEW YORK
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you.
Today, I’m going to outline a plan for American economic revival – it is a bold, ambitious, forward-looking plan to massively increase jobs, wages, incomes and opportunities for the people of our country.
My plan will embrace the truth that people flourish under a minimum government burden, and it will tap into the incredible unrealized potential of our workers and their dreams.
Right now, 92 million Americans are on the sidelines, outside the workforce, and not part of our economy. It’s a silent nation of jobless Americans.
Look no further than the city of Flint, where I just visited. The jobs have stripped from this community, and its infrastructure has collapsed. In 1970, there were more than 80,000 people in Flint working for GM – today it is less than 8,000. Now Ford has announced it is moving all small car production to Mexico.
It used to be cars were made in Flint and you couldn’t drink the water in Mexico. Now, the cars are made in Mexico and you can’t drink the water in Flint.
We are going to turn this around. My economic plan rejects the cynicism that says our labor force will keep declining, that our jobs will keep leaving, and that our economy can never grow as it did once before.
We reject the pessimism that says our standard of living can no longer rise, and that all that’s left to do is divide up and redistribute our shrinking resources.
Everything that is broken today can be fixed, and every failure can be turned into a great success.
Jobs can stop leaving our country, and start pouring in. Failing schools can become flourishing schools. Crumbling roads and bridges can become gleaming new infrastructure. Inner cities can experience a flood of new jobs and investment. And rising crime can give way to safe and prosperous communities.
All of these things, and so much more, are possible. But to accomplish them, we must replace the present policy of globalism – which has moved so many jobs and so much wealth out of our country – and replace it with a new policy of Americanism.
Under this American System, every policy decision we make must pass a simple test: does it create more jobs and better wages for Americans?
If we lower our taxes, remove destructive regulations, unleash the vast treasure of American energy, and negotiate trade deals that put America First, then there is no limit to the number of jobs we can create and the amount of prosperity we can unleash.
America will truly be the greatest place in the world to invest, hire, grow and to create new jobs, new technologies, and entire new industries.
Instead of driving jobs and wealth away, America will become the world’s great magnet for innovation and job creation.
My opponent’s plan rejects this optimism. She offers only more taxing, regulating, more spending and more wealth redistribution – a future of slow growth, declining incomes, and dwindling prosperity.
The only people who get rich under Hillary Clinton’s scheme are the donors and the special interests.
In Hillary Clinton’s America, we have surrendered our status as the world’s great economy, and we have surrendered our middle class to the whims of foreign countries.
Not one single idea she has will create one net American job, or create one new dollar of American wealth for our workers. The only thing she can ever offer is a welfare check. Our plan will produce paychecks, and they’re going to be great paychecks for millions of people now unemployed.
In the course of this campaign, I have travelled all across this country and I’ve met the most amazing people. Every day, I’ve seen the goodness and character of our country, and brave citizens proudly fighting through hard times and difficult circumstances.
In many parts of our country, the hard times never seem to end. I’ve visited cities and towns in upstate New York where half the jobs have left and moved to other countries.
Politicians have abandoned these places all over our country and the people who live there.
Worse still, politicians have heaped scorn and disdain on these wonderful Americans. My opponent described tens of millions of American citizens as deplorable and irredeemable – how can Hillary Clinton seek to lead this country when she considers its citizens beyond redemption?
The hardworking people she calls deplorable are the most admirable people I know: they are cops and soldiers, teachers and firefighters, young and old, moms and dads, blacks, whites and Latinos – but above everything else, they are all American. They love their families, they love their country, and they want a better future. These are the forgotten men and women of America. People who work hard but don’t have a voice.
I am running to be their voice, and to fight to bring prosperity to every part of this country.
Too many of our leaders have forgotten that it’s their duty to protect the jobs, wages and well-being of American workers before any other consideration.
I’m not running to be President of the world. I’m running to be President of the United States – and as your President, I will fight for every last American job.
We are the nation that tamed the West, dug out the Panama Canal, won two World Wars, and put a man on the moon.
It’s time to start thinking big once again.
That’s why I believe it is time to establish a national goal of reaching 4% economic growth. In working with my economic team, we’ve put together a plan that puts us on track to achieve that goal. Over the next ten years, our economic team estimates that under our plan the economy will average 3.5% growth and create a total of 25 million new jobs. You can visit our website to see the math.
This growth means that our jobs plan, including our childcare reforms, will be completely paid-for in combination with proposed budget savings.
It will be deficit neutral. If we reach 4% growth, it will reduce the deficit.
It will be accomplished through a complete overhaul of our tax, regulatory, energy and trade policies.
Right now, under Obama-Clinton policies, the economy grew only 1.1 percent last quarter – that translates to millions of lost jobs. This is the weakest so-called recovery since the Great Depression.
Over the last 7 years, the economy grew only 2.1 percent, the slowest period in seventy years. Had the economy grown under Obama at the same rate as Reagan, it would have meant 10 million more jobs.
Perhaps most shockingly, 1 in 6 men aged 18-34 are either in jail or out of work. Meanwhile, another 2 million Hispanic-Americans have been added to the ranks of those in poverty.
On top of it all, the Obama-Clinton policies have doubled the national debt. It took more than 230 years for the United States to accumulate it’s first $10 trillion dollars in debt – it took President
Obama only eight years to add another $10 trillion.
Now, it would be one thing if that money had been used to completely rebuild our nation, our military, and our infrastructure.
Instead, the opposite happened. We doubled our debt and, in return, we have dilapidated infrastructure, failing schools, a badly depleted military, and another 14 million people who have left the workforce.
Never has so much money been spent so poorly.
But we’re going to turn that all around. Here’s how.
It begins with bold new tax reform.
As outlined in Detroit, our tax plan will greatly simplify the code and reduce the number of brackets from 7 to 3. The 3 new brackets will be 12, 25 and 33, but low-income Americans will pay no income tax at all – in fact, our plan will remove millions and millions of workers from the income tax rolls entirely.
By lowering rates, streamlining deductions, and simplifying the process, we will add millions of new jobs.
In addition, because we have strongly capped deductions for the wealthy and closed special interest loopholes, the tax relief will be concentrated on the working and middle class taxpayer. They will receive the biggest benefit – it won’t even be close.
This is a working and middle class tax relief proposal. The tax relief for these workers will be expanded by my childcare proposals that I have worked on with my daughter, Ivanka. These proposals are a central element of our comprehensive tax reform and economic growth plan.
Families will be able to fully deduct the average cost of childcare from their taxes, including stay-at-home parents. Because this deduction is capped, it will disproportionately benefit working and middle class families. The less you make, the larger a share of your income you can exclude from taxation.
Parents will also be able to enroll in tax-free dependent care savings accounts for their children or elderly relatives. Low-income households will benefit from both an Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit – in the form a Childcare rebate – and a matching $500 contribution for their savings accounts.
A married couple earning $50,000 per year with two children and $8,000 in child care expenses will save 35% from their current tax bill.
A married couple earning $75,000 per year with two children and $10,000 in child care expenses will receive a 30% reduction in their tax bill. By contrast, someone earning $5 million will receive virtually no change in their tax bill at all.
One of our greatest job creation measures is going to be our 15% business tax rate – down from the current 35% rate, a reduction of more than 40 percent. An explosion of new business and new jobs will be created. It will be amazing to watch.
We will also allow U.S.-based manufacturers to fully expense the cost of new plants and equipment.
On top of that, we will bring back trillions in business wealth parked overseas and tax it at a 10% rate. Some people say there are $2 trillion dollars overseas, I think it’s $5 trillion. By taxing it at 10% instead of 35%, all of this money will come back into our country.
We will turn America into a magnet for new jobs – and that means jobs in our poorest communities.
Next, comes regulations. One of the keys to unlocking growth is scaling-back years of disastrous regulations unilaterally imposed by our out-of-control bureaucracy.
Regulations have grown into a massive, job-killing industry – and the regulation industry is one business I will put an end to.
In 2015 alone, federal agencies issued over 3,300 final rules and regulations, up from 2,400 the prior year. Every year, overregulation costs our economy $2 trillion dollars a year and reduces household wealth by almost $15,000 dollars.
I’ve proposed a moratorium on new federal regulations that are not compelled by Congress or public safety, and I will eliminate all needless and job-killing regulations now on the books. This includes eliminating some of our most intrusive regulations, like the Waters of The U.S. Rule. It also means scrapping the EPA’s so-called Clean Power Plan which the government itself estimates will cost $7.2 billion a year. This Obama-Clinton directive will shut down most, if not all, coal-powered electricity plans in America. Remember what Hillary Clinton said? She wants to shut down the miners, just like she wants to shut down the steel mills.
We’re going to put our great miners and steel workers back to work.
Energy reform is central to our plan as well
According to the Heritage Foundation, by 2030, President Obama’s energy restrictions will eliminate another half a million manufacturing jobs, reduce economic output by $2.5 trillion dollars, and reduce incomes by $7,000 dollars per person.
Hillary Clinton wants to go even further, and her plan could cost the economy $5 trillion dollars.
A Trump Administration will lift restrictions on all sources of American energy production. According to the Institute for American Energy Resources this will: increase GDP by more than $100 billion annually add over 500,000 new jobs annually
increase annual wages by more than $30 billion over the next 7 years increase federal, state, and local tax revenues by almost $6 trillion over 4 decades increase total economic activity by more than $20 trillion over the next 40 years.
In addition, we will streamline the permitting process for all energy infrastructure projects, including the billions of dollars in projects held up by President Obama – creating countless more jobs in the process.
Finally, comes trade – the foundation for everything
America’s annual trade deficit with the world is now nearly $800 a billion a year – an enormous drag on growth.
Between World War II and the year 2000, the United States averaged a 3.5% growth rate. But, after China joined the World Trade Organization, our average growth rate has been reduced to only 2 percent.
Predatory trade practices, product dumping, currency manipulation and intellectual property theft have taken millions of jobs and trillions in wealth from our country.
It is no great secret that many of the special interests funding my opponent’s campaign are the same people profiting from these terrible trade deals. The same so-called experts advising Hillary Clinton are the same people who gave us NAFTA, China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, the job-killing trade deal with South Korea, and now the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The verdict is in. All of the special interests that the media race to for comment have been proven wrong about every single deal they’ve promoted – every lie and every prediction has crashed upon the rocks of reality.
Our manufacturing base has crumbled, communities have been hollowed out, wages have declined, and households are making less today than they were in the year 2000.
I have proposed a detailed plan to reform our trade policies and bring vast new jobs and wealth to America. This includes the following steps:
I’m going to direct the Secretary of Commerce to identify every violation of trade agreements a foreign country is currently using to harm our workers. I will use every tool under American and international law to end these abuses, and I will use our greatest business leaders and finest negotiators – and I know who you are, many of you are in the room.
We are going to start with NAFTA, which is causing so much damage to our country.
We will entirely renegotiate NAFTA into a deal that will either be good for us or will be terminated until a brand new and productive deal can be signed.
We are also going to keep America out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Next, I am going to instruct my Treasury Secretary to label China a currency manipulator, and to apply tariffs to any country that devalues its currency to gain an unfair advantage over the United States.
I am going to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to bring trade cases against China. China’s unfair subsidy behavior is prohibited by the terms of its entrance to the WTO, and I intend to enforce those rules.
If China does not stop its illegal activities, including its theft of American trade secrets and intellectual property, I will apply countervailing duties until China ceases and desists.
Just the single action of enforcing intellectual property rules alone would add millions of new American jobs. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, improved protection of America’s intellectual property in China would add 2 million jobs a year to the United States every single year.
We are going to stop the outflow of jobs from our country, and open a new highway of jobs back into our country.
Here is how the plan adds up. We are proposing a $4.4 trillion tax cut that will score as $2.6 trillion under a dynamic growth model, which is how taxes should be scored. This includes the childcare plan.
Our economic team has further modeled that the growth-induced savings from trade, energy and regulation reform will shave at least another $1.8 trillion off of the remaining cost.
That leaves around $800 billion dollars. This money can all be saved through simple, common sense reforms. If we save just one penny of each federal dollar spent on non-defense, and non-entitlement programs, we can save almost $1 trillion over the next decade – again this is spending that does not touch defense, and that does not touch entitlements.
If our plan exceeds the 3.5% ten-year growth average, then our jobs proposal will actually reduce the deficit. Savings will be compounded by the fact that people who are currently receiving unemployment or welfare will finally be able to find jobs.
This is the most pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-family plan put forth perhaps in the history of our country.
This is what our new future will look like.
I am going to lower you taxes; I am going to get rid of massive amounts of unnecessary regulations, on business and in your life; I’m going to unleash American energy; I’m going to repeal and replace Obamacare; I’m going to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court who will follow the Constitution; I’m going rebuild our depleted military and take care of our vets; I’m going to save your 2nd amendment; I’m going to stop illegal immigration and drugs coming into our country, and yes, we will build the wall [Mexico will pay]; and I’m going to renegotiate our disastrous trade deals, especially NAFTA – and we will only make great trade deals that put the American worker first.
And we are going to put our miners and our steelworkers back to work. We will rebuild our roads, bridges, tunnels, highways, airports, schools and hospitals. American cars will travel the roads, American planes will soar in the skies, and American ships will patrol the seas.
American steel will send new skyscrapers into the clouds.
American hands will rebuild this nation – and American energy, harvested from American sources, will power this nation. American workers will be hired to do the job.
We will put new American metal into the spine of this country.
Jobs will return, incomes will rise, and new factories will come rushing back to our shores.
We Will Make America Wealthy Again.
We Will Make America Strong Again.
And Will Make America Great Again.
Thank you, and God Bless!