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Congress, not bureaucrats, should make federal criminal law
By Michael Pepson Would it surprise you to know that Congress has granted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unfettered power to write its own criminal code governing one-tenth of the land in the United States? A Nevada federal court ruled that Congress unconstitutionally transferred its legislative power to write crimes to the BLM. Last…
Read MoreAmericans for Prosperity Foundation Unveils New Report Analyzing Civil Asset Forfeiture Data in Kansas
TOPEKA, KS – Today Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) released an updated report analyzing civil asset forfeiture data in Kansas. The report follows a U.S. District Court’s judge’s recent opinion accusing the Kansas Highway Patrol of “waging war” on motorists. The court ruled unconstitutional the “Kansas Two Step,” a technique the Kansas Highway Patrol had…
Read MoreAFPF’s Statement on the Federal Reserve’s SVB Report
ARLINGTON, VA – Today, the Federal Reserve published its review of supervision and regulation of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). In response, AFPF Director of Investigations Kevin Schmidt released the following statement: “While we appreciate when the federal government is willing to publicly discuss past failures, here the Federal Reserve is attempting to leverage its own supervisory…
Read MoreUnited States v. Pheasant: A Rare Bird That Might Be a Good Vehicle to Revive the Nondelegation Doctrine
New reporting confirms failures of Commerce Department cronyism programs
While Kansans were busy buying and unwrapping gifts over the holidays, auditors revealed distressing problems with two major corporate welfare programs run by the Department of Commerce that could leave taxpayers holding the bag. Bad news about these types of programs isn’t surprising based on a long-track record of failure aside from giving politicians opportunities…
Read MoreThe Supreme Court can stop unelected bureaucrats and private corporations from imposing taxes
Americans for Prosperity Foundation recently filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Consumers’ Research v. Federal Communications Commission, urging the Court to grant Consumers Research’s cert petition and enforce the Constitution’s system of checks and balances. At issue is the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund, a social welfare program that subsidizes certain consumers’ telecommunications services at…
Read MoreCorner Post gives Supreme Court a chance to keep the courthouse doors open to new businesses harmed by stale, lawless regulations
by Michael Pepson Americans for Prosperity Foundation filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Corner Post, Inc. v. The Federal Reserve, urging the Court to allow Corner Post’s challenge to a 2011 debit-fees regulation that Corner Post believes to be beyond the Board’s power. The question presented may seem dry: when does…
Read MoreNew federal memos raise concern over social media censorship and free speech online
Newly disclosed documents reveal federal officials believe they have the authority to police speech online. On September 22, Fox News broke the news that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security privately argued the agency has the authority to censor “misinformation” — in direct contradiction to the agency’s public remarks and despite DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas…
Read MoreAFP Foundation Opens Investigation into Administration’s ANWR Lease Sale Cancelation
ANCHORAGE, AK — Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP Foundation) filed three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking information on the Biden administration’s unprecedented and unlawful cancellation of oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The lease sales were lawfully awarded and required by federal law. A previous AFP Foundation investigation…
Read More4 outstanding questions the federal government needs to answer about its Disinformation Governance Board
“Key questions about the Disinformation Governance Board remain unanswered.” – AFP Foundation on May 9, 2022 More than a year after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced and subsequently disbanded its Disinformation Governance Board, there remain numerous questions about the justification for the Board, the lack of guardrails for DHS components working on…
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