Henry Waxman « The Feehery Theory

Posts Tagged ‘Henry Waxman’

Disclose Act

June 17th, 2010 by John Feehery

US Supreme Court / Photo credit: Jarek Tuszynski

In full disclosure, I think the Disclose Act is a complete joke, and it’s getting funnier.

What is the Disclose Act?

According to The Hill, the Disclose Act is “the Democratic response to a January Supreme Court ruling that overturns limits on spending by corporations and unions in political campaigns. It would tighten transparency requirements associated with corporate and union contributions, including forcing the CEOs of businesses to appear in ads funded by the company.”

The Disclose Act has been shepherded through the Congress by the two guys who are most responsible for electing Democrats to the House and Senate, Chris Van Hollen and Chuck Schumer.

This bill is not about high constitutional principles. It is not about protecting the freedom of the American people. And it is not about creating private sector jobs or cutting the deficit.

This legislation, as the Democratic sponsors would probably admit to you over a couple of drinks, is designed to give Democrats a better chance to win elections this year and into the future. Read more...

Tags: Chris Van Hollen, Chuck Schumer, Democrats, Disclose Act, Henry Waxman, Nancy Pelosi, National Rifle Association, Republicans, Supreme Court, The Hill
Posted in Government, Politics, Theory | No Comments »

The Glove Fits

March 31st, 2010 by John Feehery

So, according to various news reports, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman is going to “investigate” corporate America for reacting to the President’s new health care law by promising to take huge tax write-downs because of the expected negative impact of the law on their bottom lines.

This kind of reminds me of when O.J. Simpson decided to launch an “investigation” into who killed his wife.

Who killed the jobs, Mr. Waxman?

You did. And no matter how you try to shift the blame, you can’t escape that truth.

According to the Daily Caller, “Rep. Henry Waxman demanded that AT&T, Verizon, Caterpillar, and Deere & Co. justify their claims about the “costs the companies plan to book related to the new health-care law.” According to Business Week, “Dallas-based AT&T said in a regulatory filing yesterday it would record $1 billion of costs, the most of any U.S. company so far. AT&T previously received a tax-free benefit from the government to subsidize health-care costs for retirees. Under the new bill, AT&T will no longer be able to deduct that subsidy.”

Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee put out a couple of fun facts about the terrible impact of this legislation on job creation. Read more...

Tags: Congressional Budget Office, health care, Henry Waxman, Jobs, National Federation of Independent Business, O.J. Simpson, Unemployment
Posted in Government, Politics, Theory, Unemployment, health care | No Comments »

John Feehery is President of the Feehery Group, a strategic advocacy firm dedicated to helping its clients achieve their legislative and communications objectives in Washington D.C.