Regulatory Action Center Review – July 30, 2020
Welcome to the new and improved Regulatory Action Center (RAC) Review! RAC proudly keeps you up to date on what we’re up to and what we’re keeping our eyes on here in the swamp. We offer resources for you to get involved in the rulemaking process to hold unelected bureaucrats accountable and occasionally offer praise in the event they have a good impulse. We will also highlight the incredible work our activists have done to advance the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty, and the rule of law. For more ways to get involved and stay informed, check the links at the bottom of this post.
RACtivists by the Numbers
In December of 2018, RACtivists submitted 2,175 comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to oppose their attempt to impose price controls on prescription medicine. These comments accounted for over 55 percent of the total number of comments submitted to that docket.
RACtivist Content of the Week
Comment submitted by RACtivist Martha G from Texas to the FCC regarding their proposed rule on rural broadband:
Rural America needs access to fast Broadband Internet Access, especially elderly [sic] like myself and my husband. We need to be able to get food & supplies shipped to us when we can’t get out to go to stores to buy what we need. The wifi we have now only allows us up to 10 mbps, even though they charge a lot for it and though others in urban areas get much faster speeds at cheaper rates. Thank You. We would appreciate any help you can give us.
Four Things to Know
1) Trump Unveils Four Drug Pricing Executive Orders
On Friday, President Trump issued four executive orders aimed at lowering the prices of prescription drugs in the United States. The first would make grants to federally qualified health centers (FQHC) contingent upon lower prices for insulin. The second would institute rebate reform for pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and require savings be passed along to consumers. The third would allow the personal and wholesale importation of prescription drugs from other nations, namely Canada. The last would create an international price index (IPI), tying drug prices in the U.S. to those in foreign nations, many of them socialist. The President said this last one would not be signed until August 24th, contingent upon reaching a deal with manufacturers in the meantime.
More resources on these orders:
FreedomWorks blog post explainer: HERE
FreedomWorks Fact Check: HERE
Op-ed by FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon: HERE
Coalition Letter opposing the fourth EO: HERE
White House transcript: HERE
2) Sen. Jim Inhofe Threatens FCC Commissioner O’Rielly’s Nomination
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) has placed a hold on the re-nomination of Commissioner Michael O’Rielly to the FCC. O’Rielly has been a stalwart conservative on the Commission since 2013. Sen. Inhofe’s opposition is rooted in faulty assumptions regarding a recent spectrum allocation order. He falsely believes it will harm the military’s ability to track aircraft. In fact, the FCC has created a variety of hoops to jump through to ensure this is never the case.
More resources on this:
FreedomWorks blog on the spectrum situation: HERE
FreedomWorks blog on Inhofe’s falsehoods: HERE
Joel Thayer Fact Check: HERE
The FCC Order in question: HERE
3) Big Tech Takes Capitol Hill
The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google testified before a House subcommittee this week. The purpose of the hearing was to determine whether or not these companies possess “too much” market power. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle lobbed logically fallacious arguments at the businessmen, arguing that the regulatory state should bring antitrust action against them.
More info on this:
Conservative Letter opposing antitrust misuse: HERE
FreedomWorks blog defending CDA Section 230: HERE
Conservatism is Lost Without the Free Market: HERE
4) EPA Proposes Emissions Standards for Aircrafts
The EPA recently proposed the first ever greenhouse gas emissions standards for aircrafts last week. People on both sides of this argument note that aircraft in the U.S. already meet the standards set forth and these regulations are either ineffective or needlessly duplicative. The EPA tried to justify the regulations by saying they better harmonize the U.S. with the rest of the world, saving time and money for international flights.
More info on this proposal:
EPA Release: HERE
RAC Resources
You can always find all RAC content (blogs, updates, press releases, and comment campaigns) HERE.
You can always sign up to become an elite RACtivist, if you haven’t already, HERE.
