370 Commerce & Housing Credit

The USPS is in trouble. As the Internet has grown, the amount of mail sent by Americans is inexorably shrinking, leading to losses in the billions. Unless the organization is comprehensively reformed, it will fail, leaving the U.S. taxpayer to pick up the pieces. Congress, however, is impeding the Postal Service’s ability to reform its … Continue reading Let the Postal Service Eliminate Saturday Mail Delivery

The Universal Service Fund (USF) was created in 1996 to replace a system of implicit subsidies administered by telephone companies. Run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) through the Universal Service Administrative Corporation, the program is financed by a dedicated fee paid by all telecommunications service users. The program funds a number of subsidy programs, … Continue reading Cut Universal Service Subsidies

The International Trade Administration (ITA) serves as a taxpayer-financed sales department for selected businesses, and promotes the U.S. as an investment destination. ((Penny Pritzker, “The Department of Commerce Budget in Brief: Fiscal Year 2015,” U.S. Department of Commerce, p. 49, (accessed January 6, 2015) )) Businesses should market and sell their own products without using tax … Continue reading Eliminate Five Corporate Welfare Programs in Commerce Department

More commonly known as Brand USA, the Corporation for Travel Promotion is a public-private partnership that promotes international travel to the U.S. and is administered by the Department of Commerce. (( David Inserra, “Brand USA: Senate Immigration Bill Extends Wasteful, Flawed Program,” The Daily Signal, June 26, 2013. ))  Funding comes from the private sector and … Continue reading Repeal the Corporation for Travel Promotion

The mission of the SEC is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. These are important goals. However, over the past 10 years, the SEC budget has increased by 60 percent, 26 percent faster than the government as a whole, about a third faster than the economy, and over … Continue reading Reform the Securities and Exchange Commission