DragonI

I.R.S. Will No Longer Force Kochs and Other Groups to Disclose Donors

The change by the Trump administration applies to many nonprofits that are active in politics, and was praised by conservatives.

www.nytimes.com

Americans for Prosperity and other 501(c)(4) organizations in the Koch brothers’ network of advocacy groups were among dozens of such nonprofit groups to sign onto a letter sent in May to Mr. Trump and Mr. Mnuchin declaring a policy change “an issue of utmost importance.” The letter accused the I.R.S. of “targeting of nonprofit organizations on the basis of ideology.”

“Americans shouldn’t be required to send the I.R.S. information that it doesn’t need to effectively enforce our tax laws, and the I.R.S. simply does not need tax returns with donor names and addresses to do its job in this area,” Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary

The change, which has long been sought by conservatives and Republicans in Congress, will affect thousands of labor unions, social clubs and political groups as varied as arms of the AARP, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association and Americans for Prosperity, which is funded partly by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

Such groups have played an increasingly prominent role in American politics in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in a case brought by the nonprofit group Citizens United, which empowered them to spend unlimited money on campaign ads.

“It’s a clear signal that the I.R.S. and now the Treasury Department are not interested in any significant oversight of nonprofits. What they’re doing is excusing them from filing information that is of material importance for determining whether organizations are operating appropriately and within the boundaries of the rules.”

-  Marcus S. Owens, a Washington lawyer and former director of the I.R.S. division for tax-exempt organizations.

CREW found that 19 governors had ties to secretive groups that don’t disclose their donors. Did your state make the list?

— Citizens for Ethics‏ @CREWcrew -  June 7, 2018 

TABLE 1: 30 dark money and shadow governance groups with ties to state governors

1. Alabama: Governor Robert Bentley
2. Georgia: Governor Nathan Deal
3. Idaho: Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter
4. Illinois: Governor Bruce Rauner
5. Indiana: Governor Eric Holcomb
6. Kansas: Governor Sam Brownback
7. Louisiana: Governor John Bel Edwards
8. Maine: Governor Paul LePage
9. Michigan: Governor Rick Snyder
10. Missouri: Governor Eric Greitens
11. Montana: Governor Steve Bullock
12. Nevada: Governor Brian Sandoval
13. New Jersey: Governor Chris Christie
14. New Mexico: Governor Susana Martinez
15. New York: Governor Andrew Cuomo
16. North Carolina: Governor Roy Cooper
17. Ohio: Governor John Kasich
18. Tennessee: Governor Bill Haslam
19. Wisconsin: Governor Scott Walker

House Farm Bill Fails As Conservatives Revolt Over Immigration

Disputes over immigration and food stamps doomed the measure. Every Democrat and 30 Republicans voted against the bill.

www.npr.org

The vote was 198-213. Every Democrat voted against the measure, as did 30 Republicans.

Freedom Caucus member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told reporters after the vote that voters elected Republicans to rein in illegal immigration and lawmakers have failed to act. 

The only time a Republican has been truthful.

Congressional Republicans are continually dreaming up ways to build more hurdles into the system, so they can cut benefits in the name of fiscal conservatism. This time it is new work requirements and stricter income eligibility. A small increase in income, like a raise of just over $1.00 per hour, could push a person “over an economic cliff” and reduce their monthly income because they would no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits since their income surpassed 130 percent of the federal poverty level. 

• Repeals the Clean Water Rule’s safeguards for critical water bodies, including streams that help supply one-third of Americans with drinking water.
• Exempts companies that spray dangerous pesticides into waterways from Clean Water Act permitting requirements.
• “Poisoned Pollinators Provision” exempts dangerous pesticides from protections to safeguard endangered or threatened species.
• Exempts chemical makers from enforcement when pesticides harm or kill endangered species. (Read more here.)
• Prohibits local governments from adopting pesticide laws that are more protective than federal rules. Provides state pesticide agencies a secret chance to block EPA protections.
• Exempts public lands from important land, wildlife, and water conservation safeguards.

Koch Brothers to Pump Millions Into Trump's Tax Reform Agenda

Republican mega-donors and billionaire brothers, Charles and David Koch, plan to spend millions of dollars to promote the Trump administration’s tax reform agenda.

www.foxbusiness.com

Republican mega-donors and billionaire brothers, Charles and David Koch, plan to spend millions of dollars to promote the Trump administration’s tax reform agenda.

Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips on Thursday discussed how his organization plans to promote President Trump’s tax reform plan and why he wants it passed by the end of the year.

“It’s important for the economy, the Trump plan is a good one and so we’re announcing a multi-million dollar effort, it’s going to include digital media, broader advertising, our grassroots muscle, we have full time staff and tens of thousands of volunteers in 36 states,” he told FOX Business’ Neil Cavuto.

“We want to make sure that the tax reform gets done, if it all possible, by this year…It’s tougher to do in 2018, an election year,”