Conservative Blogger
Thursday, December 15, 2016
‘Luxury’ living: Senate report finds IRS workers racked up huge travel tab
EXCLUSIVE: The IRS spent more than $1.4 million on long-term travel for just 27 employees in fiscal 2015, including on high-end car services and luxury apartment and hotel stays, a Senate report has found -- with one lawmaker blasting “woefully insufficient efforts” to reduce expenses at the agency.
The Senate Finance Committee report, obtained by FoxNews.com, found that while federal guidelines say employees must exercise the same care in incurring expenses as a “prudent person” traveling on personal business, IRS employees who traveled 125 business days or more racked up an average cost of over $52,000 a year.
The committee found more than half of the long-term travel time was spent in the Washington D.C., area. It found cases of five employees living in hotels, primarily in the capital, for months at a time without looking for lower-cost housing or having their per diem rates reduced as outlined in federal guidelines.
Further, the committee found “the IRS does not routinely or actively seek to reduce per diem rates for employees on long-term travel.”
The generous per diem rate allows employees traveling to Washington to spend up to $7,099 a month on lodging alone, despite the committee seeing “virtually no circumstance” in which an employee would need to spend that much on a month-to-month basis.
And yet some employees pushed the limits on the taxpayers' dime.
The report cites the case of one employee spending more than five months at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, racking up a $38,799 tab, while another stayed in a number of Washington hotels including the Ritz Carlton – Pentagon City in Northern Virginia to the tune of $72,544 for the fiscal year.
One employee rented a $1.07 million, four-bedroom townhouse in Arlington, Va., for a year, costing taxpayers $4,950 a month, while another stayed in a luxury apartment building in downtown Chicago overlooking the Chicago River at a price of $4,605 a month.
Also, despite the IRS’ own guidance to the contrary, the committee found evidence that some IRS executives are not geographically located where their primary job duties are, adding to the travel expenses.
“The number of employees who travel more than half of the year and the cost at which they do so is simply unacceptable,” the report said.
The report noted that such long-term travel led to other expenses also deemed excessive, including an employee charging $100 for black car service from Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport, and another employee charging the IRS for cab rides to dinner and the grocery store.
Committee Chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, called the results of the report “frustrating,” noting what he called the “lack of effort” by employees to be prudent, which he said could be a direct violation of federal travel regulations.
“And yet, Committee staff saw example after example of routine Amtrak Acela trips, black car service, and luxury apartment rentals when reviewing IRS employee travel vouchers,” Hatch said. “Furthermore, the IRS made woefully insufficient efforts to reduce expenses in ways that would still allow employees to travel comfortably.”
The committee recommended the IRS significantly reduce per diem rates for long-term travel, as outlined by federal guidelines, and noted that the agency could see “significant cost savings among all employees who travel for significant amounts of time during the year” if it followed its own guidelines.
The IRS did not immediately return a request for comment from FoxNews.com.
Iran sanctions renewal becomes law even without Obama signature
WASHINGTON – In an unexpected reversal, President Barack Obama declined to sign a renewal of sanctions against Iran but let it become law anyway, in an apparent bid to alleviate Tehran's concerns that the U.S. is backsliding on the nuclear deal.
Although the White House had said that Obama was expected to sign the 10-year-renewal, the midnight deadline came and went Thursday with no approval from the president. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama had decided to let it become law without his signature.
"The administration has, and continues to use, all of the necessary authorities to waive the relevant sanctions" lifted as part of the nuclear deal, Earnest said in a statement.
Under the Constitution, the president has 10 days after Congress passes a bill to sign it, veto it or let it become law with no signature if Congress is still in session. Although lawmakers have returned home for the holidays, Congress technically has not adjourned and is holding "pro-forma" sessions this week.
Though Obama's move doesn't prevent the sanctions renewal from entering force, it marked a symbolic attempt by the president to demonstrate disapproval for lawmakers' actions. The White House has argued that the renewal is unnecessary because the administration retains other authorities to punish Iran, if necessary, and has expressed concern that the renewal may undermine the nuclear deal.
The Obama administration stressed that Iran would be unaffected by the renewal, as long as it continues honoring the nuclear deal. Secretary of State John Kerry said he'd told his Iranian counterpart that "to ensure maximum clarity," he'd issued new, redundant waivers exempting Iran from sanctions lifted under the deal.
"Extension of the Iran Sanctions Act does not affect in any way the scope of the sanctions relief Iran is receiving under the deal or the ability of companies to do business in Iran consistent with the JCPOA," Kerry said, using an acronym for the nuclear deal.
President-elect Donald Trump has been sharply critical of the nuclear deal and has threatened to try to renegotiate it, but has been vague about whether he'd pull the U.S. out of it.
Stein spent nearly $1 million of recount funds on consultants, staff, admin expenses
Green Party nominee Jill Stein spent nearly $1 million of the funds she raised for recount efforts in three battleground states on consultants, staff, and administrative costs.
Stein, who pushed for recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, raised $7.3 million for the efforts and said that “every dollar” went towards costs associated with the recount efforts. The group, which claimed costs associated with the recounts hit $7.4 million, upped their fundraising goal four times since first calling for recounts.
According to a breakdown of expenses contained on the fund’s website, Stein paid nearly $1 million on consultants and staff. The staff payroll tallied $212,500 while consultants pocketed $364,000. Administrative expenses, such as travel costs, ran $353,618. In all, $930,118 was used to pay consultants, staff, and administrative costs.
Filing fees in the three states cost $4,488,939, the group says. Wisconsin filing fees totaled $3,499,689, Pennsylvania fees were $16,000, and Michigan filing fees ran the group $973,250. Legal expenses cost the group $1.6 million.
Dems scramble to prevent their own from defecting to Trump
Senate Democrats have been scrambling to prevent two of their members from taking a post in the Trump administration, trying to prevent any defection that could bolster Republicans’ control of the chamber.
They recently launched a “full court press” to retain Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Heidi Heitkamp, of North Dakota, after each met with Republican President-elect Donald Trump, one senior Senate Democrat told Fox News.
Manchin now appears less likely to bolt -- after saying he wants to remain in the Senate and being passed over for Energy secretary -- which puts the focus squarely on Heitkamp.
The first-term lawmaker, who faces reelection in 2018 in a conservative state, still appears in the running for the Agriculture secretary post.
A Trump transition team source told Fox News the president-elect “really wants her” for the job.
Either departure would poses short- and long-term challenges for Senate Democrats.
If Heitkamp left, her seat could remain empty for months, meaning Democrats would have one less vote to stop any of Trump’s first-100-day initiatives, which could including getting a Supreme Court nominee confirmed in the Senate or passing a tax overhaul.
The North Dakota legislature last year changed its laws so that a Senate seat remains vacant, without a place-holder senator, until it is filled in a special-election vote held within 95 days of a resignation.
In the longer-term, Senate Republicans would have a solid chance of winning Heitkamp’s seat in a special election and adding to their 52-48 member majority.
In West Virginia, the governor would under the law appoint a temporary replacement and hold a special election within 48 to 120 days to fill the seat for the remainder of the term which ends in 2017.
West Virginia’s Democratic governor likely would appoint a Democrat to fill the seat in the interim.
As a Democrat in an increasingly conservative state, Manchin initially had appeared at risk of leaving.
And his words and actions in recent weeks -- criticizing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and risking a government shutdown over coal miner benefits -- suggested a willingness to depart the Senate, or at least prepare for a tough reelection fight in 2018 in a state that went for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton 68-26 percent.
Manchin last month chastised Reid for calling Trump after his White House win a “sexual predator,” saying Reid’s remarks were an “absolute embarrassment” and “needlessly … tearing this country apart.”
Reid recently told CNN that Manchin’s comments were “his way to get out the door.”
Democrats, in an apparent effort to solidify their caucus, recently made Manchin part of their leadership team. And Trump’s official decision Wednesday to pick former Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry for Energy secretary, for which Machin was being considered, settled the speculation for now.
“I was humbled to be considered for the Secretary of Energy position,” Manchin said in a statement. “I have dedicated my life in public service to doing what is best for the people of West Virginia. Right now, I believe that I can best serve my state of West Virginia in the United States Senate.”
Heitkamp and Manchin are among 10 Democrats in the chamber seeking reelection in 2018.
Trump has only three remaining Cabinet posts to fill -- Agriculture, Interior and Veterans Affairs.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
GOP reps vow to fight Boeing-Iran deal, as air giant makes Trump-friendly pitch
Congressional Republicans are vowing to fight a $16.6 billion deal between Boeing and Iran after the air giant announced Sunday it had agreed to sell 80 aircraft to Iran Air -- and cast the deal in Trumpian terms as good for American jobs.
GOP lawmakers had criticized the Chicago-based company when the deal was still being worked out in June. Reps. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, fired off a letter to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg at the time warning the deal could weaponize the regime.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) systematically uses commercial aircraft to transport troops, weapons, military-related parts, rockets and missiles to hostile actors around the world,” they wrote. “... These terrorist groups and rogue regimes have American blood on their hands. Your potential customers do as well.”
In the wake of Sunday’s announcement, the lawmakers showed no sign of budging, with a senior aide to Roskam telling FoxNews.com he intends to “aggressively fight” the deal in the next Congress, and expressing hope that the political winds would shift in their favor once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
“The incoming appointees at Treasury and State will no longer report to a White House willing to bend over backward and ignore national security concerns to keep Iran from walking away from the nuclear deal,” the aide said.
Hensarling, meanwhile, called the deal “disappointing to say the least” and placed blame at the feet of President Obama.
“The President (Obama) wants us to sell planes not just to this dangerous regime, but to an airline that his own Treasury Department sanctioned in 2011. President Obama even wants U.S. banks to draw on American citizens' deposits to finance Iran, a regime that Treasury calls ‘a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern,'” Hensarling said.
“If a U.S. financial institution attempts to bankroll Iran in the waning days of the Obama administration, it will have to answer to Congress,” he warned.
Hensarling is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Roskam leads the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight.
The House already has passed measures opposing the sale, including a bill in November prohibiting the Treasury Department from financing aircraft sales to Iran. That bill has not yet gone to the Senate for consideration, and would almost certainly be vetoed by President Obama if it passed.
However, it is not clear what President-elect Trump would do with such legislation, and he has not yet commented on the Iran Air deal. While Trump has been a critic of the Iran nuclear agreement, he also has been an advocate for American manufacturing jobs, reaching out to both Ford and Carrier among other companies in an effort to keep jobs in the country.
In its announcement, Boeing framed the deal as one that would support American jobs, possibly as a way to sway the president-elect on the issue and stave off congressional dissent.
“Today's agreement will support tens of thousands of U.S. jobs directly associated with production and delivery of the 777-300ERs and nearly 100,000 U.S. jobs in the U.S. aerospace value stream for the full course of deliveries,” the company said, before noting it currently supports more than 1.5 million American jobs.
Other lawmakers backed the deal on the basis it would create jobs for American workers.
“This deal is good news for Washington state and will help support the thousands of good-paying jobs in my district that rely on trade and Boeing’s ability to compete in the global marketplace.” Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said in a statement.
Trump put Boeing on its toes earlier this month when he tweeted that he wants to cancel an order with the company for a new Air Force One, saying the costs are “out of control.”
The latest Boeing deal was made possible after trade sanctions on Iran were removed in January as part of the nuclear accord. The first planes are set to be delivered to Iran in 2018.
Ohio governor OKs 20-week abortion ban, nixes heartbeat bill
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Tuesday imposing a 20-week abortion ban while vetoing stricter provisions in a separate measure that would have barred the procedure at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.
Kasich acted on both proposals the same day they landed on his desk.
The so-called heartbeat bill would have prohibited most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy — or before many women know they are pregnant. Its provisions cleared the Republican-led Legislature during a lame-duck flurry last week after being tucked into separate legislation.
Similar measures elsewhere have faced legal challenges, and detractors in Ohio feared such legislation would lead to a costly fight in the courts. Opponents predicted it would be found unconstitutional, a concern Kasich shared.
"The State of Ohio will be the losing party in that lawsuit and, as the losing party, the State of Ohio will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists' lawyers," Kasich said.
"Therefore, this veto is in the public interest," the governor said.
Kasich, an abortion-rights opponent, chose instead to sign off on a 20-week ban similar to those now in effect in 15 states and blocked from enforcement in two others. The measures are based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain then. Opponents have challenged the "pain-capable" characterization as scientifically unsound. Ohio lawmakers rejected a Democratic amendment that would have added exceptions for rape and incest.
Ohio lawmakers still have the option to override his veto. Doing so would require a three-fifths majority of each chamber.
The developments in Ohio are a prelude to a broad offensive to be launched in January by abortion-rights opponents emboldened by the election success of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
GOP lawmakers in numerous states — including Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky — plan to push for new anti-abortion legislation. Their efforts are being supported by a national anti-abortion group, Americans United for Life, which released a report Tuesday contending that many abortion clinics are in violation of state health and safety standards.
In Congress, Republicans are expected to advance legislation banning most abortions after 20 weeks and halting federal funding for Planned Parenthood as long as it performs abortions. The president-elect has pledged to support both measures
The Republican-controlled Ohio Senate acted with initial caution on the divisive heartbeat bill before passing it suddenly last week.
Abortion-rights groups oppose it and Ohio Right to Life, the state's oldest anti-abortion group, has remained neutral because of constitutional questions.
Also on Tuesday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court threw out a law requiring abortion clinics to have doctors who have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of their facility.
The court ruled that measure, which requires doctors with admitting privileges to be present for abortions, violates both the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions. Republican Gov. Mary Fallin signed it into law in 2014, but courts had blocked it from going into effect. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year struck down a similar provision in Texas.
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