Club for Growth Report

Congress has not made this a good week for economic freedom. The debt-busting Medicare “Doc Fix” was passed overwhelmingly in the House. And, both chambers approved versions of a 2016 budget with billions of “emergency” spending that’s off the books. But there is one bit of hopeful news: we’re another week closer to the end of the Export-Import Bank.
 

Doc Fix

The Club for Growth key voted against the Pelosi-Boehner “Doc Fix” bill because it will produce another $141 billion in deficit spending. The bill also included a massive increase in spending on community health centers that the Obama Administration has used to enroll thousands of people in Obamacare. Despite our Key Vote Alert, and warnings from other conservative organizations, 212 Republicans voted for the Doc Fix. Check the Club for Growth website to see how your Member of Congress voted.
 

2016 Budget

Despite some moves in the right direction, I was dismayed to see Republicans use the “emergency spending” label to add billions of unpaid-for spending to the budget. It’s spending that is not being counted toward the sequester caps that were set in 2011. In addition, Senator Ted Cruz (96% Lifetime Score) raised questions about planned spending in the budget that relies on revenue from Obamacare taxes.
  

Export-Import Bank

We’re another week closer to the June 30^th expiration of the Ex-Im’s charter. The bank has been a costly hub for corruption and corporate welfare, and the Club for Growth has been urging Congress to not reauthorize it. This past week a number of special interest groups wrote to Congress pleading for new life for the bank. We responded with this statement to the press.

Finally, as the 2016 presidential race got its first official candidate this week – Senator Cruz – the Club for Growth is preparing to release its initial round of White Paper studies. We’ve been taking a close look at how the potential candidates stand on matters of economic policy, and we’ll be providing detailed reports, as we did in 2008 and 2012. 
Source: David McIntosh, President | Club for Growth