Mandates are requirements imposed on consumers and businesses by bureaucrats and politicians in Washington. Their goal is to force people to engage in a specific type of government-approved behavior.
Yet such mandates profoundly disrupt the individual choice that is central to a prosperous and growing economy.
While mandates can be costly for some businesses, they provide an artificial boost for the companies and special interests favored by Uncle Sam. One example is the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates that all transportation fuel sold in the United States contain a specified amount of renewable fuels—the vast majority of which is ethanol, made from corn.
This mandate has been big business for farming conglomerates that are harvesting bushels of cash as a result. And while it’s a boon for large farms, this mandate comes with a price tag for American consumers who pay roughly $10 billion annually in additional fuel costs.
Another example is the Obamacare mandate that every health insurance policy covers specific services whether patients use them or not—a rule that drives up costs while benefiting a select few health care companies.
These mandates and many others distort the market, increase costs, decrease choice and reward special interests rather than the American people.
Nov 15,
2017
Arlington, VA – Senator Tammy Baldwin has been making life more difficult for the people of Wisconsin at every step of her public career – supporting a billion dollars in higher taxes for Dane…
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Jun 07,
2017
Arlington, VA – Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta will withdraw the Obama administration’s informal guidance for independent contractors and joint employment, in effect rolling back the 2015 mandate making it…
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Sep 27,
2016
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Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has been circulating on Capitol Hill a memo purporting to set the record straight with “facts” about the Transitional Reinsurance Program. Unfortunately, BCBS doesn…
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Jun 28,
2016
Freedom Partners Senior Policy Advisor Andy Koenig discussed the impact of occupational licensing laws on a recent episode of Full Measure, a weekly Sunday television news program.
“Millions of people, according to…
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Mar 23,
2016
Election years are known in Washington for little legislating and lots of campaigning. As a result, there can be limited opportunities for lobbyists to get their favored projects and handouts passed into…
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Mar 09,
2016
Arlington, VA — Ahead of tonight’s Democratic debate, Freedom Partners is releasing a new video, “Across The Board,” which highlights Bernie Sanders’ recent comments regarding the corporate welfare-driven Export-Import Bank…
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Feb 11,
2016
Freedom Partners Policy Advisor Andy Koenig explains in an Investor’s Business Daily op-ed why it’s time to get rid of all energy subsidies.
Washington politicians love giving preferential treatment…
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Jan 25,
2016
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a blatant handout to the powerful corn lobby at the expense of American families. Read Freedom Partners Senior Policy Advisor Andy Koenig’s op-ed in…
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Sep 25,
2015
Freedom Partners Senior Policy Adviser Andy Koenig explains in today’s edition of The Wall Street Journal why it’s time to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, an 84-year-old law…
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Sep 10,
2015
The Jones Act was enacted in 1920 as an effort to protect the domestic shipping industry. The Act mandates that all goods transported over navigable water between U.S. ports must be…
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