Free Republic

FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are mounting a massive effort to repeal the federal inheritance tax, colloquially known as the "death tax." Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is leading more than 170 House Republicans on the "Death Tax Repeal Act," which is also backed by the House’s top tax writer, Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. An inheritance or estate tax is levied upon the beneficiary who receives assets upon a person's death. Republicans have long criticized the estate tax as a needless financial burden on grieving families, particularly hitting small family-owned businesses. It comes as Republicans work on extending...

During an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi stated that “we really ran early this year to finalize” many climate regulations “before May, which, really, I think, ensures durability relative to this arcane statute, the Congressional Review Act. So, I think, because of that foresight, we have, actually, quite a durable regulatory regime going into the next few years.” Host Joumanna Bercetche asked, [relevant exchange begins around 2:10] “Well, there are still a couple of months left, as well, of the administration. I do wonder if there’s anything that can be done on the...

Effort to repeal Alaska’s ranked choice voting still holds narrow lead By Liz Ruskin & Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - November 6, 2024 Ballot Measure 2, the effort to repeal Alaska’s ranked choice voting and open primaries, was winning slightly as election results continued to come in early Wednesday, with about 97% of Alaska precincts counted. Wednesday results showed Ballot Measure 2 ahead by 4,289 votes, out of a total of more than 256,000 ballots cast. That’s a margin of less than 2 percentage points. The other initiative on Alaska voters’ ballots, to increase the state’s minimum...

Michigan Democrats’ repeal of right-to-work took effect this month, forcing unionized employees to belong and pay dues to their unions as a condition of employment. This marks the first time in 58 years a state has repealed a right-to-work law, which exists in 26 states and allows workers to opt out of union membership and dues. Eliminating right-to-work is Michigan Democrats’ payback to the unions who fund their political campaigns. But don’t expect anti-worker Democrats in the pocket of Big Labor to wait another half-century for their next victim. They’ve already set their sights on Wisconsin. Last week, Wisconsin Democrats...

Republicans currently maintain control of the lower chamber and the governorship, but Senate Democrats have thus far blocked efforts to upend the current environmental regulation. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is reportedly looking to an electric vehicle mandate tied to California's own environmental regulations should his party secure enough support in the upcoming legislative elections. The Old Dominion, which was something of a Democratic bastion in recent years, is legally obligated to embrace the automobile standards created by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) due to a law passed while Democrats ran the state. Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter told the...

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel condemned the Knesset's passage of an amendment repealing the Disengagement from northern Samaria and allowing Jews to return to the four communities which were destroyed there in 2005. "The United States is extremely troubled that the Israeli Knesset has passed legislation rescinding important parts of the 2005 Disengagement Law, including the prohibition on establishing settlements in the northern West Bank," Patel said. .....

Michigan’s Democratic-majority legislature has voted to repeal a state abortion ban from 1931, sending the bill to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) desk for a signature. The Michigan state Senate approved a bill on Wednesday to overturn the law, which made it a felony punishable by up to four years in prison to provide an abortion to a woman unless her life was in danger. The vote fell largely along party lines, as it did when it passed the state House last week. The 1931 law remained unenforced for decades after the Supreme Court established a federal right to abortion with...

A few hundred people met at a south Anchorage church Thursday night to kick off a signature drive aiming to get rid of ranked choice voting and go back to the way Alaska used to elect candidates. The new system, which Alaskans used for the first time last year, pairs an open primary with a general election that allows voters to rank up to four candidates. Art Mathias, a longtime Anchorage resident and founder of Wellsprings Ministries, is a sponsor of the repeal effort. He told supporters that ranked choice puts the entire country at risk. “Literally, seriously at risk,”...

A group of Republican House members led by Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) put forth legislation Wednesday to repeal the National Firearms Act (1934), thereby stripping the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) of the ability to turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals. The legislation is called the Repeal the NFA Act. Burlison tweeted: “The Repeal the NFA Act will strip the ATF of its authority to criminalize lawful gun owners and undo nearly 90 years of assault on our fundamental freedoms. I’m proud to stand with Americans nationwide as we take this issue head-on.”

Friday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy teased Congress’ immediate upcoming actions to start 2023. First up, according to the California Republican, after electing the Speaker of the House was to repeal the 87,000 IRS agents provision passed by Congress earlier this year. “Great question – the first thing we have to do is elect our Speaker. We can’t do anything until we elect that Speaker,” he said. “And if you watch, the White House is actually pushing back on our investigations, saying we’re not going to give you anything till you get...

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Thousands of women around the country are being forced to face a terrifying new reality in which they actually have to use one of the dozens of cheap, readily available methods of birth control in post-Roe America. "For the first time, my habit of having unprotected sex with a different Tinder date every week to fill the empty hole in my soul may have consequences," said local concerned woman Sandra Tibbensburg. "I can't be bothered to stop at the gas station and pay three bucks for a pack of Trojans every time I go to a...

In 1983, the last effort by pro-life forces to pass federal legislation providing full protection for the unborn failed on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Stunned by this defeat after a decade of grassroots mobilization, the pro-life movement turned in new directions. The most momentous of these was a campaign of support for mothers and babies, led by pregnancy care services and policymakers allied with them.An argument can be made that, in terms of services and policies, America was not ready for the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 1983. Today, on the threshold of the Supreme Court itself...

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said at a town hall meeting that if Republicans win back the Senate later this year they would not attempt to repeal Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act. The admission came after the senator, who is running for his eighth term, was asked how the party planned to get Americans affordable healthcare. “It’s not repealing the Affordable Care Act, if that’s your question,” Grassley said Monday in Waukon, Iowa. “Yes, I’m saying that I would not — we’re not going to repeal the Affordable Care Act,” he added after the questioner pushed further.

Yesterday, Allahpundit pointed out one of the early cracks in the blue wall of support for mask mandates, particularly in public schools. New Jersey’s governor seemed to be ready to throw in the towel and stop fighting public sentiment on the issue. Well, shortly after that, the push to put an end to the mandates appeared to start spreading faster than the Omicron variant. Three more blue state governors joined Phil Murphy in saying that mandates would be coming to an end either this month or in March. Oregon, Connecticut, and Delaware jumped on the bandwagon, with the governors of...

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says he will schedule a vote soon to repeal the 2002 Iraq War resolution, a proposal that has strong bipartisan support but has languished in Congress for years. Schumer announced Tuesday after a meeting of the Senate Democratic Caucus that he will move to fulfill his pledge to wipe the authorization for use of military force (AUMF) from the books, so that President Biden or any future president would need new authorization from Congress to launch military operations in Iraq. “It’s ... my plan to hold a vote on repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF....

HHS proposed repealing its "sunset" rule that would require the department to eliminate existing regulations after 10 years unless the department reviewed them and could justify keeping the regulation in place, according to an Oct. 28 Federal Register notice. The Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely, or "sunset" rule, was finalized by HHS a day before President Joe Biden's inauguration. The policy was slated to take effect March 22, but HHS postponed the final rule March 19 by one year, pending judicial review. The American Hospital Association and other health groups sued HHS in March over the rule. In...

In 2013, New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and Governor Andrew Cuomo conspired to pass rigid and likely unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms by residents of New York State. The law was passed with a rushed vote under a controversial measure in the New York Constitution which gives the Governor and legislative leaders enormous power. The members of the legislature were forced to vote on it without any time to read it. From syracuse.com: The NY Safe Act was passed with no hearings, no testimony, no time for opponents to...

Direct Scheduling for Mass Vaccination Sites Begins Saturday, May 1 ANNAPOLIS, MD—With consistent improvements in key statewide health metrics and a fast pace of vaccinations, Governor Larry Hogan today lifted the outdoor mask mandate in Maryland and all restrictions for outdoor dining. The governor also announced that the state has entered a new phase of its vaccination campaign, moving to direct scheduling at mass vaccination sites and continuing to expand points of distribution. “As our vaccinations continue to expand and our health metrics continue to improve, we expect to be able to take additional actions in the weeks ahead and...

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Thursday slapped down the state's Republican-controlled legislature repeal of his statewide mask mandate by issuing a new order. "Every step of the way, our statewide strategies to contain this virus and prevent the spread have been met with lawsuits, political rhetoric and obstruction," Evers said in a video posted to Twitter. "Unfortunately, that happened again today, when Republicans in the legislature came in to vote down our state's public health emergency and end requiring face coverings in public places." "That's why today we will be issuing a new public health emergency order requiring face coverings...

Legislation that could overturn an emergency law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) used to issue coronavirus orders passed the Michigan House on Friday. “Senate Bill 857, sponsored by Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, would repeal the 1945 Emergency Powers of Governor Act,” MLive.com reported.