In 1988, President Reagan led a bipartisan effort to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Twenty-five years ago today, he told the Senate in a letter that, “Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.”
 
The recent phenomenon of unyielding partisanship and stalemates on Capitol Hill can make it easy to forget that it was once common to put aside partisan differences and work on issues of national concern. From Reagan’s leadership on the Convention Against Torture to the Senate’s overwhelming support in 2005 for the McCain amendment designed to prohibit abusive interrogations, the United States has a strong history of bipartisan opposition to torture.

The May 14 audit report of the Treasury Inspector General (IG) for Tax Administration has created quite a stir. Within days of the initial news of the report’s findings, the Acting Commissioner of the IRS resigned, the Justice Department launched a criminal investigation and the House Ways and Means Committee held the first of what promises to be a lengthy series of hearings. Only the further disclosure of relevant facts will tell us where on the spectrum of governmental misconduct this episode belongs.

Unfortunately, many people, including politicians in both parties, are not prepared to wait for the orderly development of the facts. They want swift and dramatic action, and explanations as to why such actions against those responsible have not already been taken. Already, condemnation by politicians has extended beyond IRS personnel to include high-level officials in the Treasury Department and the White House for their failure to intervene more quickly, and take summary disciplinary action against the IRS personnel involved.    

Read more...

With the economy slowing improving, there are several issues that are hurting small businesses in a negative way and still causing small-business owners many sleepless nights.

Recent sequestration has sent government contractors, a significant sector of our economy, into retraction. Large businesses have garnered uncertainty, thus initiating some spending pullback. This affects small businesses in a myriad of ways; large businesses often keep small businesses afloat by purchasing from them, or partnering with them. When large businesses sneeze, small businesses catch colds. Not to mention that the government does business with thousands of small businesses directly. These business are now either in a "holding pattern" or outright experiencing some downsizing directly due to the sequester. There is no upside for small businesses as a result of the sequester. 

Read more...

Mike Froman’s nomination to be U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is a good thing. The depth and breadth of his experience as well as his demonstrated ability to close deals all bode well for a successful tenure in a position that could use a few victories. It also suggests the president has become serious about trade – he would not have moved his top international economic adviser across the street if he didn’t want to accomplish anything. And a significant agenda awaits him:  two of the most significant trade negotiations in our history: the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). A USTR who can get both of those done will be one of the most successful in our history.

Read more...

Last November my administration was tasked with tackling the many challenges facing Puerto Rico, including, rampant crime, high unemployment and an economy in deep recession. Sadly, ever since losing the election, instead of joining me in addressing these challenges, the previous administration has chosen to focus on misrepresenting the outcome of the 2012 Puerto Rico plebiscite on self-determination. Falsely claiming that a majority of Puerto Ricans voted in support of statehood, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and his allies from the prior administration continue to spread in Washington the politics of division.

In their zeal to attempt to demonstrate support for statehood, the New Progressive Party has worked tirelessly to mischaracterize the results of the plebiscite – so much so that both houses of the Puerto Rican legislature felt it necessary to pass a joint resolution on Wednesday to set the record straight. 

Read more...

The message from Congress is clear: inconvenience trumps hunger.

Several weeks ago, Congress passed the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013, giving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the flexibility to spend up to $253 million of its current budget to ensure that more flights depart on time. As a frequent flyer, I certainly appreciate it when my flight takes off on schedule. However, as the president of Bread for the World, I find lawmakers’ swift action on air travel irresponsible, considering that people living in hunger still face drastic cuts to anti-poverty programs.

Read more...

In a U.S. economy where tens of millions are struggling, guest workers on H-2B visas are trapped at the bottom. These so-called “low skilled” temporary workers occupy fields from hospitality to construction to landscaping to food processing — alongside 24 million U.S. workers in the same sectors. And the job quality of those 24 million depends on whether guest workers can blow the whistle on abuse.

Read more...

The upcoming incentive spectrum auction offers a chance to inject vitally needed spectrum into the broadband marketplace.

Read more...

Last month’s tragic attack on the Boston marathon leaves us wanting answers — not just about why it occurred, but why we failed to prevent it. One tempting answer is that the FBI could have prevented the Boston attack if it had more power and fewer legal encumbrances. That seems to be the wrongheaded if understandable impulse of former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who at last Thursday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Boston attack, urged Congress to review the Attorney General Guidelines that regulate the FBI’s surveillance and investigation power.

In our democratic society, a thought crime is no crime at all. Yet Lieberman and some members of Congress suggested that the FBI should be able to keep investigations open based on a person’s religious and political beliefs. That change would be ruinous to an agency that prides itself on upholding the Constitution, and it would not help prevent terrorism.