“The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.” That was President Trump’s frank assessment of what may have been Barack Obama’s biggest foreign policy mistake. Yesterday, the White House did something about it — finally pulling the United States out of the deal that’s been a disaster for U.S. and global security.

America will be on a 90-day track to reimpose sanctions on a regime that continues to fund terrorist activities and secretly pursue a nuclear program. It also goes a long way to dismantling another one of the Left’s proudest accomplishments: cozying up to a nation that has neither the interest nor the intention of operating on the world’s terms.

Unfortunately, some of the damage has already been done. Obama’s failure gave the Iranians a windfall of cash and access to the international financial system for trade and investment. Until President Hassan Rouhani agrees to several conditions — including ending its public quest to destroy Israel and its alliance with terrorists — this White House isn’t giving Iran an inch.

In a press conference announcing the administration’s decision, President Trump wanted the world to know: “The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises I keep them. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States.”

FRC’s Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin wasn’t surprised that President Trump was withdrawing from the deal, since he campaigned on it. And if there’s one thing this president does, it’s keep his word. “It’s disgraceful that the U.S. lead the effort to get the Iran deal in the first place,” he said, “and now it’s just as significant that the U.S. is leading the movement to abandon what this very bad agreement.” It also sets an important tone heading into talks with North Korea. President Trump couldn’t meet with Kim Jung Un and expect any sort of real progress if America was still a part of this deal. “It would be contradictory and counterproductive to do so,” Gen. Boykin insists.

We’re grateful for the administration’s courage in righting the wrongs of the last administration. It’s a relief to have bold leaders who are willing to stand up for America’s best interest — even if it means standing alone.

Originally published here.

Return to Spender, Address Known…

Someone once said that giving money to the government is like giving car keys to teenage boys. The only difference is, teenagers usually know when to use the brakes. Republicans have tried to cut some of Washington’s spending — but you don’t have to be the White House budget director to know that pumping millions of dollars into things like “Doggie Hamlet” and climate change paint camps is feeding our $21 trillion debt. People who want to trim down have to start by looking in the mirror. And the same goes for the federal government.

Congress didn’t have the stomach to do it in the omnibus bill, but thank goodness President Trump does. Yesterday, the White House bundled $15 billion in rescission cuts and sent them straight to the House and Senate. Thanks to the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, presidents can permanently cancel funding to executive agencies if it’s within a 45-day window and if a simple majority of Congress approves. Not surprisingly, it’s a weapon Barack Obama never used. Trump’s proposal — which is actually $4 billion more than he’d originally planned — is the first time a president has used the process since Bill Clinton. And according to one senior official, this is “the largest single rescissions request at one time.”

The beauty of the rescission process is that Congress can fast-track it. Unlike normal spending bills, this proposal can bypass the 60-vote majority in the Senate. Using his own budget request as a guide, the president zeroed in on a number of unnecessary — and in some cases obsolete – programs to slash. Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Russell Vought highlighted the misuses of funds targeted by the president in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal Monday. Amazingly, a lot of line-items seemed to be funded on autopilot without anyone checking to see if they were still operational.

The Energy Department’s loan program for Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing hasn’t actually made a loan since 2011. By acting on the administration’s proposal, Congress can now rescind more than $4.3 billion that has been idle for seven years. The Trump administration’s request would save $148 million in Agriculture Department funds intended for animal and plant disease outbreaks that have already been resolved. It would save $252 million at the U.S. Agency for International Development that was appropriated in fiscal 2015 for the Ebola response, which has largely concluded. Another proposal would save $47 million at the Federal Transit Administration from an account that has stagnated for 13 years. Yet another would reclaim taxpayer dollars from a Railroad Retirement Board program that ended in 2012.

Even Democrats recognize the need to spend more consciously. “I wouldn’t irrationally oppose a rescission which said we’ve had money laying in an account that has not been spent in one, two, three years,” agreed Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD). For a party that’s irrationally opposed a lot of things, let’s hope this time is different. The U.S. is hitting record spending levels — and still, Washington comes back to taxpayers demanding more. Well, it’s now time for taxpayers to demand more — from their leaders in the way of fiscal responsibility.

Originally published here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.