President Obama is hoping to capitalize on his controversial decision to appoint Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Less than 12 hours after making the announcement, Obama’s campaign sent a fundraising email seeking up to $2,500 from supporters.

The purported “recess” appointment enraged conservatives because the Senate isn’t even in recess. Senators never passed a resolution to adjourn, meaning it is officially still in session.

That didn’t dissuade Obama, however. Now the president is seeking to use the publicity to raise money for his re-election campaign.

“We can’t afford to continue allowing Wall Street to write its own rules. But today’s action by the President is already coming under partisan attack, which we expect to intensify in the days to come,” wrote James Kvaal, national policy director at Obama for America, in Wednesday night’s email.

The fundraising pitch was disguised as a petition to supporters. Only when recipients click on the link to “stand with President Obama and Richard Cordray” and sign the petition are they taken to a fundraising page with a form to donate up to $2,500 to Obama.

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Andrew Breitbart was in Washington last week to promote his new book, “Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!” He visited The Heritage Foundation to talk about the Democrat-Media Complex, his conversion to conservatism, how the Clarence Thomas hearings changed his life, and his future plans. Here’s the full video of his speech (approximately 30 minutes).

Three weeks ago the BBC World Service Trust, a charity for the British network, was angling for a share of State Department funding to promote Internet freedom. But after Americans revolted at the idea, the organization has pulled out entirely, failing to even submit a grant proposal.

The BBC charity had developed a lucrative relationship with the U.S. government during the Obama administration. U.S. tax dollars are supporting at least two BBC World Service Trust projects: The State Department gave the organization $300,000 for work in Burma and USAID gave it $4.5 million for a project in Nigeria.

But outrage from American taxpayers, members of Congress and the Broadcasting Board of Governors was apparently enough to dissuade the British organization from making a formal proposal this time. At stake was up to $28 million in funding for work on Internet freedom issues.

Even with the BBC World Service Trust out of the running, there’s still hard feelings over a British organization seeking U.S. funding for work that the federal government’s own taxpayer-funded broadcaster does as well.

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Compared to President Obama’s other initiatives, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program barely registers on the government’s balance sheet. Yet the $7,500 scholarships for poor children are apparently still too costly for a White House beholden to Big Labor.

The Obama administration has officially declared its opposition to the SOAR Act, legislation approved Wednesday by the House of Representatives that would restore funding to the program for low-income families in the District of Columbia. Obama and congressional Democrats put the program on life support before Republicans seized control of the House.

“While the President’s FY 2012 Budget requests funding to improve D.C. public schools and expand high-quality public charter schools, the Administration opposes targeting resources to help a small number of individuals attend private schools rather than creating access to great public schools for every child,” the Obama administration declared in its policy statement.

The administration’s justification: Scholarships have not yielded improved student achievement. Unfortunately for Obama, that statement runs counter to what the administration’s own Department of Education reported in a federal evaluation last year.

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President Obama’s hometown of Chicago is nearly 1,000 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. But like many other communities across the country, it is suffering the consequences of his Administration’s anti-drilling agenda.

Illinois accounted for $376.2 million in shallow-water drilling expenditures over the past three years, according to an analysis by 14 oil and gas companies that spend money on vendors and subcontractors. The bulk of that money—$242.2 million—was spent in the Chicago district represented by Representative Danny Davis (D–IL).

It’s fresh evidence that Obama’s anti-drilling agenda is having a ripple effect across America since last year’s oil spill, claiming jobs not just in Louisiana and Texas but also in communities far removed from the shipyards in the Gulf of Mexico.

The study from the Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition paints a picture of the nationwide economic ramifications. Obama can’t even be blamed for playing politics. Five of the states that benefit most from shallow-water drilling backed him as a candidate in 2008. And Democrats represent many of the congressional districts that stand to lose millions.

The cost in jobs is startling. A new analysis by Louisiana State University professor Joseph Mason projects national job losses at 19,000 from the drilling moratorium, with wage losses at $1.1 billion. About one-third of those jobs are located outside the Gulf region.

Nearly a year after imposing his anti-drilling agenda, it’s quite clear that Obama is carrying out misguided policies causing widespread harm.

And job losses aren’t the only consequence. The Obama Administration’s deliberate delay in issuing permits for both deepwater and shallow-water drilling has led to a sharp decline in oil production for the Gulf of Mexico this year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration puts the figure at 240,000 fewer barrels every day.

With gas prices hovering around $3.56 per gallon nationwide, now is not the time to lower production. The only way to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil is to produce more of it here at home.

The recent approval of new drilling permits for the Gulf of Mexico is a welcome and long overdue move by the Administration, but it’s nothing to celebrate. The pace of permitting is far below the historical average, and there’s no indication that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) has any desire to return production to a pre-spill level.

Until that happens, expect more grim news like the unfortunate circumstances facing Seahawk Drilling, which was forced to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a direct result of the bureaucratic delays at BOEMRE. Seahawk’s president and chief executive Randy Stilley, writing in The Washington Post, painted a dire picture:

The government’s drastic slowdown in the issuance of permits for shallow-water drilling operations—in which companies work in familiar geological formations, typically in less than 500 feet of water, mostly seeking to produce natural gas—has all but crippled the industry. The survivors (for now) like Hercules are staying afloat largely thanks to revenue from operations outside U.S. waters. Put another way, a once-proud industry born in the gulf during the Truman administration can no longer survive on operations in its own back yard.

Unless things change soon, Seahawk Drilling won’t be alone. Businesses located in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, California, and New York—top recipients of shallow-water drilling spending—will all face economic consequences as well.

It’s time for lawmakers to take notice. Representative John Sullivan (R–OK), who represents a district with $87.2 million in shallow-water expenditures over the past three years, recognizes the impact. He told us: “Continuing to keep American sources of energy under lock and key by failing to issue drilling permits only serves to place American jobs at risk, drives up costs at the pump and deepens our dependence on foreign oil.”

Things don’t have to be this way. The House of Representatives must continue to conduct rigorous oversight of the Obama Administration, challenging the Administration’s excuses and applying pressure when necessary. America’s energy future depends on it.

House GOP leaders are facing the prospect of a conservative revolt if they forge ahead with another stopgap measure to fund the federal government. In recent days, a growing number of conservatives have said it’s time to square off with Democrats rather than delay the inevitable.

“It’s time to pick a fight,” Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) declared at the House Republican Conference meeting.

Barring an intervention by President Obama or sudden turn of events in the Democrat-controlled Senate, the situation leaves House Republicans with a tough choice. The current continuing resolution expires on March 18.

With conservatives opposed to another short-term spending bill, GOP leaders are treading carefully. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has maintained it’s up to the Senate to act on H.R. 1, the House-passed legislation that funds the government through Sept. 30.

When asked about the prospect of another short-term spending bill, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) placed the blame on the White House, but also declined to rule out another stopgap measure:

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Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) voted for the two-week continuing resolution this week even though his amendment to defund Planned Parenthood was dropped from the bill in a compromise with Senate Democrats. But now he’s put his foot down: It’s time to end taxpayer funding for abortions and defund Obamacare as well.

“The time to put our fiscal house in order is now,” Pence said this morning on the House floor. “No more delays. No more kicking the cans. Let’s have the debate. Let’s hash it out. Let’s defund Obamacare. Let’s defund Planned Parenthood.”

Only six House Republicans voted against the two-week spending plan, which President Obama signed into law yesterday. Two of them were Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Steve King (R-Iowa), who cast their votes against the measure because it did not defund Obamacare or Planned Parenthood.

But if Pence joins the fight in the next round, he could bring a substantial following with him. As former chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee and member of Republican leadership last year, he has the influence to persuade other members of Congress.

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Long before Gov. Scott Walker watched Democrats flee Wisconsin last week, a similar scenario played out in Texas when another first-term governor faced a contentious political debate.

In 2003, Gov. Rick Perry was only beginning to make his mark on the Lone Star State. Eight years later, the experience gives him a unique perspective on Walker’s situation. During an interview Friday in Washington, D.C., Perry had nothing nice to say about the 14 Wisconsin senators who ran for Illinois to prevent a quorum in the state Senate.

“Instead of respecting the democratic process, they run off and somehow or another think that’s going to be productive,” Perry said. “I don’t think it is. I think people, they look at this like, you know, the kid who takes his ball. I can’t win, I can’t play, then nobody else is going to.”

He added: “That is immature, is juvenile and at the end of the day, I’ll betcha the folks of Wisconsin, they punish those senators rather than heralding them as heroes.”

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House Republicans emerged from last week’s government spending debate with a plan that cuts $61 billion from current levels — a notable achievement that sets an important marker for the coming showdown with President Obama and Senate Democrats. In the course of the debate, 47 Republicans emerged as rock-solid conservatives willing to cut spending repeatedly.

More than 100 amendments were considered during the continuing resolution debate, 21 of which were unambiguous spending cuts. Heritage Action for America, a sister organization to my employer, compiled the votes on amendments that cut non-security spending.

The list includes some familiar names like Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and even a few members of GOP leadership. It also offers clues as to how Republicans might tackle spending cuts on two other measures in the coming months — raising the debt ceiling and producing a budget.

So who are the 47 conservative all stars? Listed alphabetically by last name:

Amash, Bachmann, Broun, Campbell, Chabot, Chaffetz, Coffman, Duncan (TN), Duncan (SC), Flake, Fleming, Franks, Garrett, Gowdy, Graves (GA), Heller, Hensarling, Herger, Huelskamp, Huizenga, Hurt, Jenkins, Jordan, Lamborn, Mack, McClintock, McHenry, Miller (FL), Mulvaney, Myrick, Neugebauer, Paul, Pence, Pompeo, Price (GA), Ribble, Rokita, Royce, Scalise, Schweikert, Scott (GA), Scott (SC), Sessions, Walsh, Wilson, Woodall, and Young (IN).

It’s refreshing to see the names of Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.), NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) and Policy Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.), all members of the Republican leadership team, on the list. Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), freshman representative to leadership, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) also set a positive example.

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“What did Hitler do first? He busted the unions. Right? First you take away the unions, then you take away the Jews, then you take away, you know, that’s where it starts.” –Union protester in Madison, Wis.

Protesters are making outrageous claims in Madison, Wis., where thousands of public-sector union workers have gathered to protest Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal.

To help document them — and set the record straight — The Heritage Foundation sent a team to the state capital. What we found was a highly organized effort with signs posted throughout the Capitol building providing “media talking points” for protesters. At least one instructed protesters “how to talk to teabaggers.”

Pro-union protesters insist this isn’t a debate about government spending — Walker’s argument and a point even acknowledged by liberal media outlets. For the people chanting on the streets of Madison, it’s the equivalent of Nazi Germany. Walker apparently is a modern-day Adolf Hitler trying to shut down unions.

Yet several news outlets — MSNBC, The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, BusinessWeek and NPR — have all acknowledged that Walker is currently facing a budget deficit of $137 million or $3.6 billion shortfall by 2013. Those are hardly conservative sources of news.

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At least two Democrat organizations are using the union-backed protest in Wisconsin to raise campaign cash. The Madison-based State Senate Democratic Committee and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee of Washington, D.C., both made fundraising appeals Friday.

The fundraising efforts came after President Obama and the Democratic National Committee mobilized activists to support the unions, which are protesting Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal. Walker wants public-section union workers to make modest pension and health insurance contributions to help address the state’s budget problems.

The protest prompted 14 Democrats in the state Senate to flee the capital Thursday, preventing the legislature from voting. Now the embattled lawmakers, who hid at a resort in Illinois, are getting a financial boost for their obstructionism.

More than 1,600 supporters have given $80,000 to the State Senate Democratic Committee, according to ActBlue.org. Similar data isn’t available for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which is located on K Street in Washington, home to many lobbying firms.

A fundraising email from Michael Sargeant, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, asked for a minimum donation of $14 to support the 14 senators. It stated:

I am so proud of the fourteen Democrats who walked out to prevent the GOP from stripping public workers of their rights and benefits, and I’m proud of Democratic legislators everywhere who stand up for working families.

But when Democratic legislators fight for those issues – like they have in Wisconsin—their task is always easier with Democratic majorities, with Democratic leaders who share our concerns.

With your help, we can make sure we have even more leaders looking out for working families.

Meanwhile, the State Senate Democratic Committee denied that its fundraising appeal had anything to do with politics. Its executive director, Kory Kozlowski, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “This is not about raising money at all.” Kozlowski claimed the funds would cover the costs of the 14 senators hiding in Illinois.

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Freshman lawmakers have served less than two months in Congress, and they’ve already had a sizable impact. Now, as the House considers a $100 billion spending cut, they’re leading the charge to rein in out-of-control government spending.

Last week during an internal GOP debate about the size of the cuts, freshmen rose up to push their party in the right direction. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. As the newest members of Congress, they are the farthest removed from Washington’s ways of doing business.

The result: Republican leaders added $26 billion more in spending cuts and promised to support additional cuts during the floor debate.

Some of the outspoken freshmen included Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Allen West (R-Fla.), who made it clear that cutting spending is their top priority.

“The Beltway braintrust seems to think it’s OK to spend beyond your means and just keep doing it and kicking the can down the road,” said Kelly, the oldest member of the GOP’s freshman class. “I was home this weekend in Erie and I was also down in Butler, and as you go up and down the district, everybody there understands you can’t spend more than you make without causing harm to the future.”

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Conservatives are gearing up for a showdown on the House floor over an across-the-board spending cut that would trim the federal government by an additional $20 billion this year. The amendment, which will be offered by a member of the Republican Study Committee, would reduce spending on top of the $100 billion in cuts already proposed by GOP leaders.

House Republicans, keeping their promise for an open amendment process, have devoted the entire week to a debate on the fiscal 2011 continuing resolution. With the current spending plan set to expire March 4, Republicans are using the bill to make cuts to discretionary spending.

Hundreds of amendments are expected to be filed, but the RSC’s across-the-board cut stands out as one of the largest.

The move comes after GOP leaders made notable progress last week toward the magic number of $100 billion in non-security discretionary spending cuts as outlined in the Pledge to America. The current proposal includes $81 billion in cuts, plus another $19 billion from security spending. The RSC hopes to achieve a full $100 billion in non-security spending.

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Just how unusual is the current spending debate on Capitol Hill? Based on the size and scope of the GOP’s proposed cuts, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said you’d have to go back to World War II to find such reductions in federal spending.

Spending debates in Washington usually end the same way — with more federal spending. The federal government today spends more on a per-household basis than ever before — a staggering $31,088.

That number is expected only to increase in the years to come. It’s one reason Republicans prevailed in November and why they’ve made spending cuts one of their first acts of the 112th Congress.

As the focus shifts from the size of the cuts to a defense of them, expect to hear plenty of fear-mongering from Democrats. It started last week when Senate Democrats began floating the possibility of a government shutdown.

Judging from recent comments by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Democrats are hoping to reprise the budget battle of 1995. In that case, a Republican-led Congress squared off against a Democrat president — and the GOP lost.

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Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), a former member of GOP leadership, said Republicans must uphold the promise in their Pledge to America and cut “at least $100 billion in the first year.” His comments came as conservatives continued to lobby leadership to cut a full $100 billion in non-security discretionary spending.

Pressure from the conservative Republican Study Committee prompted House appropriators to head back to the drawing board for additional cuts Thursday. Their latest offer: $84 billion.

That’s still short by $16 billion — a figure under dispute between conservatives and leadership. The official leadership plan includes $16 billion in security cuts, money the RSC maintains should not count toward the $100 billion promise. Conservatives might support those security cuts, but want at last $16 billion more in non-security discretionary spending cut from fiscal 2011.

Pence, a former chairman of RSC who last Congress served as GOP conference chairman, made it clear that Republicans must cut $100 billion — no ifs, ands or buts.

“In the Pledge to America, Republicans said that we would save taxpayers at least $100 billion in the first year,” Pence said on Fox News today. “And what’s going on right now on Capitol Hill are negotiations among Republicans to keep our word and I believe that we will.”

Pence applauded the work of House appropriators, but added bluntly, “House conservatives believe we can do better, we believe we can hit that $100 billion mark, and I think we should.”

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House GOP leaders are lining up behind the conservative Republican Study Committee to support additional spending cuts next week when the 2011 continuing resolution reaches the floor. But even with leadership on board, will it be enough to hit the magic number of 218 votes?

Under a process not seen in years, members will be able to offer amendments to the CR under an “open rule.” Conservatives, lead by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), will offer one that achieves a full $100 billion cut in non-security discretionary spending. Last week GOP leaders put forth a plan that cuts $58 billion from the current fiscal year.

The RSC got a boost yesterday when Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced he would vote for additional cuts beyond the GOP’s initial $58 billion proposal. Last week his spokesman singled out the RSC as a group likely to propose additional cuts that Cantor would support.

“There has been a lot of talk on our side that members want to cut even further, and most of us welcome that talk and will be supporting yet even further cuts,” Cantor told reporters yesterday. He later added: “I’m going to be supportive of a lot of the amendments.”

It’s likely that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would support additional cuts, but he has not declared his intentions because members are still drafting amendments.

Other GOP leadership offices have followed Cantor’s lead. Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) and Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) all favor more spending cuts.

That’s good news for the RSC. But it still might not be enough to push the RSC’s $100 billion amendment over the top.

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Republicans have controlled the House for little over a month, but so far the record is clear: The new GOP majority is living up to its promise to cut spending.

In the first four weeks of the 112th Congress, Republicans have passed legislation that cuts spending by $656 billion without a single spending increase.

The conservative Republican Study Committee’s Money Monitor, the only document tracking the cost of bills as they pass the House, has the data. It shows:

• $541 billion in mandatory spending cuts.
• $115 billion in authorized spending cuts (subject to appropriation).
• $770 billion in tax cuts.

Those figures stand in stark contrast to the previous Congress, when the Democrat-controlled House enacted $682 billion of new spending in just the first four weeks.

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**UPDATED**

Last summer conservatives rolled their eyes when they read in Politico that Rep. Eric Cantor, then serving as GOP whip, suggested “Republicans may roll back their ban on earmarks.”

The self-imposed moratorium, enacted last March, was a triumph for conservatives in their long-running battle with House appropriators. Now it appeared to be under attack from the future House majority leader.

The disappointment among conservatives — not to mention Tea Party-backed candidates across America — must have resonated with Cantor. Just six week later he penned a piece for Politico declaring war on pork-barrel projects and endorsing a new moratorium in the 112th Congress.

Cantor’s outspoken opposition to earmarks put their advocates on the defensive. It set the stage for last fall’s confrontation among Senate Republicans and this week’s decision by Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) to effectively end earmarks for two years.

Why is this relevant? The GOP is facing another spending showdown — this time over $100 billion worth of cuts promised in the Pledge to America.

Republican leaders have put forward a plan that cuts non-security spending by $58 billion, a noble effort, but still $42 billion short of their campaign promise. (They also cut $16 billion from security funding.)

Conservatives believe $100 billion should equal $100 billion. Nearly 90 of them with the Republican Study Committee recently asked Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to stick to the GOP’s promise. And when the debate reaches the House floor this month, RSC Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) plans to offer an amendment — or multiple amendments — to bring the level of cuts to $100 billion.

Republican leaders, meanwhile, have been noncommittal. Cantor, when asked about it last week following a Heritage Foundation speech, said Republicans would cut $100 billion on an “annualized basis.” (That’s Beltway jargon for cuts that don’t equal $100 billion.)

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As oil prices continue to climb, a backlog of more than 100 offshore drilling plans for the Gulf of Mexico are awaiting approval from the Obama administration, according to federal data.

The federal government has not approved a single new exploratory drilling plan in the Gulf of Mexico since lifting its deepwater drilling moratorium on Oct. 12. There are currently 103 plans awaiting review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.

The information reveals that the Obama administration — not the oil industry — is the culprit for the slowdown of drilling activity in the Gulf. The Gulf of Mexico accounts for more than 25 percent of domestic oil production.

“These new findings prove that BOEMRE cannot claim it isn’t receiving job-creating plans from oil exploration and production companies,” said Gregory Rusovich, chairman of the Business Council of Greater New Orleans and the River Region. “The plans are there. Until BOEMRE reviews the 103 plans awaiting approval, our economy’s stability remains in jeopardy.”

Every two weeks Greater New Orleans Inc. releases a Gulf Permit Index based on publicly available federal data. Thursday’s index revealed an 88 percent decline in deepwater permits compared to the historical average. Not a single deepwater permit was approved in January. (more…)

Barack Obama attended a private school as a youth. He even sends his daughters to one. But as president he wants to deny that same opportunity to low-income students in the District of Columbia.

After two years of limiting educational choices for the poorest kids in D.C., Obama is about to meet his match.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), a strong supporter of school choice, is hitting back hard with new legislation this week to reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, a school voucher program that the Obama administration has left on its last leg.

Boehner will also send a not-so-subtle message to Obama during his State of the Union address. He has invited parents, students and teachers who have benefited from school choice to sit in his box in the House chamber. They include three children who are D.C. Opportunity Scholarship recipients, D.C. Parents for School Choice founder Virginia Walden Ford and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who oversees many of the private schools students attend.

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