In The News

Will a Federal Prisoner Steal Your Job? ABC News Alan Farnham Sept. 19, 2012 It's hard to compete with workers willing to take pay as low as 23 cents an hour. Do we mean workers in Mexico or China? No. We mean Americans in federal prisons. An Alabama clothing-maker recently found out just how hard, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun-News: American Apparel of Selma had to lay… Read more »

Workplace travesty The Dothan Eagle ( Dothan, Alabama) Editorial September 19, 2012 Recently, American Power Source, an apparel manufacturing company that makes military uniforms at plants in Fayette, located in northwest Alabama, and in Columbus, Miss., announced its plants would close in October after its government contract expires. In the global economy, Alabama has lost… Read more »

AUDIO: Listen to Congressman Huizenga's full interview with Matt Patrick of KTRH HERE Manufacturers fear layoffs with no-bid process KTRH Nik Rajkovic September 19, 2012 Texas prisoners make everything from state flags to office chairs, ornamental fencing, even polo shirts.  Now the national prison industry is going after military uniforms.  Joel Ortega manages… Read more »

Huizenga honored by small business group The Holland Sentinel Stephen Kloosterman September 19, 2012 U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, was honored Monday by a small business group. The National Federation of Independent Business, or NFIB, describes itself as a nonprofit and nonpartisan group focused on public policy issues important to small businesses. The group named… Read more »

American Prison Labor Means Longer Unemployment Lines Fox News - Elizabeth Prann September 16, 2012 Two southeast companies that make U.S. military uniforms are shedding hundreds of jobs, as the government looks to federal inmates for the fatigues. American Power Source makes military clothing in Fayette, Ala., but its government contract expires in October. Federal… Read more »

Fed Move Highlights Economic Uncertainty: Lawmaker CNBC Justin Menza September 13, 2012 A top Congressional Republican expressed skepticism on Thursday about how much the Federal Reserve can do with a new round of to bolster the economy and spur hiring, adding that it underscored how uncertain conditions really are. In the wake of the Fed's decision to flood markets with a… Read more »

This afternoon, Business Insider published a revealing piece demonstrating how destructive the government-owned Federal Prison Industries (FPI) or UNICOR is to job creation across the country and how Congressman Huizenga is leading the bipartisan effort to ensure FPI doesn't take jobs away from the private sector. “This is a threat to not just established industries; it’s a… Read more »

Negative $4,019 The Obama years have been brutal on middle-class incomes. The Wall Street Journal Editorial August 24, 2012 The Presidential race is boiling down to one dominant issue: which party's policies will do more to help the financially stressed American middle class. President Obama's campaign theme is that Mitt Romney and the Republicans cater to the rich, while Mr.… Read more »

Industry study: Regulations weighing down manufacturing The Hill Bernie Becker August 21, 2012 Federal regulations could prove to be a deep drag on manufacturing output in the coming years, according to a new study from an industry group. The report commissioned by the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) found that major regulations could roll back output… Read more »

The Regulatory Cliff Is Nearly as Steep as the Fiscal One The president has postponed damaging rules until after the November election The Wall Street Journal Senator Rob Portman   Americans are learning more about the "fiscal cliff" approaching at the beginning of next year, when tax rates for families and small businesses are set to spike and new taxes in President Obama's… Read more »