Americanย Commitment
Background
According to its website, American Commitment describes itself asย โdedicated to restoring and protecting the American Commitment to free markets, economic growth, Constitutionally-limited government, property rights, and individual freedom.โ1โAbout,โ American Commitment. Archived May 30, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qAC2y
The group says it โengages in critical public policy fights over the size and intrusiveness of government through direct advocacy, strategic policy analysis, and grassroots mobilization.โ and works with โkey partnersโ to deliver โย timely, effective public policy research to the broader free-market movement.โ2โAbout,โ American Commitment. Archived May 30, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qAC2y
American Commitment is led by Phil Kerpen, who has previously worked with other key groups in the Koch network includingย the Free Enterprise Fund, the Club for Growth, and the Cato Institute. Kerpenย also worked with Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Prosperity Foundation for over five years in various capacities including Vice President for Policy.3โAmericans for Prosperity Foundation Commends Phil Kerpen, Wishes Him Well,โย Americans for Prosperity, April 12, 2012. Archived May 17, 2012. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/6rzhV
American Commitment was launched by Sean Noble, and in 2012 received almost 97% of its $11.7 million in revenue from three Koch-funded and controlled groupsโtheย Center to Protect Patient Rights, Freedom Partners and Americans for Responsible Leadership.4Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer. โThe Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochsโ Cash into Politics and Made Millions,โ ProPublica, February 14, 2014. Archived July 8, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xSo3o
In 2012,ย The Washington Postย described American Commitment as โthe latest GOP playerโ and at the time noted that the then-new group had already raised $7 million to spend on state-level races for ads.ย โWeโre going to spend as much as we can raise,โ Kerpen said.ย โWe saw a market need for a group that uses campaign-style tactics and has rapid response capabilities but is also substantive and makes policy arguments,โ Kerpen said. โWeโve got to find a way to hold politicians accountable for the bad things that bureaucrats do when politicians fail to stop them.โ5Rachel Weiner. โThe latest GOP player: American Commitment,โ The Washington Post, June 10, 2012. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/DB0Qt
Stance on Climateย Change
November 17,ย 2016
American Commitment president Phil Kerpen wrote that Trump should โlet the senate kill Obama’s climate treaty.โ In the piece, Kerpen claimed that climate models showed โminimal changeโ:6Phil Kerpen. โTRUMP SHOULD LET THE SENATE KILL OBAMAโS CLIMATE TREATY,โย American Commitment, November 17, 2016. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/5kgfI
โThe Midwest delivered the White House to Trump, who dominated among the working class voters who care far more about how much they are payingย to fill up the gas tank and keep their lights on than they do about what United Nations computer models predict about the climate in decades or centuries โ the results of which show minimal change anyway,โ Kerpen wrote at the American Commitment website.
That article was one of several in which Kerpen urged President Donald Trump to cancel the Paris treaty, and part of an overall initiative by American Commitment to accomplish US withdrawal.7Phil Kerpen. โTrump Should Keep His Promise to Cancel Obama Climate Deal,โ American Commitment, May 19, 2017. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0ZmWd 8โTell President Trump to STOP the U.N. from Blocking American Energy!โ American Commitment, Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/kct0G
Electric Vehicles & Fuel Economyย Standards
May 14,ย 2019
Using data from the Pacific Research Institute and NERA Economic Consulting, Phil Kerpen repeated industry talking points to suggest electric vehicle subsidies should โdie on scheduleโ:9Phil Kerpen. โLet Electric Vehicle Subsidies Die on Schedule,โ American Commitment, May 14, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/dgud3
โMoreover, while the Green New Deal is a socialist income leveling exercise in the guise of environmental policy, electric vehicle subsidies use environmental delusion as a cover for a wealth transfer from poor and middle income Americans to the rich who buy electric hobby cars as their third or fourth vehicle,โ Kerpen wrote at theย American Commitmentย website.
July 3,ย 2018
American Commitment’s Phil Kerpen suggested Trump was right to gut fuel economy standards established during the Obama administration:10โTrump Is Right to End Obama/California Fuel Economy Scheme,โ American Commitment, July 3, 2018. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/a0UVW
โAgainst the half-trillion in benefits you can weigh the global warming impact โ or non-impact. Model runs based on mainstream, consensus climate models show the Trump proposal would impact the global climate by 3/1000th of one degree Celsius by 2100. You can round that to zero,โ Kerpenย wrote.
He concluded: โPresident Trump is absolutely right to stand up to the shrieks of protest from the environmental groups and the media and to let Americans buy the cars and trucks weย want.โ
Funding
ProPublicaย reported that, in 2012, American Commitmentย received almost 97% of its $11.7 million in revenue from three Koch-funded and controlled groupsโtheย Center to Protect Patient Rights, Freedom Partners and Americans for Responsible Leadership.11Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer. โThe Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochsโ Cash into Politics and Made Millions,โ ProPublica, February 14, 2014. Archived July 8, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xSo3o
The following is based on data retrieved from the Conservative Transparency project, combined with original 990 research byย DeSmog.ย
See a spreadsheet of American Commitment funding by year (.xlsx).
American Commitment asย Recipient
| Donor | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Grand Total |
| Freedom Partners | $6,260,000 | $140,000 | $400,000 | $50,000 | $6,850,000 | |||
| Center to Protect Patient Rights | $1,614,985 | $4,781,559 | $45,000 | $6,441,544 | ||||
| Americans for Responsible Leadership | $300,000 | $300,000 | ||||||
| PhRMA | $25,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 | $250,000 | ||
| Free Enterprise America | $103,000 | $103,000 | ||||||
| American Encore | $100,000 | $100,000 | ||||||
| DonorsTrust | $50,000 | $2,500 | $52,500 | |||||
| American Energy Alliance | 10,000 | |||||||
| Grand Total | $1,717,985 | $11,366,559 | $235,000 | $550,000 | $50,000 | $175,000 | $2,500 | $14,107,044 |
American Commitment asย Donor
| Recipient | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | Grand Total |
| Arizona Free Enterprise Club | $230,000 | $230,000 | ||
| Americans for Responsible Leadership | $70,250 | $70,250 | ||
| American Future Fund | $65,000 | $65,000 | ||
| All Votes Matter | $40,000 | $40,000 | ||
| New Jersey Family First | $30,000 | $30,000 | ||
| Family Research Council Action | $28,000 | $28,000 | ||
| Frontiers of Freedom Foundation | $12,500 | $12,500 | ||
| Catholic Advocate | $12,000 | $12,000 | ||
| Grand Total | $110,250 | $135,000 | $242,500 | $487,750 |
American Commitmentย 990ย Forms
*Note: American Commitment is a 501(c)(4) and also has a 501(c)(3) arm entitled the American Commitmentย Foundation. Combined 990 forms areย below.
Keyย People
Phil Kerpen โ President.12โPhil Kerpen,โ LinkedIn. Accessed June 5, 2019. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
Phil Kerpen has been president of American Commitment since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. From 2006 to 2012, he was vice president for policy at Americans for Prosperity. Before that, he worked as policy director at the Free Enterprise Fund, and also worked as a policy analyst at the Club for Growth.13โPhil Kerpen,โ LinkedIn. Accessed June 5, 2019. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
Americanย Commitment
The following is according to publicly available 990ย forms:
| Name | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Description |
| Mary Beth Weiss | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director |
| Pam Pryor | Y | Y | Y | Director | ||
| Phil Kerpen | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | President |
| Sean Noble | Y | Director |
American Commitmentย Foundation
The following is according to publicly available 990ย forms:
| Name | 2016 | 2017 | Description |
| Erik Telford | Y | Y | Board Member |
| Holly Sadler | Y | Y | Treasurer |
| Phil Kerpen | Y | Y | President |
| Stephen Moore | Y | Y | Board Member |
Otherย People
- Jon Decker โย listed as a โcolleagueโ byย Phil Kerpen on Twitter.14โFrom my @AmerComm colleague Jon Decker: Bloomberg Launches Desperate Campaign to Save Philly Mob Tax,โ Twitter post by user โPhil Kerpen.โ Archived .png on file atย DeSmog.
Actions
Aprilย 6,ย 2020
American Commitment, represented by Phil Kerpen, was signatory to anย American Energy Alliance letterย to President Donald Trump supporting theย Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule which would scrap federal fuel economy mandates underย the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.15CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF),ย American Energy Alliance.
Describingย CAFE, the letter contends: โThose families and individuals who prefer or need trucks,ย SUVs, and crossovers pay more to subsidize those who buy smaller vehicles or electric vehicles under the existing mandate. This significant, needless, and unjust cost is a very real regressive tax on American families that has made our country worse off.โ16CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF),ย American Energy Alliance.
Juneย 2019
Phil Kerpen said his staff at American Commitment had sent a โlarge bulk submissionโโamounting to nearly 1,600 commentsโsolicited from the group’s supporters supporting a freeze on fuel economy and emissions standards for vehicles proposed by the Trump administration,ย The New York Timesย reported.17Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
โWe canโt count on the automakers to carry this fight,โ Kerpen said, echoing sentiments by Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). A set of emails released as part of a freedom of information request by the Sierra Club revealed Ebell and CEI โweighed in at a critical juncture in the policymaking processโ to push Trump to roll back emissions standards.18Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
โThe automakers are not going to help and may be part of the opposition,โ wroteย Ebell in a May 2018 email.19Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
โWe understand that some in the automaker community have expressed concerns about your current plans to reform the program,โ Ebell along with two other people that had assisted with the transition wrote in a May 10, 2018 letter to Trump.ย โTheir main concern is the expected legal battle with California,โ they wrote. โIn fact, what many liberal California politicians really want to do is ban gasoline-powered cars altogether.โ Their letter went on to say: โYou should dismiss this concern. We agree that in an ideal world, California would negotiate with you in good faith, but we all know that is not a reality in this current political climate.โ20Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
May 9,ย 2019
Phil Kerpen of American Commitment was signatory to an open letter to Congress urging the discontinuation of the electric vehicle (EV) tax credit,ย DeSmog reported. The letter echoed a similar one from the previous September, which had also included many of the same signatories.21Ben Jervey. โKoch-Funded Groups Still Begging Congress to Kill the Electric Car Tax Credit,โ DeSmog, May 9,ย 2019. 22โDear Senatorย Grassley,ย Senator Wyden, Representative Neal andย Representativeย Brady:โ (PDF). Retrieved from E&E News. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
โThe American Energy Alliance (AEA) has organized a coalition to proclaim in one unified voice that there should be no expansion of the misguided electric vehicle tax credit,โย Tom Pyle, president of theย AEAย andย a former lobbyist for Koch Industries, wrote in a statement, first published by The Daily Caller News Foundation.23โCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโS TAX CREDITS โOVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ,โ The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/me1Fe
Notably, that statement was published at 5:10 amย EDTย on Thursday, before the letter could have been delivered. Evidently, the Koch-funded think tanks gave the Koch-funded website anย advanceย copy. The Daily Caller News Foundation hasย received more than $2.6 million from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation since 2013.ย
April 24,ย 2019
Phil Kerpen wrote an article at CNSNews.com suggesting that climate change denier Stephen Mooreโwho is also listed as a board member of the American Commitment Foundationโwould be the best pick for the Federal Reserve.24Phil Kerpen. โStephen Moore Does Not Lack Independence, Is Best Pick for Fed,โ CNSNews.com, April 24, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/OhtxI
โStephen Moore would bring to the Fed decades of original economic thinking and an impressive track record of getting it right when so many others got it wrong. That’s why he’s the most qualified person for the job. And the most independent, too,โ Kerpen claimed in the article.25Phil Kerpen. โStephen Moore Does Not Lack Independence, Is Best Pick for Fed,โ CNSNews.com, April 24, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/OhtxI
February 8,ย 2019
One of American Commitment’s initiatives urges people to sign a letter to โtell Congress to reject the ‘Green New Deal’ and stop socialism.โ The letter claims:26โReject the ‘Green New Deal’ and Stop Socialism!โ American Commitment,ย February 8, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/OPm0p
โDemocrats are officially the party ofย socialism.
โTheir ‘Green New Deal’ย is so ridiculous that it would actually raise emissions by abolishing nuclear power, and so costly that its supporters say it will be paid for by printingย money.
โIf enacted, this legislation would mean nothing short of the complete destruction of the U.S. economy โ and this is the left’s actual plan forย America.โ
September 19,ย 2018
American Commitment was among a coalition of 30 largely Koch-funded groups who signed on to an open letter opposing electric vehicle tax credits,ย DeSmogย reported. The letter, organized by the American Energy Alliance, was made up almost immediately following a bill introduced that would have extended the 2009 tax credit for another ten years.27Ben Jervey. โKoch-Funded GroupsโYet AgainโSpeak Out Against Electric Vehicle Tax Credits,โ DeSmog, September 27,ย 2018.
The Electric Cars Act of 2018, introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and others, would also lift the cap of 200,000 vehicles sold by each manufacturer that would qualify for theย credit.28Ben Jervey. โKoch-Funded GroupsโYet AgainโSpeak Out Against Electric Vehicle Tax Credits,โ DeSmog, September 27,ย 2018.
April 23,ย 2018
American Commitment, represented by Phil Kerpen, wasย among 22 groups signed on to an open letter asking President Trump to ignore recent criticism of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.29โCoalition letter to the President on Scott Pruitt,โย (PDF),ย Heartland Institute,ย 2018. Archived .pdfย onย fileย withย DeSmogBlog.
In aย speechย to theย U.S.ย Senate, a group of Democratic senators identified the organizations as front groups for the Koch Brothers and other wealthy donors, nicknamed the โWeb of Deceit.โ The senators outlined how, in addition to funding from the Koch network, many of the groups use untraceable โdark moneyโ funneled through groups likeย Donors Capital Fundย andย Donors Trustย to influence legislation, particularly with regards to climate and pollution., represented by Lisa B. Nelson, was among 22 groups signed on to anย open letterย askingย President Trumpย to ignore recent criticism ofย EPAย Administratorย Scott Pruitt.
Senator Whitehouse outlined it as โa web of deceit conceived and bankrolled by the Koch brothers and other self-interested billionaires to advocate for very selfish and unpatriotic policies.โ Whitehouse added: โThis web of deceit has infiltrated and populated the Trump administration, and it is swamping the interests of everyday Americans.30Senator Whitehouse. โTime to wake up: Web of Deceitโ April 23, 2018. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.li/HzIsa
March 28,ย 2018
American Commitment signed on to an open letter to then-EPA-Administrator Scott Pruitt calling for โthe revocation of Californiaโs waiver from the Clean Air Act, which allows the state to decouple from Federal policy and impose strict emission standards on automobiles.โ31โDear Administrator Pruitโ (PDF), March 28, 2018. Retrieved from the American Consumer Institute. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
โOur coalition calls for the repeal of the Clean Air Act waiver in California, while encouraging market solutions over wasteful taxpayer funding,โ the letterย read.
When asked about this at theย BNEF Future of Energy Summit, the chair of the California Air Resources Board, Mary Nichols, told DeSmog, โI don’t think they’re going to do that.โ32Ben Jervey. โKoch vs. California: These Groups Are Pushing Pruitt to Undo the Stateโs Right to Regulate Auto Emissions,โ DeSmog, April 10,ย 2018.
February 12,ย 2018
American Commitment was part of a coalition led by Americans for Prosperity to oppose a federal gas tax increase.ย Groups joining AfP were groups including theย National Taxpayers Union,ย Freedom Partnersย Chamber of Commerce,ย Americans for Tax Reform,ย Club for Growth,ย Heritage Action, and numerous others.33โAmericans For Prosperity Leads Coalition Against Gas Tax Hike,โย Americans for Prosperity, February 12, 2018. Archived February 20, 2018. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.is/vNQMN
โRaising the gas tax is a bad idea. It will make the burden of government on families and businesses heavier,โย the coalition open letterย read. While the Trump administration’s infrastructure proposal did not include a gas tax increase, AfP noted that several increases had been proposed.34โAmericans For Prosperity Leads Coalition Against Gas Tax Hike,โย Americans for Prosperity, February 12, 2018. Archived February 20, 2018. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.is/vNQMN
July 12,ย 2017
American Commitment promoted a joint letter supporting the Davidson Climate Amendment that would prevent the Department of Defense from implementing policies or programs to combat climate change. American Commitment presidentย Phil Kerpen was a signatory of the letter.35โJoint Letter in Support of Davidson Climate Amendment,โ American Commitment,ย July 12, 2017.ย Archived June 5, 2019. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
Other signatories includedย Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, E. Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance, John Droz of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions, and Craig Idso of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change.
2017
American Commitment launched a petition initiative to โAsk President Trump to keep his promise and CANCEL the Paris Agreement.โ The American Commitment website read as follows:36โTell President Trump to STOP the U.N. from Blocking American Energy!โ American Commitment, Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/kct0G
โObamaโs unlawful Paris Treaty is thwarting President Trumpโs pro-American energyย agendaโฆ
โฆbut people inside the administration are trying to convince President Trump to break his promise to the American people and uphold this outrageous global warmingย treaty.โ
As of Mayย 2017, over 3,000 messages were sent via the American Commitment online submission form.37โTell President Trump to STOP the U.N. from Blocking American Energy!โ American Commitment, Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/kct0G
January 12,ย 2017
American Commitment’s Phil Kerpen was a signatory to aย official letter of support (PDF) for Scott Pruitt,ย in which numerous groups, includingย The Heartland Institute,ย American Energy Alliance (AEA), and others,ย declared that the Senate should โswiftly approve his nominationโ for Administrator of theย Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).38โDear Senators,โ (PDF),ย Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archivedย .pdfย onย fileย atย DeSmog.
December 10,ย 2014
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse mentioned one of American Commitment’s initiatives, WarOnCoal.com,ย during a speech on the senate floor:39โTIME TO WAKE UP: A CARBON FEE IS NOT A WAR ON COAL,โ Sheldon Whitehouse, December 10, 2014. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/sSinv
โThe website WarOnCoal.com is owned by American Commitment, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that has been funded by the Koch Brothers-backed group Freedom Partners.ย War on Coal; itโs a public relations strategy, a catch-phrase, a gimmick that serves to distract people from the harm coal reeks on us,โ Whitehouseย said.
2012
American Commitment launched an initiative, KeystoneXLNow.com, calling for the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and opposing a carbon tax.40โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
At the time, DeSmogย reported on the launch of the then-new website:41Emma Pullman. โLatest Pro-Keystone XL Website Backed by GOP Special Interest Group,โย DeSmog, July 27,ย 2012.ย 42โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
KeystoneXLNow.com invites users to send a message directly to the State Department to counterbalanceย โthe crazy lefties [who] are already pouring in comments to give Obama an excuse to kill the pipeline.โย The site calls on users to โpush back by filling the official State Department docket with comments demanding they stop stalling and approve the Keystoneย XLย pipelineย now!โ (emphasis added).43โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
KeystoneXLNow.com now redirects to a subdomain of American Commitment. The website registration forย KeystoneXLnow.comย shows the site was registered byย Phil Kerpen.44โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
According to its website, American Commitment is โdedicated to restoring and protecting Americaโs core commitment to free markets, economic growth, Constitutionally-limited government, property rights, and individual freedom.โ45โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
2012
American Commitment arranged a petition to fight against โanti-ALEC bullying.โ The petition claimed that โCompaniesย have let a handful of bullies force them to withdraw support for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).โ The petition concludes: โCompanies must reject these intimidation tactics, reverse course, and restore support for ALEC.โ46โALECPetition.com: Reject Anti-ALEC Bullying,โ American Commitment. Archived June 28,ย 2012.
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) offers the following description of ALEC:
โALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through the secretive meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council, corporate lobbyists and state legislators vote as equals on โmodel billsโ to change our rights that often benefit the corporationsโ bottom line at public expense. ALEC is a pay-to-play operation where corporations buy a seat and a vote on โtask forcesโ to advance their legislative wish lists and can get a tax break for donations, effectively passing these lobbying costs on toย taxpayers.
โAlong with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve โmodelโ bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) Corporations fund almost all of ALEC‘sย operations.
โParticipating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovationsโwithout disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on theย bills.
โALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a ‘unique,’ย ‘unparalleled’ย and ‘unmatched’ย organization. We agree. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out theย door.โ
Relatedย Organizations
American Commitment has launched a range of initiatives accompanied by online petitions or letters. All all sites nowย redirect toย theย subdomainย action.americancommitment.org:
- KeystoneXLNow.com
- WarOnCoal.com
- VoteCoal.com
- REINSAct.com
- ALECPetition.com
- StandWithWalker.com
- NoMandateTax.com
- NoMedicaidAZ.com
- IRSPowerGrab.com
- StopTheNLRB.com
- FixItFail.com
- StopSlavitt.com
Contact &ย Address
According to the American Commitment website:47American Commitment homepage. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/2L1mT
1155 15th St NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
Office: (202)ย 656-2193This is the same address as the Koch-tied American Energy Alliance and the Institute for Energyย Research.
Socialย Media
Otherย Resources
- โAmerican Commitment,โย SourceWatch.
- โAmerican Commitment,โ LittleSisย profile.
Resources
- 1
- 2
- 3โAmericans for Prosperity Foundation Commends Phil Kerpen, Wishes Him Well,โย Americans for Prosperity, April 12, 2012. Archived May 17, 2012. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/6rzhV
- 4Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer. โThe Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochsโ Cash into Politics and Made Millions,โ ProPublica, February 14, 2014. Archived July 8, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xSo3o
- 5Rachel Weiner. โThe latest GOP player: American Commitment,โ The Washington Post, June 10, 2012. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/DB0Qt
- 6Phil Kerpen. โTRUMP SHOULD LET THE SENATE KILL OBAMAโS CLIMATE TREATY,โย American Commitment, November 17, 2016. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/5kgfI
- 7Phil Kerpen. โTrump Should Keep His Promise to Cancel Obama Climate Deal,โ American Commitment, May 19, 2017. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0ZmWd
- 8โTell President Trump to STOP the U.N. from Blocking American Energy!โ American Commitment, Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/kct0G
- 9Phil Kerpen. โLet Electric Vehicle Subsidies Die on Schedule,โ American Commitment, May 14, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/dgud3
- 10โTrump Is Right to End Obama/California Fuel Economy Scheme,โ American Commitment, July 3, 2018. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/a0UVW
- 11Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer. โThe Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochsโ Cash into Politics and Made Millions,โ ProPublica, February 14, 2014. Archived July 8, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xSo3o
- 12โPhil Kerpen,โ LinkedIn. Accessed June 5, 2019. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
- 13โPhil Kerpen,โ LinkedIn. Accessed June 5, 2019. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
- 14โFrom my @AmerComm colleague Jon Decker: Bloomberg Launches Desperate Campaign to Save Philly Mob Tax,โ Twitter post by user โPhil Kerpen.โ Archived .png on file atย DeSmog.
- 15CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF),ย American Energy Alliance.
- 16CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF),ย American Energy Alliance.
- 17Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
- 18Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
- 19Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
- 20Hiroko Tabuchi. โClimate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the โOppositionโ in Fight Over Trumpโs Emissions Rollback,โย The New York Times, July 2, 2019.ย Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.foย URL:ย https://archive.fo/Dr5mP
- 21Ben Jervey. โKoch-Funded Groups Still Begging Congress to Kill the Electric Car Tax Credit,โ DeSmog, May 9,ย 2019.
- 22โDear Senatorย Grassley,ย Senator Wyden, Representative Neal andย Representativeย Brady:โ (PDF). Retrieved from E&E News. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
- 23โCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโS TAX CREDITS โOVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ,โ The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/me1Fe
- 24Phil Kerpen. โStephen Moore Does Not Lack Independence, Is Best Pick for Fed,โ CNSNews.com, April 24, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/OhtxI
- 25Phil Kerpen. โStephen Moore Does Not Lack Independence, Is Best Pick for Fed,โ CNSNews.com, April 24, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/OhtxI
- 26โReject the ‘Green New Deal’ and Stop Socialism!โ American Commitment,ย February 8, 2019. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/OPm0p
- 27Ben Jervey. โKoch-Funded GroupsโYet AgainโSpeak Out Against Electric Vehicle Tax Credits,โ DeSmog, September 27,ย 2018.
- 28Ben Jervey. โKoch-Funded GroupsโYet AgainโSpeak Out Against Electric Vehicle Tax Credits,โ DeSmog, September 27,ย 2018.
- 29โCoalition letter to the President on Scott Pruitt,โย (PDF),ย Heartland Institute,ย 2018. Archived .pdfย onย fileย withย DeSmogBlog.
- 30Senator Whitehouse. โTime to wake up: Web of Deceitโ April 23, 2018. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.li/HzIsa
- 31โDear Administrator Pruitโ (PDF), March 28, 2018. Retrieved from the American Consumer Institute. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
- 32Ben Jervey. โKoch vs. California: These Groups Are Pushing Pruitt to Undo the Stateโs Right to Regulate Auto Emissions,โ DeSmog, April 10,ย 2018.
- 33โAmericans For Prosperity Leads Coalition Against Gas Tax Hike,โย Americans for Prosperity, February 12, 2018. Archived February 20, 2018. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.is/vNQMN
- 34โAmericans For Prosperity Leads Coalition Against Gas Tax Hike,โย Americans for Prosperity, February 12, 2018. Archived February 20, 2018. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.is/vNQMN
- 35โJoint Letter in Support of Davidson Climate Amendment,โ American Commitment,ย July 12, 2017.ย Archived June 5, 2019. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.
- 36โTell President Trump to STOP the U.N. from Blocking American Energy!โ American Commitment, Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/kct0G
- 37โTell President Trump to STOP the U.N. from Blocking American Energy!โ American Commitment, Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.fo URL:ย https://archive.fo/kct0G
- 38โDear Senators,โ (PDF),ย Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archivedย .pdfย onย fileย atย DeSmog.
- 39โTIME TO WAKE UP: A CARBON FEE IS NOT A WAR ON COAL,โ Sheldon Whitehouse, December 10, 2014. Archived June 5, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/sSinv
- 40โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
- 41Emma Pullman. โLatest Pro-Keystone XL Website Backed by GOP Special Interest Group,โย DeSmog, July 27,ย 2012.
- 42โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
- 43โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
- 44โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
- 45โKeystoneXLNow.com: YES to Pipeline; NO to Steyer’s Carbon Tax,โ American Commitment. Archived September 21, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/toNEM
- 46โALECPetition.com: Reject Anti-ALEC Bullying,โ American Commitment. Archived June 28,ย 2012.
- 47
