Americans for Limited Government
Background
Americans for Limited Government (ALG) is a Virginia-based non-profit organization that describes itself as “fighting to reduce the size and scope of government, protecting individuals’ rights, promoting federalism, and rolling back the tyranny of the administrative state,” according to its website. The group says it pursues this agenda by “identifying and exposing unique issues from the limited government perspective, and working with Congress and state legislatures to prevent the continued expansion of government.” ALS terms its approach “aggressive” and “non-partisan.”1“About,” Americans for Limited Government. Archived July 24 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Q4mIs
Americans for Limited Government publishes the Daily Torch, a website that has run articles and cartoons critical of climate science2“Climate change is about power, not environment,” Daily Torch, March 8, 2015. Archived August 21, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VlfgF and advocating against action to reduce emissions.3Robert Romano. “EPA repeal of Clean Power Plan a step in the right direction, but carbon endangerment finding remains in place,” Daily Torch, June 20, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/e1Ovj ALG previously ran a site called Net Right Daily, which provided a similar platform.4Peter Hong. “Trump pulls out of Paris climate accord, puts American power grid first,” NetRightDaily, June 2, 2017, Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/vx9pG
ALG was co-founded in 1996 by real estate investor Howard “Howie” Rich and Republican political strategist Bill Wilson.5Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F
While claiming to have a “aggressive, non-partisan approach,”6“About,” Americans for Limited Government. Archived July 24 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Q4mIs ALG has donated money almost exclusively to Republican candidates over the years, according to campaign finance data published by OpenSecrets.7“Americans for Limited Government,” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed July 9, 2020.
ALG has received funding from the Koch brothers’ donor network,8Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti. “Inside Koch World,” Politico, June 15, 2012. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9xxQA and worked to oppose climate policies with other Koch-backed organizations, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Americans for Prosperity.9Timothy Gardner. “Conservative groups urge lawmakers to gut climate programs in U.S. military,” Reuters, July 12, 2017. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/jFqTa
Between 2011 and 2013, the group’s research arm received $2.7 million from Donors Trust, which has been described as the “dark-money ATM of the conservative movement.”10Andy Kroll. “Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement,” Mother Jones, February 5, 2013. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/5WAtq
In 2012, Mother Jones reported that ALG had funneled almost $2 million into an Illinois-focused super-PAC called “Now or Never,” which spent $1.7 million on ads supporting the campaign of Republican Rep. Joe Walsh and attacking Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth.11Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F
ALG explicitly supported a number of President Donald Trump’s policies. The group ran a website called “BuildWallNow” that encouraged followers to “tell Congress to build the wall or shut the government down.”12“Urge Congress to build the wall now!” BuildWallNow.org. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/NuPgx Another website called “FireTheSwamp,” paid for by ALG, supported the so-called ”MERIT Act,” a bill that sought to make it easier to fire public workers.13“Tell Congress to Fire the Swamp!” #FireTheSwamp. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/TKNkH
The organization was also one of several groups listed as attending a February 2019 forum about the Green New Deal, hosted by the Republican-dominated Congressional Western Caucus. CNBC reported that the forum’s guest list was “stacked with prominent climate-change deniers and representatives of industry-linked groups,” such as staff from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Climate Depot, Consumer Energy Alliance, and the American Energy Alliance, as well as Dr. David Legates. No independent scholars or researchers who specialize in energy systems were on the guest list.14Tom DiChristopher. “GOP stacks Green New Deal forum with climate deniers and industry groups,” CNBC, February 26, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/FXSB7
Despite its pro-market stance, ALG has opposed free trade deals,15Shawn Zeller. “Conversation: Rick Manning of Americans for Limited Government,” Roll Call, February 16, 2017. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/AK6Vi. ALG played a leading role in the right-wing opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.16“66 percent of Republicans oppose Pacific trade deal after they find out what’s in it, Pat Caddell-ALG poll shows,” Americans for Limited Government, March 10, 2016. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/LTTvt
Stance on Climate Change
The president of Americans for Limited Government, Rick Manning, has called climate change a “false flag,”17 Richard Manning. “Will we be adults or children? The ugly truth about America’s spending,” Fox News, March 17, 2017. Archived July 24, 2017. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/gCoIw defined by the Anti-Defamation League as “a term used by conspiracy theorists to suggest that various world events and crises, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings, were actually orchestrated by governments or sinister forces in furtherance of a political or social goal, such as gun control or sowing public fear.”18“False flag,” ADL. Archived August 21, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xSbJ8
ALG has been praised by former Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.),19“About ALG Research Foundation,” ALG Research. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/oi40Q a strong supporter of the Tea Party movement20“Sen. Tom Coburn declares Tea Party ‘one of best things that ever happened in the country’,” MSNBC, August 2, 2012. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/CBB6c who has described himself as a “global warming denier.”21Alex Brown. “Tom Coburn Labels Himself a ‘Global Warming Denier’,” The Atlantic, August 27, 2013. Archived July 214, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xTV9h
June 2, 2014
In a post on the ALG website Net Right Daily, Rick Manning asserted:22Richard Manning. “Evidence mounts against climate change, Obama acts anyway,” NetRightDaily, June 2, 2014. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/QOtuA
“All of this combined with the lack of a warming planet since before rising seniors in high school were born, and it is clear that Mother Nature is making a pretty strong argument against those who insist the science is settled on the global warming debate.
“Yet, President Obama persists on using this shaky science to impose crippling regulatory regimes on the nation. New regulations that are not only economically disastrous as evidenced by the GDP contraction last quarter, but also more importantly, put our nation’s ability to produce enough electricity to meet our growing demand in jeopardy.
“And that would be a global warming disaster – our nation devolved from the most developed in the world to a third world status all due to Obama’s fealty to an economic suicide pact on the green altar of climate change.”
April 30, 2013
In an op-ed for the ALG website Net Right Daily, Rick Manning claimed:23Rick Manning. “Church of Global Warming feels the heat,” NetRightDaily, April 30, 2013. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/LJEeK
“If man-made carbon dioxide concentrations in the earth’s atmosphere cause global warming, and these Russian scientists assert that the CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere has increased by 4 percent, but global warming has practically stopped. Then there is clearly zero correlation between CO2 and global warming.”
June 20, 2019
Robert Romano, vice president of public policy at Americans for Limited Government, argued on the ALG website Daily Torch that Congress should make it impossible for the federal government to regulate carbon emissions as pollution under the Clean Air Act:24Robert Romano. “EPA repeal of Clean Power Plan a step in the right direction, but carbon endangerment finding remains in place,” Daily Torch, June 20, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/e1Ovj
“To prevent any more attempts to regulate carbon nationally, Congress must reform and amend the Clean Air Act to foreclose the possibility of carbon emissions regulations. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of time and an election cycle or two and the War on Coal will begin again — with the Green New Deal not too far behind.”
Funding
Ray Wotring, a spokesperson for Americans for Limited Government, told a Mother Jones reporter in 2012 that the group does not “as a practice” reveal its donors.25Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F However, Politico reported in 2012 that ALG had received funding from the Koch network.26Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti. “Inside Koch World,” Politico, June 15, 2012. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9xxQA
In 2006, the Center for Public Integrity revealed that in 2005, ALG had received 99 percent of its $5.4 million worth of funding from just three donors, despite claiming on its website that the group was “funded by thousands of individuals from across the country” and that “grassroots volunteers and donors make up the heart and soul of our organization.”27“Three Big Donors Bankrolled Americans for Limited Government in 2005,” The Center for Public Integrity, December 21, 2006. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/j9tBD
The following tables are based on data archived by the Conservative Transparency (CT) project, combined with original research by DeSmog, of publicly available IRS Form 990 filings. (Note: Not all of the individual figures from CT have been re-verified for accuracy.)28“Americans for Limited Government,” Conservative Transparency. Search performed July 24, 2019.
View the attached spreadsheet for details on Americans for Limited Government funding by year (.xlsx).
As Donor
| Donor & Recipient | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Grand Total |
| Americans for Limited Government (Donor) | $2,246,817 | $1,208,015 | $1,483,525 | $900,950 | $4,380,750 | $223,000 | $415,000 | $50,000 | $981,400 | $11,889,457 |
| South Carolinians for Responsible Government | $580,000 | $321,000 | $816,000 | $348,500 | $935,750 | $56,000 | $55,000 | $3,112,250 | ||
| Now or Never | $2,550,000 | $265,000 | $2,815,000 | |||||||
| Colorado At Its Best | $920,000 | $30,100 | $91,000 | $31,200 | $1,072,300 | |||||
| U.S. Term Limits | $225,000 | $125,000 | $340,000 | $315,000 | $17,000 | $1,022,000 | ||||
| Conservatives In Action | $100,000 | $250,000 | $150,000 | $15,000 | $515,000 | |||||
| Family Research Council Action | $424,000 | $424,000 | ||||||||
| Foundation for Secure & Prosperous America | $350,000 | $350,000 | ||||||||
| New Hampshire Advantage Coalition | $91,500 | $33,500 | $105,000 | $50,000 | $280,000 | |||||
| Alliance for Self-Governance | $270,000 | $270,000 | ||||||||
| Americans for Job Security | $250,000 | $250,000 | ||||||||
| Parents in Charge | $200,000 | $200,000 | ||||||||
| Phyllis Schafly’s Eagle PAC | $172,400 | $172,400 | ||||||||
| Lead | $170,000 | $170,000 | ||||||||
| Alaska for Open Government | $70,980 | $51,525 | $122,505 | |||||||
| Turning Point USA NFP | $100,000 | $100,000 | ||||||||
| Ohio Accountability Project | $100,000 | $100,000 | ||||||||
| AFA Action | $100,000 | $100,000 | ||||||||
| Liberty Initiative Fund | $90,000 | $90,000 | ||||||||
| Free Market America | $80,000 | $80,000 | ||||||||
| Louisiana Action Council | $74,135 | $74,135 | ||||||||
| Treasure State Network | $19,426 | $54,625 | $74,051 | |||||||
| Policy Solutions Council | $70,000 | $70,000 | ||||||||
| Numbers USA Action | $60,000 | $60,000 | ||||||||
| South Carolinians for Responsible Government Foundation | $56,250 | $56,250 | ||||||||
| Legislative Education Action Drive | $50,000 | $50,000 | ||||||||
| Article 1 Advocate Super PAC | $50,000 | $50,000 | ||||||||
| South Dakota Conservatives Action | $18,983 | $7,585 | $26,568 | |||||||
| Americans for Tax Reform Foundation | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||||||||
| Iowa Right to Life Committee | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||||||||
| Hispanic Leadership Fund | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||||||||
| Conservatives Hq.com | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||||||||
| Arizonans In Action | $6,500 | $8,950 | $15,450 | |||||||
| Ohio 2.0 | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||||||||
| Ohio Rising | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||||||||
| Gun Owners of America | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||||||||
| Montanans in Action | $5,800 | $6,275 | $12,075 | |||||||
| California Term Limits Defense Fund | $10,473 | $10,473 | ||||||||
| IACE Action | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||||||||
| Competitive Governance Institute (Formerly Sam Adams Alliance) | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||||||||
| Patriots for a Better America | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||||||||
| Americans for Limited Government Foundation (Donor) | $39,000 | $187,828 | $787,015 | $366,500 | $448,750 | $1,829,093 | ||||
| SCRG Foundation | $14,000 | $71,500 | $244,500 | $128,500 | $278,750 | $737,250 | ||||
| Parents in Charge Foundation | $225,078 | $69,000 | $75,000 | $369,078 | ||||||
| U.S. Term Limits Foundation | $234,487 | $82,000 | $316,487 | |||||||
| South Carolina Association of Independent Schools Serving Minority Children | $20,000 | $49,000 | $34,000 | $5,000 | $108,000 | |||||
| Citizens In Charge Foundation | $10,000 | $95,000 | $105,000 | |||||||
| South Carolinians for Responsible Government | $82,000 | $82,000 | ||||||||
| Family Policy Institute | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||||||||
| South Carolina Policy Council | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||||||||
| Palmetto Policy Forum | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||||||||
| Anschutz Foundation | $13,950 | $13,950 | ||||||||
| American Liberty Alliance | $12,328 | $12,328 | ||||||||
| Foundation for Ethics in Public Service | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||||||||
| Americans for Tax Reform Foundation | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||||||||
| Grand Total | $2,285,817 | $1,395,843 | $2,270,540 | $1,267,450 | $4,829,500 | $223,000 | $415,000 | $50,000 | $981,400 | $13,718,550 |
As Recipient
| Donor | Americans for Limited Government | Americans for Limited Government Foundation | Grand Total |
| South Carolinians for Responsible Government | $3,112,250 | $82,000 | $3,194,250 |
| Now or Never | $2,815,000 | $2,815,000 | |
| Colorado At Its Best | $1,072,300 | $1,072,300 | |
| U.S. Term Limits | $1,022,000 | $1,022,000 | |
| SCRG Foundation | $737,250 | $737,250 | |
| Conservatives In Action | $515,000 | $515,000 | |
| Family Research Council Action | $424,000 | $424,000 | |
| Parents in Charge Foundation | $369,078 | $369,078 | |
| Foundation for Secure & Prosperous America | $350,000 | $350,000 | |
| U.S. Term Limits Foundation | $316,487 | $316,487 | |
| New Hampshire Advantage Coalition | $280,000 | $280,000 | |
| Alliance for Self-Governance | $270,000 | $270,000 | |
| Americans for Job Security | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Parents in Charge | $200,000 | $200,000 | |
| Phyllis Schafly’s Eagle PAC | $172,400 | $172,400 | |
| Lead | $170,000 | $170,000 | |
| Alaska for Open Government | $122,505 | $122,505 | |
| South Carolina Association of Independent Schools Serving Minority Children | $108,000 | $108,000 | |
| Citizens In Charge Foundation | $105,000 | $105,000 | |
| Turning Point USA NFP | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Ohio Accountability Project | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| AFA Action | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Liberty Initiative Fund | $90,000 | $90,000 | |
| Free Market America | $80,000 | $80,000 | |
| Louisiana Action Council | $74,135 | $74,135 | |
| Treasure State Network | $74,051 | $74,051 | |
| Policy Solutions Council | $70,000 | $70,000 | |
| Numbers USA Action | $60,000 | $60,000 | |
| South Carolinians for Responsible Government Foundation | $56,250 | $56,250 | |
| Article 1 Advocate Super PAC | $50,000 | $50,000 | |
| Legislative Education Action Drive | $50,000 | $50,000 | |
| South Dakota Conservatives Action | $26,568 | $26,568 | |
| South Carolina Policy Council | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| Americans for Tax Reform Foundation | $20,000 | $5,000 | $25,000 |
| Family Policy Institute | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| Iowa Right to Life Committee | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Conservatives Hq.com | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Palmetto Policy Forum | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Hispanic Leadership Fund | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| Arizonans In Action | $15,450 | $15,450 | |
| Gun Owners of America | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Ohio Rising | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Ohio 2.0 | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Anschutz Foundation | $13,950 | $13,950 | |
| American Liberty Alliance | $12,328 | $12,328 | |
| Montanans in Action | $12,075 | $12,075 | |
| California Term Limits Defense Fund | $10,473 | $10,473 | |
| Foundation for Ethics in Public Service | $10,000 | $10,000 | |
| IACE Action | $10,000 | $10,000 | |
| Competitive Governance Institute (Formerly Sam Adams Alliance) | $5,000 | $5,000 | |
| Patriots for a Better America | $5,000 | $5,000 | |
| Grand Total | $11,889,457 | $1,829,093 | $13,718,550 |
Americans for Limited Government operates both a 501(c)(4) arm titled Americans for Limited Government, Inc. (EIN 36-3975580), and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entitled Americans for Limited Government Research Foundation (EIN 52-2020468).
IRS Form 990 Filings for Americans for Limited Government, Inc.
IRS Form 990 Filings for Americans for Limited Government Research Foundation
Key People
Bill Wilson is a founding board member of Americans for Limited Government. Wilson was ALG’s president from 2006 to 2013, and left the group’s board in 2016, according to his biography on Net Right Daily. According to this bio, Wilson worked as a youth coordinator in 1976 with the Reagan for President Campaign, and subsequently led other projects such as “regional operations to secure votes in support of President Reagan’s request for aid to the Freedom Fighters of Nicaragua” – referring to the counter-revolutionary Contras – “successful franchise battles by investor-owned utilities against government backed power Cooperatives, the development of a modern secondary mortgage market system in the newly freed Republic of Poland, and numerous Congressional campaigns.”29“Bill Wilson,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Xr7ux
Howard “Howie” Rich, the board chair of Americans for Limited Government, is a New York real estate investor. In 2006 The Wall Street Journal described Rich as a “publicity-shy, libertarian-leaning businessman who has become the go-to man for supporters of conservative ballot initiatives.” Rich is a long-time board member of the Cato Institute30“Leadership,” Cato Institute. Archived May 1, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/NsyBp and is a board member of the Club for Growth,31Christopher Cooper. “How Mr. Rich Spreads The Republican Word,” The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2006. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/zJRPQ another “free market,” anti-regulation advocacy group tied to Koch operatives.32Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F 33David Boaz. “RIP Andrea Rich,” Cato Institute, August 1, 2018. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/ZWSUO
The New York Times reported in 2009 that Howard Rich first contacted Bill Wilson in 1992, and has since been a “crucial financier of Mr. Wilson’s efforts at a series of organizations: U.S. Term Limits, Parents in Charge and Americans for Limited Government.” U.S. Term Limits also has deep Koch ties.34Scott Shane. “A Critic Finds Obama Policies a Perfect Target,” The New York Times, September 25, 2009. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/aWZSz
Richard “Rick” Manning, has been the president of Americans for Limited Government since 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile.35“Richard Manning,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/L4FYt From 2006 to 2009, Manning was public affairs chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Labor. He worked as a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association from 1984 to 1993. 36“Rick Manning,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/WdrJ1 37“Richard Manning,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/L4FYt
Don Todd has been research director of Americans for Limited Government since 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile38“Don Todd,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/lDSGA, and the president of the Americans for Limited Government Foundation, according to an archived biography page from Net Right Daily.39“Don Todd,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Daeoq Past roles listed on LinkedIn include deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards from 2001-2009, research director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 1986-2000, research director for the Gramm 96 Committee in 1996, research director at the Republican National Committee from 1987-1989, and executive director of the American Conservative Union from 1981-1984.40“Don Todd,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/lDSGA, 41“Don Todd,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Daeoq
Sean Noble was described in a 2011 Politico article as “another top Koch operative” who had been hired by Americans for Limited Government, but did not specify his role:42Kenneth P. Vogel and Ben Smith. “Kochs’ plan for 2012: raise $88M,” Politico, February 11, 2011. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7zmU3
“Bill Wilson, president of Americans for Limited Government, said he met Noble, a former House chief of staff who now runs his own consulting shop, during the effort to stop the Democratic health care overhaul from passing into law.”
According to the story, Sean Noble was on a panel “analyzing the coming midterm elections” at a Koch donor meeting in January 2010.43Kenneth P. Vogel and Ben Smith. “Kochs’ plan for 2012: raise $88M,” Politico, February 11, 2011. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7zmU3
Sean Noble founded the Koch-tied group Center to Protect Patient Rights, since renamed American Encore, which campaigned against the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act.
In a December 2022 article about newly-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s re-election plans, Axios reporter Jeremy Duda mentioned Noble: “Sean Noble, a longtime Republican operative, says Republicans are likely to nominate a more ‘extreme’ candidate, and if that happens, Sinema will take more votes from the GOP than from the Democrats.”44Jeremy Duda. “How Sinema’s switch changes the electoral math in 2024,” Axios, December 12, 2022. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XcZjG
Actions
April 30, 2019
Americans for Limited Government released a joint letter with 16 other “free market” organizations, many of them Koch-funded and with a history of climate science denial, opposing a House bill intended to reverse then-President Trump’s withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Other signatories included:45(Press Release). “Free-Market Groups Oppose House Attempt to Reinstate Harmful Paris Treaty,” Competitive Enterprise Institute April 30, 2019. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/lRT0p
- Competitive Enterprise Institute
- FreedomWorks
- Heritage Action
- American Commitment
- Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)
- American Conservative Union
- 60 Plus Association
- ALEC Action
- Eagle Forum
- Campaign for Liberty
- The Heartland Institute
- American Energy Alliance
- Americans for Wise Energy Decisions
- Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change
- Caesar Rodney Institute
- Australian Environment Foundation
April 10, 2019
ALG President Rick Manning wrote an article praising President Trump’s deregulatory agenda in the energy sector:46Rick Manning. “President Trump’s policies are helping restore American energy dominance,” Daily Torch, April 10, 2019. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/iQDiR
“Private companies and individuals freed up to focus on getting oil, natural gas and coal out of the ground has led to a renaissance that has only been dreamed of for the past three generations when the bonds of energy dependency shaped much of American policy and our national mindset.”
August 17, 2018
In an article on the ALG Research website, Richard McCarty, director of research at the Americans for Limited Government Foundation, claimed that solar energy was “harming taxpayers and utility customers and soaking up funds that would be better spent on maintaining and upgrading the grid” and that “there is just no excuse for the government to be mandating and subsidizing green energy production.”47“Solar Power Harms Taxpayers and Consumers and Endangers the Reliability of the Grid,” ALG Research, August 17, 2018. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/M5OCY
March 23, 2018
In an op-ed published by Daily Torch, titled “Scott Pruitt is bringing transparency to the EPA; why is the Church of Man-made Climate Change angry about that,” author Printus LeBlanc criticized “climate change alarmists” for their opposition to the imposition of the so-called “secret science” rule at the Environmental Protection Agency. LeBlanc was identified as “a contributing editor at Americans for Limited Government.”48Printus LeBlanc. “Scott Pruitt is bringing transparency to the EPA; why is the Church of Man-made Climate Change angry about that?” Daily Torch, March 23, 2018. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/rLB31
July 12, 2017
ALG worked with a coalition of rightwing organizations, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Americans for Prosperity, to support legislation to prevent the Pentagon from implementing climate change and green energy policies, Reuters reported.49Timothy Gardner. “Conservative groups urge lawmakers to gut climate programs in U.S. military,” Reuters, July 12, 2017. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/jFqTa
June 2, 2017
ALG‘s Net Right Daily published an article welcoming President Trump’s pledge to take the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, claiming that Trump had taken “the courageous step of leading America out from the clutches of the horrendously negotiated Paris climate change accords.”50Peter Hong. “Trump pulls out of Paris climate accord, puts American power grid first,” NetRightDaily, June 2, 2017, Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/vx9pG
May 31, 2017
Rick Manning, ALG‘s president, argued in an op-ed for The Hill that President Trump had defied “globalists” and made “the right call to support coal,” criticizing former Goldman Sachs president and then-White House National Economic Council director Gary Cohn:51Rick Manning. “Trump defies globalists and makes the right call to support coal,” The Hill, May 31, 2017. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/QNukF
“Trump’s assistant denigrated the president’s position with respect to energy development when he attacked coal as a viable energy source, saying, ‘Coal doesn’t even make that much sense anymore as a feedstock.’
“If Democrat Gary Cohn wants to be president, he can take his Wall Street resume back to New York City, build his own campaign, and try to convince the Bernie Sanders dominated party of his choice to nominate him. But as long as he works for a president who campaigned and won in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia largely due to his support for the resource extraction industry, Cohn should avoid talking to the media about his opinions on energy.”
June 9, 2015
A Guardian investigation found that Americans for Limited Government was one of a group of right-wing organizations promoting climate science denial and undermining efforts to combat climate change. The organizations received a total of $125 million from Donors Trust between 2011 and 2013, with $2.7 million allocated to ALG.52Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups $125m over three years,” The Guardian, June 9, 2015. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/CkHYA
July 12, 2013
ALG‘s Net Right Daily published a piece by Larry Bell, an advisor at the Koch-funded climate science denial group CFACT, in which he quoted research by well known climate science deniers Roy Spencer and John Christy. Bell wrote that “theoretical climate models upon which crisis claims are entirely based can’t be trusted,” and that “if those models can’t be validated, then claims of consensus attributing an unproven crisis to human CO2 emissions, or to any other cause for that matter, certainly don’t warrant legitimacy either.”53Larry Bell. “Climate consensus cracking under weight of evidence,” NetRightDaily, July 12, 2013. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/V9hbL
Later in the article, Bell appeared to celebrate a decline in acceptance of climate science in the U.S.:
“There can be little doubt that ongoing climate science consensus bleatings are receiving less and less of a howling response. According to Pew Research, fewer than half of all Americans now believe that scientists agree that warming is mostly due to human activities, down from 59 percent in 2006 to 45 percent today.”
Related Organizations
- Daily Torch — Publication/website run by ALG.54“About,” Daily Torch. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/JLOQ4
- Net Right Daily — Publication/website formerly run by ALG.55“About,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/dg4eQ
- U.S. Term Limits — Funded by ALG chairman Howard Rich.56Scott Shane. “A Critic Finds Obama Policies a Perfect Target,” The New York Times, September 25, 2009. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/aWZSz
- Parents in Charge — Funded by ALG chairman Howard Rich.57Scott Shane. “A Critic Finds Obama Policies a Perfect Target,” The New York Times, September 25, 2009. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/aWZSz
Climate Action Now Opposition
The following groups joined Americans for Limited Government in opposing a reinstatement of the Paris Climate Treaty:58(Press Release). “Free-Market Groups Oppose House Attempt to Reinstate Harmful Paris Treaty,” Competitive Enterprise Institute April 30, 2019. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/lRT0p
- Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)
- FreedomWorks
- Heritage Action
- American Commitment
- Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)
- American Conservative Union
- 60 Plus Association
- ALEC Action
- Eagle Forum
- Campaign for Liberty
- The Heartland Institute
- American Energy Alliance
- Americans for Wise Energy Decisions
- Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change
- Caesar Rodney Institute
- Australian Environment Foundation
Contact & Address
According to ALG‘s website:59“Contact,” Americans for Limited Government. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/vPxMg
Americans for Limited Government
10332 Main Street, Box 326
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 383-0880
Social Media
- @LimitGovt on Twitter
- @AmericansForLimitedGovernment on Facebook
- @Daily_Torch on Twitter
- “Americans for Limited Government” on LinkedIn
Other Resources
- “Americans for Limited Government,” Ballotpedia
Resources
- 1“About,” Americans for Limited Government. Archived July 24 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Q4mIs
- 2“Climate change is about power, not environment,” Daily Torch, March 8, 2015. Archived August 21, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VlfgF
- 3Robert Romano. “EPA repeal of Clean Power Plan a step in the right direction, but carbon endangerment finding remains in place,” Daily Torch, June 20, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/e1Ovj
- 4Peter Hong. “Trump pulls out of Paris climate accord, puts American power grid first,” NetRightDaily, June 2, 2017, Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/vx9pG
- 5Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F
- 6“About,” Americans for Limited Government. Archived July 24 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Q4mIs
- 7“Americans for Limited Government,” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed July 9, 2020.
- 8Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti. “Inside Koch World,” Politico, June 15, 2012. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9xxQA
- 9Timothy Gardner. “Conservative groups urge lawmakers to gut climate programs in U.S. military,” Reuters, July 12, 2017. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/jFqTa
- 10Andy Kroll. “Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement,” Mother Jones, February 5, 2013. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/5WAtq
- 11Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F
- 12“Urge Congress to build the wall now!” BuildWallNow.org. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/NuPgx
- 13“Tell Congress to Fire the Swamp!” #FireTheSwamp. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/TKNkH
- 14Tom DiChristopher. “GOP stacks Green New Deal forum with climate deniers and industry groups,” CNBC, February 26, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/FXSB7
- 15Shawn Zeller. “Conversation: Rick Manning of Americans for Limited Government,” Roll Call, February 16, 2017. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/AK6Vi
- 16“66 percent of Republicans oppose Pacific trade deal after they find out what’s in it, Pat Caddell-ALG poll shows,” Americans for Limited Government, March 10, 2016. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/LTTvt
- 17Richard Manning. “Will we be adults or children? The ugly truth about America’s spending,” Fox News, March 17, 2017. Archived July 24, 2017. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/gCoIw
- 18
- 19“About ALG Research Foundation,” ALG Research. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/oi40Q
- 20“Sen. Tom Coburn declares Tea Party ‘one of best things that ever happened in the country’,” MSNBC, August 2, 2012. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/CBB6c
- 21Alex Brown. “Tom Coburn Labels Himself a ‘Global Warming Denier’,” The Atlantic, August 27, 2013. Archived July 214, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xTV9h
- 22Richard Manning. “Evidence mounts against climate change, Obama acts anyway,” NetRightDaily, June 2, 2014. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/QOtuA
- 23Rick Manning. “Church of Global Warming feels the heat,” NetRightDaily, April 30, 2013. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/LJEeK
- 24Robert Romano. “EPA repeal of Clean Power Plan a step in the right direction, but carbon endangerment finding remains in place,” Daily Torch, June 20, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/e1Ovj
- 25Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F
- 26Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti. “Inside Koch World,” Politico, June 15, 2012. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9xxQA
- 27“Three Big Donors Bankrolled Americans for Limited Government in 2005,” The Center for Public Integrity, December 21, 2006. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/j9tBD
- 28“Americans for Limited Government,” Conservative Transparency. Search performed July 24, 2019.
- 29“Bill Wilson,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Xr7ux
- 30“Leadership,” Cato Institute. Archived May 1, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/NsyBp
- 31Christopher Cooper. “How Mr. Rich Spreads The Republican Word,” The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2006. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/zJRPQ
- 32Andy Kroll. “Following the Mystery Money Behind a Super-PAC’s Attacks on Tammy Duckworth,” Mother Jones, October 16, 2012. Archived July 24, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0DY0F
- 33David Boaz. “RIP Andrea Rich,” Cato Institute, August 1, 2018. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/ZWSUO
- 34Scott Shane. “A Critic Finds Obama Policies a Perfect Target,” The New York Times, September 25, 2009. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/aWZSz
- 35“Richard Manning,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/L4FYt
- 36“Rick Manning,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/WdrJ1
- 37“Richard Manning,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/L4FYt
- 38“Don Todd,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/lDSGA
- 39“Don Todd,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Daeoq
- 40“Don Todd,” LinkedIn. Archived July 13, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/lDSGA
- 41“Don Todd,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Daeoq
- 42Kenneth P. Vogel and Ben Smith. “Kochs’ plan for 2012: raise $88M,” Politico, February 11, 2011. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7zmU3
- 43Kenneth P. Vogel and Ben Smith. “Kochs’ plan for 2012: raise $88M,” Politico, February 11, 2011. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7zmU3
- 44Jeremy Duda. “How Sinema’s switch changes the electoral math in 2024,” Axios, December 12, 2022. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XcZjG
- 45(Press Release). “Free-Market Groups Oppose House Attempt to Reinstate Harmful Paris Treaty,” Competitive Enterprise Institute April 30, 2019. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/lRT0p
- 46Rick Manning. “President Trump’s policies are helping restore American energy dominance,” Daily Torch, April 10, 2019. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/iQDiR
- 47“Solar Power Harms Taxpayers and Consumers and Endangers the Reliability of the Grid,” ALG Research, August 17, 2018. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/M5OCY
- 48Printus LeBlanc. “Scott Pruitt is bringing transparency to the EPA; why is the Church of Man-made Climate Change angry about that?” Daily Torch, March 23, 2018. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/rLB31
- 49Timothy Gardner. “Conservative groups urge lawmakers to gut climate programs in U.S. military,” Reuters, July 12, 2017. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/jFqTa
- 50Peter Hong. “Trump pulls out of Paris climate accord, puts American power grid first,” NetRightDaily, June 2, 2017, Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/vx9pG
- 51Rick Manning. “Trump defies globalists and makes the right call to support coal,” The Hill, May 31, 2017. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/QNukF
- 52Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups $125m over three years,” The Guardian, June 9, 2015. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/CkHYA
- 53Larry Bell. “Climate consensus cracking under weight of evidence,” NetRightDaily, July 12, 2013. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/V9hbL
- 54“About,” Daily Torch. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/JLOQ4
- 55“About,” NetRightDaily. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/dg4eQ
- 56Scott Shane. “A Critic Finds Obama Policies a Perfect Target,” The New York Times, September 25, 2009. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/aWZSz
- 57Scott Shane. “A Critic Finds Obama Policies a Perfect Target,” The New York Times, September 25, 2009. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/aWZSz
- 58(Press Release). “Free-Market Groups Oppose House Attempt to Reinstate Harmful Paris Treaty,” Competitive Enterprise Institute April 30, 2019. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/lRT0p
- 59“Contact,” Americans for Limited Government. Archived July 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/vPxMg
