Latest news with #BBB
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How The Big Beautiful Budget Bill Can Deliver Decisive Deregulation
Media coverage of the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill (BBB; see committee report) naturally focuses on the spending. And that makes sense, with COVID-level deficits of $2 trillion on $7 trillion in outlays now entrenched. Action now moves to the Senate. But regulatory compliance costs and suppressed productivity can affect the economy and our lives every bit as much as on-budget spending. So over the past decade we've seen House budget resolutions explicitly address regulation, as in this year's 'Policy Statement on Government Deregulation.' This elevation of regulatory streamlining as a policy priority in part shaped BBB reconciliation negotiations in anticipation of simple-majority passage. This year, the House Judiciary Committee's component included four important federal administrative state reforms—not just for rules, but also for more slippery guidance documents and policy statements. Unfortunately, these were yanked at the last moment. Senate negotiations offer an opportunity to revive them. Recaps of deregulatory provisions follow: The proposed REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny) has long called for congressional affirmation of costly rules, building upon the resolution of disapproval process contained in the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The BBB would have borrowed from REINS to require legislative approval for any 'major rule that increases revenue'—as opposed to all major rules—to comply with parliamentary requirements for spending legislation. These presumably include the likes of user fees for services, leasing fees, licensing fees, or penalties collected by the federal government. Even 'REINS-Lite,' though, wound up regarded as a parliamentary fatality. Besides, there was arguably potential for backfiring here, such as perverse use of 'REINS-Lite's' deregulation-intent to block deregulation. For example, an Interior Department rule reducing permitting fees for mining and accelerating project approvals could trigger more taxable economic activity, increasing federal revenue. My Competitive Enterprise Institute colleague James Broughel suggested narrowing the language to 'major rules that 'directly' increase revenue, such as through a 'new fee, tax, levy, or surcharge,' Parliamentary hurdles on the Senate side for non-fiscal measures are high, with reconciliation provisions limited to those directly affecting the federal budget. Deregulatory provisions were, and remain, vulnerable in this context until changes happen. Celebratory proclamations about REINS-Lite continued right up to the bitter end, but only Amelia Davidson at Politicopicked up on the fact these were actually withdrawn from the final BBB. Also lost were enhancements to the CRA-required reports to both houses of Congress and to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), covering whether rules are major or not, job effects, But here's a bright side. While the specific reform parts are gone, the BBB now infuses OMB with $100 million through 2028. This may work out for the best, as the amended language under 'Use of Funds' specifies that the Director of OMB shall 'use amounts made available' to 'pay expenses associated with improving regulatory processes and analyzing and reviewing rules issued by a covered agency.' 'Covered agency' refers to the Departments of Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Environmental Protection and indirect cost assessments, and affirmation of constitutional authority. But even the existing, less-detailed reports are nearly impossible to track. That parallels the problem with guidance documents—there's no centralized, publicly accessible repository for easy access. Congress has used the CRA to strike down fewer than 30 rules since its 1996 enactment, nullifying one at a time. The BBB included provisions to ease the bundling of 'midnight rules' for CRA joint resolutions of disapproval—particularly useful during changes in presidential administrations when the CRA's limited window of opportunity applies. The BBB also contained provisions requiring agencies to submit their existing body of rules over a five-year period for congressional approval—without which unapproved rules would expire. Another provision called for the GAO to produce an aggregate estimate of regulatory costs. The GAO may not be the best source for such an estimate, though, given some bad blood between it and the GOP; but the sentiment is right. For years the Regulatory Right-to-Know Act has required aggregate cost assessments, but is ignored. Concerns that the Senate parliamentarian would reject regulatory provisions led to all the forgoing getting stricken by amendment at the last moment. With the simple directive, "Page 533, strike line 12 and all that follows through line 16 on page 542," all the regulatory reform provisions were deleted and replaced with a scaled-down 'Deregulatory Initiative' increasing Office of Management and Budget (OMB) funding. Now, the job is to seek acceptably drafted regulatory reforms on the Senate side. 'I'm going to fight like heck to get it in there' before the BBB goes to Donald Trump for signature, Sen. Mike Lee said. Some regrouping is necessary anyway: the original House language would have left the OMB hopelessly underfunded to carry out all the foregoing actions. OMB was slated for just $10 million through 2034, which never made sense. But here's a bright side. While the specific reform parts are gone, the BBB now infuses OMB with $100 million through 2028. This may work out for the best, as the amended language under 'Use of Funds' specifies that the Director of OMB shall 'use amounts made available' to 'pay expenses associated with improving regulatory processes and analyzing and reviewing rules issued by a covered agency.' 'Covered agency," refers to the Departments of Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Environmental Protection Agency. It is unfortunate that the public may not yet seeing detailed reporting, congressional approvals and sunsetting mechanisms for rules to which it's entitled. And a strike against the new language is the omission of bodies like the Department of Defense and Department of Transportation, as well as the broad exclusion of interpretive rules, policy statements, and guidance documents that the earlier BBB version addressed. Still, there's wide discretion and latitude for OMB to review and streamline with this generous fiscal endowment. Numerous Trump executive orders already target overregulation and beef up OMB—even more so than they empower the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). No matter what, a battle in the Senate to restore and build upon these innovations is warranted and expected, whether it happens in a Big Beautiful way or in some other incarnation this summer. It's been over two decades since major regulatory reforms were enacted—that's far too long. Where there now-discarded provisions in the BBB would have modified the CRA, legislation like a regulatory cost budget with bipartisan pedigree might be a better fit. The 'Renewing Efficiency in Government by Budgeting' (REG Budget) bill, for instance, would modify the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA), which falls under shared House Budget Committee jurisdiction. Reforms in that vein might be a stronger match for future Budget Committee engagement to secure parliamentary approval for treating regulatory effects on fiscal budgetary matters with more precision. And those bipartisan roots run deep. Before President Jimmy Carter's 1980 Economic Report of the President invoked regulatory budgeting, Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas—later Treasury Secretary under Clinton—proposed an 'annual cap on the compliance costs each agency could impose on the private sector' to 'make it possible to coordinate the regulatory and fiscal budgets.' Given the fusion of spending and regulation in governance, regulations influence macroeconomic variables, including government revenue, and merit explicit incorporation into reconciliation in a replacement to the governing Byrd Rule. Some basic cost-benefit machinery for a regulatory budget already exists within the same OMB boosted by the BBB. President Trump implemented a version of a regulatory budget via executive order during his first term with a 'one-in, two-out' framework, now boosted to ten-for-one. Cutting spending and regulation both require congressional action for permanence. Senate reconciliation negotiations still present an opportunity identify and target the heaviest burdens on society—be they fiscal or regulatory.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Watch out for these scams targeting Joann closing sales, experts warn
If you're looking to cash in on going-out-of-business sales at closing Joann stores, beware of scammers. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have issued warnings about scammers targeting internet users with fake deals of 80 to 90% off via phony liquidation websites. The scam tactics come as the last remaining Joann stores close their doors this month. The crafts retailer, which has been in business for over 80 years, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, the second time it made such a filing within a year. Here's what you need to know about shopping safely as Joann closes its doors. See list: Joann closing all remaining 440+ stores by May 31 As of March 5, purchases on are disabled and shoppers looking to take part in going-out-of-business sales should visit a location in-person, Joann said in a note at the top of its official website. 'Beware of fake Joann websites," the company wrote. 'There are no other authorized Joann shopping websites. Please see your local store for all your crafting needs. Inventory varies by location.' According to the company's website, all stores will be closed by the end of May and a sale for 70-90% off items in-store was still ongoing. Scam alert: Bogus customer service is just the latest online scam you need to be aware of The FTC and BBB have each issued warnings that unsuspecting customers could see an ad on social media for a Joann 'going-out-of-business' sale. Once the customers click on the ads, they are directed to a website that looks just like the legitimate Joann website. The fake website contains real company logos, and lists products for 80-90% off. 'The products being sold are products that you are familiar with purchasing at Joann, so the sale seems legitimate,' the BBB said. 'As you start to add items to your cart, you may also be offered an additional promotional discount that brings prices down even more.' But the website's URL is not the BBB said. Instead, the URL is for a website scammers made to steal personal information. According to one customer who submitted a report on April 28, they saw an ad on Facebook for a 90% off liquidation sale. 'The website looked identical to (Joann) Fabric,' the customer wrote in a report to the BBB's Scam Tracker. 'I did not send them money. Now they are spamming my email with urgent emails about not being able to hold my order.' The customer said they're glad they checked for scams before adding their payment information to the website and placing the order. 'I hope my experience spares someone else,' the customer wrote, adding that the email address associated with the scam is service@ Another customer said on March 17 that the 'scammer copied the Joann Fabrics website in extreme detail.' The customer thought the site they ordered from was legitimate, but after waiting three weeks and still not receiving their items or a tracking number, they knew something was amiss. 'After waiting and trying to send them email inquiries with no response, I finally decided to call them with the number listed on THEIR website,' the customer wrote. 'I got a recorded line trying to sell me insurance. That's when I realized it was a scam.' The BBB said customers who are shopping online can take the following steps to make sure they don't fall victim to scams such as the one targeting Joann customers: Confirm the website's URL. URLs for fake websites are often off by a letter or two, or they contain extra words. Avoid clicking links and go directly to the official website. Keep in mind that if something seems too good to be true, it likely is. Use your credit card for online purchases because credit cards offer additional fraud protection that debit cards don't. Do not submit personal information such as your social security number. Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joann closing sales: Watch out for these scams as stores shutter
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liberals blame Big Beautiful Bill loss on dying Dems: Imagine if they 'retired instead of died in office'
Facing yet another loss after the Trump-backed "Big, Beautiful Bill" advanced in Congress, liberals are lashing out at Democratic Party elders for clinging on to power too long — even to death. Shortly before the so-called BBB went up for a vote, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a longtime leader in the Democratic Party from deep-blue Fairfax County, passed away after a battle with esophageal cancer. Connolly had previously indicated he would be retiring at the end of his term in 2026. In response, many liberal analysts and consultants complained that too many Democrats were refusing to leave office, including FIGHT Agency's Rebecca Katz, who posted on X, "Imagine if one of the older and sicker Dems would've retired instead of died in office and what that would've meant for millions of people," quoting a post of the final 215-214 tally. Below that was a repost of a story with a large image of Connolly that described recent elderly Democrats who have died in office. White House: Dems Have 'Never Been More Radical, Out Of Touch' After Voting Against 'Big, Beautiful Bill' When reached for comment, Katz told Fox News Digital that "no individual has a divine right to rule for eternity." Read On The Fox News App "Democratic voters feel lied to and are demanding accountability, and our party needs to earn back their trust and start winning again. We shouldn't be afraid to have hard conversations," Katz said. The story — in the left-wing New Republic — described how Connolly was the latest in a recent string of Democrats who have died in office, including Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Sylvester Turner, D-Texas. According to her X profile, Katz has experience in Arizona politics working with Sen. Ruben Gallego's campaign, as well as previously Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. Meanwhile, the last eight lawmakers to have died in federal office have all been Democrats — including Turner's own predecessor Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, for whom he took over for less than a term. The New Republic appeared to lay the blame for the BBB's narrow win at the feet of dead Democrats. "House Republicans managed to pass their draconian budget bill, which promises to make massive cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and food assistance, early Thursday morning by a narrow one-vote margin that was only possible due the deaths of three in this current Congress," the New Republic's Hafiz Rashid wrote, describing Connolly, Grijalva and Turner. Winners, Losers And Grab-bags From House Gop's Narrow Passage Of 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Quoting another article from The Nation, Katz wrote: "In a democracy, politicians exist to serve the public; the public does not exist to serve politicians. It's a sign of democratic decline if politicians live and die like warlords, clinging to every last ounce of power. Democrats need to define what they stand for as a party so their elected officials can once more be genuine public servants and not mere warlords." The Nation lamented how Democrats are supposed to be a political movement seeking to gain power and implement an agenda. But, "in practice… [they] more closely resemble a hospice, if not a funeral home," it went on, pivoting to criticizing the party for its bolstering of former President Joe Biden amid revelations from CNN anchor Jake Tapper's book on the alleged "cover-up [of] his infirmity." The three Democrats who died within close proximity to BBB negotiations all hailed from reliably Democratic districts in Fairfax, Tucson and Houston, and could have had their seats filled by Democrats if they had retired in a timely fashion. Senior House Republican leadership staff emphasized that Connolly's absence would not have had any bearing on the outcome of the votes. Johnson had 217 votes on-hand, Fox News learned Tuesday. Prior to Connolly, Turner and Grijalva, Democrats from similarly-secure Paterson, New Jersey; Houston oncemore; Newark, New Jersey; California (Sen. Dianne Feinstein); and Petersburg, Virginia, died in office and left their party in the statistical lurch. Currently, the four oldest sitting federal lawmakers are Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, at 91, Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Hal Rogers, R-Ky., at 87, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., at 87. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is 85. Fox News Digital reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Connolly's office for article source: Liberals blame Big Beautiful Bill loss on dying Dems: Imagine if they 'retired instead of died in office'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Online clothing store receives ‘F' rating, BBB warns
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South sent a warning Tuesday about an online clothing store based in Collierville, Tennessee, Valabasas currently holds an F rating, BBB announced on Tuesday. The BBB said Valabasas received the lowest rating on their scale, 'due to a concerning pattern of complaints against the company filed by consumers, many of which remain unanswered.' Over the past three years, the BBB says 35 complaints have been filed by consumers from all over the country. They say 26 of those complaints were submitted within the last year. Many of the complaints have been reported to center around delayed shipments, poor communication, incomplete orders, and several cases of missing items from their order. Customers claim that their attempts to get help from the company were ignored and that they waited extended periods without updates on their orders, even after reaching out multiple times by phone, email, or social media. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. One customer allegedly returned a pair of jeans for a refund but received an unrelated item instead, with no explanation or follow-up. The BBB says another customer was charged $700 for orders they never placed and had to wait weeks to get a response from Valabasas. Several customers, dating back to 2022, also left reviews of their experiences on the company's Facebook page. On March 22, a customer left a review saying, 'Ordered a pair of shoes, they sent the wrong pair and won't return my emails to process a return where I shouldn't have to pay to ship back. You call the number and it goes to voicemail, but no one calls back.' 'Haven't received my online order from 11/29. I've called their customer service number. No answer. I've emailed them. No response, they only send out a AI email,' a customer posted on January 4. 'I ordered a order. I was missing a pair of black pants. I have reached out to them, and no reply. On my receipt, the pants were circled and said no with a happy face. No refund has been issued because no one never got back with me smh,' a customer posted on December 21, 2024. Another customer commented under that post and shared a photo of their receipt, which also showed an item circled with a smiley face that they say they didn't receive. The BBB says they sent letters by email and mail to Valabasas about concerns, requesting a plan to address the issues. They say the company has yet to make any visible effort to resolve the problems. 'BBB urges consumers to research companies before purchasing, especially online. Check reviews, complaint histories, and BBB Business Profiles at to make an informed decision,' the Bureau said in a statement. WREG has reached out to Valabasas for comment and is waiting to hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Watch out for these scams targeting Joann closing sales, experts warn
Watch out for these scams targeting Joann closing sales, experts warn If you're looking to cash in on going-out-of-business sales at closing Joann stores, beware of scammers. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have issued warnings about scammers targeting internet users with fake deals of 80 to 90% off via phony liquidation websites. The scam tactics come as the last remaining Joann stores close their doors this month. The crafts retailer, which has been in business for over 80 years, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, the second time it made such a filing within a year. Here's what you need to know about shopping safely as Joann closes its doors. See list: Joann closing all remaining 440+ stores by May 31 Joann tells customers to shop in store, not online As of March 5, purchases on are disabled and shoppers looking to take part in going-out-of-business sales should visit a location in-person, Joann said in a note at the top of its official website. 'Beware of fake Joann websites," the company wrote. 'There are no other authorized Joann shopping websites. Please see your local store for all your crafting needs. Inventory varies by location.' According to the company's website, all stores will be closed by the end of May and a sale for 70-90% off items in-store was still ongoing. Scam alert: Bogus customer service is just the latest online scam you need to be aware of Shoppers warned of scams The FTC and BBB have each issued warnings that unsuspecting customers could see an ad on social media for a Joann 'going-out-of-business' sale. Once the customers click on the ads, they are directed to a website that looks just like the legitimate Joann website. The fake website contains real company logos, and lists products for 80-90% off. 'The products being sold are products that you are familiar with purchasing at Joann, so the sale seems legitimate,' the BBB said. 'As you start to add items to your cart, you may also be offered an additional promotional discount that brings prices down even more.' But the website's URL is not the BBB said. Instead, the URL is for a website scammers made to steal personal information. 'The website looked identical,' scam victim says According to one customer who submitted a report on April 28, they saw an ad on Facebook for a 90% off liquidation sale. 'The website looked identical to (Joann) Fabric,' the customer wrote in a report to the BBB's Scam Tracker. 'I did not send them money. Now they are spamming my email with urgent emails about not being able to hold my order.' The customer said they're glad they checked for scams before adding their payment information to the website and placing the order. 'I hope my experience spares someone else,' the customer wrote, adding that the email address associated with the scam is service@ Another customer said on March 17 that the 'scammer copied the Joann Fabrics website in extreme detail.' The customer thought the site they ordered from was legitimate, but after waiting three weeks and still not receiving their items or a tracking number, they knew something was amiss. 'After waiting and trying to send them email inquiries with no response, I finally decided to call them with the number listed on THEIR website,' the customer wrote. 'I got a recorded line trying to sell me insurance. That's when I realized it was a scam.' How to protect your information and avoid scams The BBB said customers who are shopping online can take the following steps to make sure they don't fall victim to scams such as the one targeting Joann customers: Confirm the website's URL. URLs for fake websites are often off by a letter or two, or they contain extra words. Avoid clicking links and go directly to the official website. Keep in mind that if something seems too good to be true, it likely is. Use your credit card for online purchases because credit cards offer additional fraud protection that debit cards don't. Do not submit personal information such as your social security number. Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
