This is an archived copy of the originial America First Caucus Policy Platform as reported by Punchbowl News. And was not authored by The #HollowNet or Matthew Holloway.
America First Caucus Policy Platform
The America First Caucus (AFC) exists to promote Congressional
policies that are to the long-term benefit of the American nation. The
North Star of any policy proposal will be that which serves the
American people, and any consequential analysis of policy platforms
must be based on this first principle.
As this implies a degree of ideological flexibility, a certain intellectual
boldness is needed amongst members of the AFC to follow in
President Trump’s footsteps, and potentially step on some toes and
sacrifice sacred cows for the good of the American nation. Policy
areas as far ranging as foreign intervention, economic development,
immigration, trade, tech regulation and social policy need to be
re-examined from the ground up to ensure that what remains keeps
the interest of Americans at heart.
It is the firm belief of this Caucus that American policy-making needs
to get back to first principles, restore a long-term time horizon
amongst our nation’s leaders, and instill a greatly internalized sense of
service to the American people on part of our elected leaders. As long
as these principles are put and kept in practice, the interests of the
American people will be safeguarded.
Election Fraud
The AFC is in support of nationwide systemic electoral reform. Both Democrats and
Republicans have pointed out for years the systemic failures in our election tabulation. A
Republic that relies on elections must ensure its elections are fair and transparent. There is a
growing consensus that both objectives have failed.
Recent election results demonstrate a compromised integrity of our elections and made our
election system a subject of global mockery. Across the country federal elections have been
undermined by using voting machines that are readily compromised and illegally accessed
whereby results appear manipulated, voters are disenfranchised, and faith in our system
eroded.
Mail-in voting, long recognized as subject to fraud, has become normalized. We will work
towards an end to mail-in voting, implementation of national voter ID and substantive
investigations into mass voter fraud perpetrated during the 2020 election.
Sovereignty
America was founded on the basis of individual and state sovereignty, to ensure that no free
American would be lorded over by a Monarch ever again. Unfortunately, bureaucrats in
Washington, D.C. and the elites who control them have risen to form a new oligarchy — one
that is far more decadent, corrosive and hostile to the will of the people than the Founders could
have ever dreamed of. This is why sovereignty is of paramount importance to the AFC.
We will work to divest power from the federal government and give it back to the states and the
people to restore the balance of federalism. We believe in, and will fight for, the principles of
federalism and decentralization of political power; the government closest to the people is the
best equipped to handle their concerns. At the federal level, this means exposing deep state
actors, shrinking the regulatory state, and eliminating thousands of regulations and indeed
entire bureaucracies.
Big Tech
Silicon Valley tech firms have become the most powerful arbiters of information in the history of
mankind. The treasure trove of data they have collected from Americans have given them
powers that would make a Soviet dictator blush. We have seen these powers weaponized and
deployed against conservatives in recent years, even as Big Tech firms continue to allow
terrorists and pedophiles to organize and publish on their platforms. This represents an
egregious offense against the First Amendment and the values enshrined within it. The America
First Caucus is calling for a solution that starts with reform of Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act.
Immigration
The America First Caucus recognizes that our country is more than a mass of consumers or a
series of abstract ideas. America is a nation with a border, and a culture, strengthened by a
common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions. History has shown that societal
trust and political unity are threatened when foreign citizens are imported en-masse into a
country, particularly without institutional support for assimilation and an expansive welfare state
to bail them out should they fail to contribute positively to the country. While certain economic
and financial interest groups benefit immensely from mass immigration, legal as well as illegal,
and the aggregate output of the country increases, the reality of large segments of our society
as well as the long-term existential future of America as a unique country with a unique culture
and a unique identity being put at unnecessary risk is something our leaders can afford to ignore
no longer.
As such, America’s legal immigration system should be curtailed to those that can contribute not
only economically, but have demonstrated respect for this nation’s culture and rule of law.
America’s borders must be defended, and illegal immigration must be stopped without
exception.
Moreover, we cannot ignore the impact that mass immigration has on reducing job opportunities
and depreciating wages for Americans. Further restricting immigration would ensure that
American jobs go to American workers. The econometric evidence and consensus amongst
labor economists is that in addition to being a substantial net drain on the public purse,
post-1965 immigrants decrease the capital-to-labor ratio within the national economy, thereby
causing a massive shift in the gains of the economy from wage earners to the shareholders and
owners of large firms.
An important distinction between post-1965 immigrants and previous waves of settlers is that
previous cohorts were more educated, earned higher wages, and did not have an expansive
welfare state to fall back on when they could not make it in America and thus did not stay in the
country at the expense of the native-born. Another important point of note is the many pauses in
immigration that have taken place in this country following a large intake of immigrants. These
pauses have been absolutely essential in assimilating the new arrivals and weeding out those
who could not or refused to abandon their old loyalties and plunge head-first into mainstream
American society.
A measure of a country’s greatness is the value recognized in being a citizen. As such, we
cannot tarnish this important designation by rewarding those who failed to follow our laws at the
expense of those who have, which is why amnesty must be rejected in all forms. Additionally,
we must abolish unnaturalized birthright citizenship, which actively encourages hostile interests
to undermine the legitimacy of democratic self-governance by engaging in subversive “birth
tourism” and chain migration. Lastly, federally imposed refugee resettlement programs should
be rejected due both to disruption to small communities and the corruption rampant within these
programs.
Infrastructure
The America First Caucus will work towards an infrastructure that reflects the architectural,
engineering and aesthetic value that befits the progeny of European architecture, whereby
public infrastructure must be utilitarian as well as stunningly, classically beautiful, befitting a
world power and source of freedom. As the Romans demonstrated with aqueducts, walls and
roads, function and beauty are not at odds. Federally funded infrastructure, including roads,
buildings, airports, seaports, bridges, should demonstrate a pride of workmanship. A bridge is
not merely something to cross from side A to side B, it is a connection among peoples.
Infrastructure is one of the few areas where the federal government should exercise its
constitutional authority. For decades, America has been sending trillions of dollars out the door
to support the infrastructure of other nations—even to countries that hate the United—with
nothing to show for it. Simultaneously, our domestic infrastructure is failing, crumbling and
decaying from within. This Caucus will work to direct as much money as possible to our
domestic infrastructure needs.
Dilapidated roads and bridges should be rebuilt, dams and wastewater plants must be secured,
borders secured, drinking water systems improved, amongst other much needed additional
investments. The America First Caucus knows that these projects impact the daily lives of
American citizens.
Foreign Aid
Whether it is aid for humanitarian or military purposes, sending taxpayer money outside of the
nation is generally an unwise undertaking and an entanglement that rarely provides any benefit
to our citizens. Often, these funds end up in the wrong hands, are squandered through
corruption, or go toward the pet projects of liberal interventionists. With so many unmet needs
in the United States, helping other countries with their infrastructure, their military, their
immigration problems and their economies makes no sense.
American tax dollars should not go toward teaching gender studies in Pakistan or supporting
ideologically subversive non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Taxpayer money should be
spent at home, allowing individual Americans to make charitable contributions to those around
the world in need. The America First Caucus believes that the American people are the most
kind and charitable in the world, and they would be far better at allocating their own money than
having corrupt bureaucrats play around with it.
National Security
For far too long, a hawkish neoconservative foreign policy has been the default for the American
Right. This has resulted in America being bogged-down in endless conflicts with trillion-dollar
price tags in addition to having thousands of American heroes losing their lives as a result.
Meanwhile, our nation’s infrastructure and our border security have been traitorously neglected.
Decades in Afghanistan have accomplished little except to enrich defense contractors and
empower the military-industrial complex. The people of Afghanistan have endured an endless
parade of violence typically with one side funded by our tax dollars. Regime change operations
in Iraq and Libya have proved disastrous, while doing nothing to keep Americans safe. Indeed,
after the Obama Administration used our military to topple Libyan President Qadafi, Libya has
turned into a failed state where there are open slave markets, lawlessness and chaos. What
was once a functioning state is now a failed state, because of Obama’s intervention. This is not
what our military was meant for.
The America First Caucus recognizes that America can no longer afford to be the world’s
policeman. Instead of endless interventions, bold diplomatic endeavors must be undertaken with
countries such as Russia and North Korea to ensure a more peaceful and stable world. America
should not be sacrificing blood and treasure while our so-called allies refuse to pull their weight
in contributing toward neutralizing threatening actors in the world. America must remain a free
and independent Republic, not a globalist watchdog.
Coronavirus
Ever since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus originating from China and the first known case
of coronavirus in the United States on Jan 21, 2020, the United States government and health
organizations issued guidelines and policies that would hinder and destroy the American
economy in many ways. These guidelines, which includes mask mandates and social distancing
rules, are socially conditioning the culture and behavior of Americans. Additionally, to truly
enforce social distancing and hopefully diminish the spread of the disease, many state
governors have decided to lockdown their states, meaning that businesses deemed ‘non
essential’ are not allowed to open and provide service. Together, these policies and guidelines
have ruined many businesses to bankruptcy such that many Americans are left unemployed
and potentially destitute. Social problems, including suicide and divorce, have escalated
because state governors, which the encouragement of the CDC, have locked down families. At
the time the virus landed in the United States, there was not a lot known about the new disease.
Now, a year later, there is much research and data.
It is essential to discontinue the lockdowns, remove capacity restrictions and allow businesses
to continue operations. Now that the damage is done, many Americans are in need of
assistance to pay their bills: the government should thus effectively provide direct financial
support to improve the livelihood of Americans. The America First Caucus will work to make
sure we do not overreact to a pandemic in this same way again.
Trade
Ever since the end of the Second World War, the sine qua non of being a conservative has been
to support unrestricted international trade. The main intellectual justification of this has been The
Theory of Comparative Advantage, which was first proposed by David Richardo over two
centuries ago. One key flaw that has been overlooked by establishment Republicans and
Democrats alike is that the theory assumes negligible movement of capital and labor across
borders. The absence of such a condition today, combined with the shift in commercial priorities
from productivity and innovation to cost cutting, has meant that free international trade simply
serves to homogenize living standards around the world. It should hardly come as a surprise
that the transfer of wealth to millions in the Western Pacific has resulted in millions being kicked
out of the middle class in the North Atlantic.
Free trade accomplishes many of the same nefarious economic goals that mass immigration
does. Essentially, it allows capital to search for markets with the lowest capital-to-labor ratios
that will allow it in, which in turn allows this capital to exact higher returns by exploiting the
relative excess of labor that exist in the third world, transforming these countries into essentially
industrial plantations run by semi-slaves. At the same time, workers in capital-exporting
countries such as America have less bargaining power because of the decrease in capital,
which puts massive downward pressure on their wages and benefits, assuming they even
manage to hold on to their jobs. Not only is this devastating to their standard of living, but the
lack of meaningful work in the production of tangible goods serves to eviscerate any sense of
dignity and worth these workers and their families had, resulting in the myriad of social ills we
see in rural America today, such as the opioid epidemic.
There are also non-economic considerations that have been neglected in the debate on trade,
namely the issue of national security. In such a globalized economic system, supply chains for
even the most basic and essential goods are spread to the four corners of the globe. This only
makes sense from a purely short-term monetary point of view. While this form of production
might be profitable to specific firms in the short-run, it is an unmitigated disaster to the long-term
interests of many countries, including our own. Any hiccup in the global supply chain can result
in massive supply shocks around the world, a reality that was glaringly exposed during the
COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The fact that any section of our food and medical supply
chains are located in China, our greatest geopolitical adversary, would have been considered
treasonous not too long ago.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have outsourced America’s manufacturing for decades,
offshoring jobs, deflating wages and destroying communities, particularly in rural America.
Under these bad ‘free trade’ deals, other countries have also placed strict restrictions on U.S.
exports entering their borders. The America First Caucus believes it is time to stop worshipping
at the altar of idealized free trade, and actually deliver for American workers. We call for a new
approach to trade that prioritizes American workers, treats U.S. exporters more fairly, imposes
tariffs and import restrictions where necessary to protect our vital industries, and holds
malevolent state actors—especially China—accountable for violating our trade laws on issues
ranging from intellectual property left to forced technology transfers. Every new free trade
agreement considered by Congress should be thoroughly assessed in order to ensure it
benefits our country’s manufacturers and workers.
We also cannot forget that jobs are personal—they impact individuals and families in unique and
specific ways. Pretending that rising GDP or faster access to higher-quality products is always
better than meaningful work for American workers and their families is a betrayal of our values
and demonstrates complete ignorance of long-term consequences.
Environment
Conservation of the nation we live in is an important aspect of American nationalism. Since the
1980s, climate change, formerly known as global warming, has become a hot button political
issue. The America First Caucus supports conservation of the environment and our national
lands for the benefit of our nation. Having said that, we should not cripple our country’s
manufacturing sector through agreements such as the Paris Climate Accords. We oppose the
globalist, vague, and irrelevant policies being pushed under the guise of combating climate
change. If Americans want to conserve the environment, they should push for better waste
management and other substantive remedies, not wasteful social justice programs like the
Green New Deal.
Environmentalism also includes proper allocation of resources. Fishermen and hunters have
legitimate, and culturally deep, ties to the land. Gold mines, copper mines and oil wells
contribute to our modern lifestyle. All of these are to be balanced with preserving opportunities
for hiking, camping and enjoying the visual beauty of our lands. On federal lands where the
impact on local farmers and ranchers would be minimal, rewilding initiatives, including
megafauna reintroductions, should also be explored, creating new opportunities for business
and tourism
Energy
While it is vital to preserve our environment, we should not use it as an impetus to destroy the
energy industry that hires millions of hard-working Americans. Our elected officials should stand
proudly with America’s struggling coal country against job-killing regulations, and welcome the
ongoing shift towards clean coal. In addition, the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota
Access oil pipelines will promote North American energy independence and allow the United
States to more easily extricate itself from the conflicts of the Middle East. Moreover, hydraulic
fracking technology, when used appropriately, can provide more affordable oil and gas for
Americans, and therefore any attempts to ban this practice on a national level should be
resisted. The America First Caucus supports innovation in green energy, such as in the form of
nuclear energy. However, it is important to closely scrutinize and reduce taxpayer subsidies for
wasteful green energy projects that fail to deliver the required return on investment for the
American people.
Protecting the Value of American Savings
Since the 1940s, the American dollar has been the global reserve currency, a position which has
greatly benefitted the real American economy by strengthening the purchasing power of wages
and savings. Unfortunately, the strength of America’s monetary position has been under attack
for decades by Keynesian economists domestically, and by globalist institutions looking to
enhance China’s position on the global stage. We must oppose international currency
manipulation and its detrimental long-term impacts for the American economy and U.S. dollar.
We must protect the rights of Americans to best position themselves for a changing economy by
promoting the development of cryptocurrency companies domestically, and defend the rights of
Americans to hold private stores of wealth – including gold, silver, and other blockchain-based
currencies like Bitcoin.
America First Education
The 20th Century saw the decline in many vital American institutions. None has been more
damaging to the United States than our education system. The increased consolidation of
educational spending came with it the ability for powerful left-wing special interest groups to
redirect the focus away from preparing future generations of national talent to progessive
indoctrination and enrichment of an out-of-control elite oligarchy. Even worse, our education has
worked to actively undermine pride in America’s great history and is actively hostile to the civic
and cultural assimilation necessary for a strong nation. The future of America’s position in the
world depends on addressing the crisis in education, at both the primary and secondary level.
The Chinese Communist Party
Not since the fall of the Soviet Union has America faced a civilizational challenge from another
state actor quite like the modern Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While the liberalization of the
Chinese government in the 90’s and early 2000s gave hope that the CCP was moving in the
direction of being a peaceful and beneficial actor on the world stage, the Xi-era has been one
defined by the dangerous resurrection of Neo-Maoist thinking.
Unfortunately, American corporations – following federal policies that have actively incentivized
investment outside of the US – have chosen to place short-term financial interests at the
expense of basic human decency. In doing so, we must confront a dangerous new reality where
much of America’s soft power is actively siding with an increasingly hostile-global actor, at the
same time America’s military has been mismanaged into overextending itself in the sands of the
Middle East.
We must also check against any globalist institutions that increasingly laud the authoritarian
nature of the CCP as a model for future governance, and not a terrifying rejection of civilized
society. Furthermore, we understand that the rise of China means that the United States must
be prepared militarily and economically to compete with a peer-competitor.
This policy is reproduced from Punchbowl News to archive it as a protection against deletion.
