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Do you approve of the way Congress is handling its job? According to Gallups latest polling data, just 16 percent of Americans give the folks on Capitol Hill a thumbs up. The question for golf-minded constituents is would Washington, D.C., run more effectively if our elected officials played more or less golf?

At first glance, the answer seems clear: Spend more time in the office and less on the course. However, in a time when gridlock, partisanship and culture wars are the default, perhaps our nations leaders should get some more tee times on the books. Tossing up balls to get paired with a political rivalwho then cans a 20-footer to keep your side square in a four-ball matchmight help strip down the ideological barriers preventing meaningful discussion.

We think many of the individuals featured in our latest ranking of Washingtons top golfers favor this position, given the quality of players in our nations capital. In the latest edition of this ranking of presidents, senators, representatives, congressional staffers, lobbyists and other power brokers, 58 boast single-digit handicaps. To qualify for this list, a person must be an elected official in the federal government, spend considerable time in the metro-D.C. area and work within the political ecosystem or be a former politician with continued strong connections to our nations capital.

Taking the top spot is former college golfer, T-Mobile lobbyist and plus-1.9-handicap Tony Russo, who was first on our lists in 2016, 2011 and 2008 as well. The son of former congressman Marty Russo, Tony was a college teammate of Steve Stricker at the University of Illinois and has won club championships at Congressional Country Club and Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Fred Eames (plus-0.5), a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth law firm, is the only other member of the list with a plus Index.

Donald Trump (2.5)No. 11 on our listleads the way among former presidents, though his posting of just one score during the past seven years doesnt do much to deter critics who argue Trump holds a vanity Index. Still, his lead over President Joe Biden (10) and the 44th president, Barack Obama (8), is substantial. President Bidens 10 handicap is likely a little dusty, considering his rounds in office are pacing well behind those of his two predecessors. Obama, on the other hand, has reportedly ticked some shots off his game in recent years as he makes a significant move up our ranking to No. 43.

Roger Williams (5), the U.S. representative for Texas 25th congressional district, takes the top spot among current elected officials, coming in at No. 18. Also in the top half of the ranking are Williams colleagues in the House, U.S. Reps. Will Timmons (R-SC, 6.6) and Rick Allen (R-GA, 9.2). President Biden and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI, 10.1) are the top Democrats in office, a position long held by John Yarmuth, the former congressman from Kentucky.

Linda DiVall, founder and executive chair of the polling company American Viewpoint, has a 3.9 Handicap Index and at No. 15 is the top-ranked female on our list. An accomplished amateur golfer, DiVall is a three-time winner of the Virginia Senior Womens Amateur and a past champion of the Virginia Senior Womens Stroke Play.

Editors Note: Indexes are as of April 20, 2023. Handicaps without decimal points are approximate, provided by those familiar with the golfers game. *Indicates that the golfer has not posted a score within the past year.

(1) Tony Russo, +1.9, vice president, federal government relations, T-Mobile

(2) Fred Eames, +0.5, partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth

(3) Nat Hoopes, 0.1, head of public policy and regulatory affairs, Upstart

(4) Dan Murray, 0.8, director, government affairs, Southern Company

(5) Clark Milner, 0.9, senior advisor and chief counsel to Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN)

(6) Chris Lamond, 1.3, founding partner, Thorn Run Partners

(7) Baker Elmore, 2.0, managing director, federal government affairs, Duke Energy

(8) Bret Baier, 2.2, host, Fox News Channel

(9) Bob Okun, 2.3, CEO, The O Team

(10) Jared Powell, 2.4, chief of staff, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)

(11) Donald Trump, 2.5*, former president of the United States (R)

(12) Trey Gowdy, 3.4, former U.S. representative (R-SC), current Fox News host

(13) Barry Hutchison, 3.6, assistant vice president, AT&T

(14) Robert Dibblee, 3.8, vice president, government relations, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts

(15) Linda DiVall, 3.9, founder, executive chair, American Viewpoint

(16) Phil Musser, 4.5, vice president, head of government affairs, Nextera

(17) Roger Williams, 5, U.S. representative (R-TX)

(18) Chris Cylke, 5.1, senior vice president, government relations, American Gaming Association

(T-19) John Connell, 5.4, chief of staff, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)

(T-19) Brad Card, 5.4, CEO, Card & Associates

(21) Dan Conston, 5.5, president, Congressional Leadership Fund

(22) Moutray McLaren, 5.6, vice president, public policy, International Council of Shopping Centers

(T-23) Robert Fisher, 5.9, senior vice president, federal government relations, Verizon

(T-23) John Buscher, 5.9, senior consultant, Cornerstone Government Affairs

(25) Andrew King, 6.0, founder, Neale Creek

(26) Evan Tracey, 6.2, senior vice president, National Media Research Planning and Placement

(27) Geoff Gonella, 6.3, CEO, Cornerstone Government Affairs

(T-28) Ben Napier, 6.4, floor director, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA)

(T-28) Mike Collins, 6.4, vice president, government relations, Broadcast Music Inc.

(30) Chris Gorud, 6.5, legislative director, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

(T-31) William Timmons, 6.6, U.S. representative (R-SC)

(T-31) Peter Gordon, 6.6, director, government affairs, Center for American Progress

(T-31) Penny Lee, 6.6, president, CEO, Financial Technology Association

(34) Arthur Mason, 6.7, executive vice president, Cassidy & Associates

(T-35) Chris Hodgson, 6.8, principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs

(T-35) Jamie Gillespie, 6.8, executive vice president, government relations, Fox Corporation

(37) Chris Cox, 7.0, president, Capitol 6 Advisors

(T-38) Adam Grzybicki, 7.1, president, national regulatory and external affairs, AT&T

(T-38) Jesse McCollum, 7.1, senior director, government and public affairs, Nike

(40) Mick Mulvaney, 7.6, former U.S. representative (R-SC) and Office of Management and Budget director

(41) Scott LaGanga, 7.8, senior vice president of state advocacy, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

(42) Tucker Foote, 7.9, executive vice president, public policy, Mastercard

(43) Barack Obama, 8, former president of the United States (D)

(44) Tyler Threadgill, 8.2, vice president, head of federal government affairs, LKQ

(45) Steve Ubl, 8.3, president, CEO, PhRMA

(46) Kevin Gundersen, 8.4, director of global government affairs, Huntsman Corporation

(47) Don Nickles, 8.5, chair, CEO, The Nickles Group; former senator (R-OK)

(48) Phil Cox, 8.7, co-founder, partner, GP3 Partners

(49) Ryan Canfield, 9.1, principal, GuidePost Strategies

(50) Rick Allen, 9.2, U.S. representative (R-GA)

(51) Justin Rzepka, 9.3, principal, BGR Group

(T-52) Jim McCool, 9.4, director, federal legislative affairs, Southern Company

(T-52) John Herzog, 9.4, senior vice president, government affairs, Kimbell & Associates

(54) Roshan Patel, 9.5, executive director, Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association

(55) Chip Roy, 9.6*, U.S. representative (R-TX)

(56) Rob Ellsworth, 9.7, co-founder, partner, Majority Group

(57) David Planning, 9.8, floor director, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN)

(58) Ozzie Palomo, 9.9, founding partner, managing director, Chartwell Strategy Group

(59) Joe Biden, 10, President of the United States (D)

(60) Rand Paul, 10, senator (R-KY)

(61) Dan Kildee, 10.1, U.S. representative (D-MI)

(T-62) Kevin Hern, 10.3, U.S. representative (R-OK)

(T-62) Bryan Anderson, 10.3, executive vice president and president of external affairs, Southern Company

(64) Cedric Richmond, 10.5, former U.S. representative (D-LA)

(65) Charlie Shipp, 10.7, founding partner, SC Partners

(T-66) Tommy Tuberville, 10.9, senator (R-AL)

(T-66) Parish Braden, 10.9, staff director, House Committee on Agriculture

(T-68) Pete Aguilar, 11, U.S. representative (D-CA)

(T-68) Ben Cantrell, 11, chief of staff, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)

(T-68) Jim Richards, 11.0, principal and director, Cornerstone Government Affairs

(71) Joe Courtney, 11.6, U.S. representative (D-CT)

(T-72) Lindsey Graham, 12, senator (R-SC)

(T-72) John Hoeven, 12, senator (R-ND)

(T-72) Jean Statler, 12.0, CEO, Alliance for Lifetime Income

(75) Jim Carroll, 12.1, senior vice president, global government relations, Honeywell

(76) Larry Calhoun, 13, chief of staff, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL)

(77) Blake Moore, 13.5, U.S. representative (R-UT)

(78) Ron Johnson, 13.8*, senator (R-WI)

(T-79) Richard Burr, 14.0, former senator (R-NC); Principal policy advisor, DLA Piper

(T-79) Jordan Ebert, 14, banking and consumer finance council, Senate Banking Committee

(81) Shahira Knight, 14.2, managing principal, policy and government relations, Deloitte

(82) Marty Reiser, 14.3, principal, government relations, S-3 Group

(83) Matt Cartwright, 14.5*, U.S. representative (D-PA)

(84) Pat Raffaniello, 14.8, principal, Raffaniello & Associates

(85) Will King, 14.9, staff member, House Natural Resources Committee

(T-86) George W. Bush, 15, former president of the United States (R)

(T-86) Joe Knowles, 15, chief of staff, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)

(88) John Boehner, 15.1, former Speaker of the House (R-OH)

(89) Jim Clyburn, 15.2*, U.S. representative (D-SC)

(90) Lewis Myers, 15.5, senior advisor, U.S. Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA)

(91) Mike Gallagher, 15.7, U.S. representative (R-WI)

(92) Ryan Kaldahl, 16, budget director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Read the rest here:
Washington, D.C.s Top 100 Golfers - GolfDigest.com

Food safety is reason enough to kill the Processing Revival and Interstate Meat Exemption Act, otherwise known as the PRIME Act, according to some of the industrys most powerful players.

The North American Meat Institute and the National Cattlemens Beef Association put themselves on record for the 118th Congress as again opposing the PRIME Act. The PRIME Act is seen as vital to small-scale producers, their communities, and consumers who demand local products by the legislations sponsors.

NCBA President Todd Wilkinson says the nations largest organization for the cattle industry is in favor of reducing regulatory burdens, but not at the expense of food safety, He calls the PRIME Act well-intentioned, but allowing uninspected beef to enter the retail market is dangerous to consumers.

American consumers rely on rigorous USDA inspection to ensure the safety and quality of their meat and poultry,said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts.Allowing the meat to enter commerce without inspection and without alerting consumers they are buying uninspected meat jeopardizes food safety and will undermine consumer confidence in all meat products.

If passed, the PRIME Act would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to allow custom slaughter facilities to sell uninspected meat directly to consumers, to restaurants and food service, and at retail. The Act currently permits custom slaughter facilities to harvest livestock for the personal use of the owner of the animal. The food produced may not enter commerce. There is no continuous inspection and no veterinarian is required to assess the health of the livestock.

Further, federally inspected facilities, and state-inspected facilities with cooperative agreements with USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), have inspectors continuously conducting oversight of operations to ensure the safety and quality of meat and poultry and the health and wellness of the livestock. Should a problem occur, products bearing the mark of USDA inspection can be traced to protect consumers.

It is important for the American economy and the entire meat value chain that the safety of our meat and poultry is never taken for granted. The meat and poultry industry, and the taxpayer, has invested billions of dollars in food safety protections, research, and infrastructure to ensure we have the safest meat in the world, said Potts. While this bill may be well-intentioned, it poses especially unnecessary risks given the many resources available to help new and small facilities gain inspection from FSIS.

The PRIME Act was reintroduced earlier this year into the 118th Congress by Reps. Thomas Massie, R- KY., and Chellie Pingree, D- ME. in the House and by Sens. Angus King, I- Maine, and Rand Paul, R-KY. The current bill appears to be no different than earlier versions that failed during previous sessions.

However, it may be picking up more steam than previously.

Among its now significant bipartisan support are original sponsors in the House including Reps. Jeff Duncan, R-SC., Jared Huffman, D-CA., Randy Feenstra, R-IA, Darren Soto, D-FL., Tim Burchett, R-TN., Ken Buck, R-CO., Mo Brooks, R-AL., Warren Davidson, R-OH, Paul Gosar, R-AZ., Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-WA., Louie Gohmert, R-TX, Ted Budd, R-NC., Ralph Norman, R-SC., Chip Roy, R-TX, Scott Perry, R-PA, Michael Cloud, R-LA., Tom McClintock, R-CA, Glenn Grothman, R-WS., Debbie Lesko, R-AZ., Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA., Nancy Mace, R-SC., Matt Rosendale, R-MT, Lauren Boebert, R-CO., Andy Biggs, R-AZ., Jason Smith, R-MoO, and Matt Gaetz, R-FL

If passed, Prime Act supporters say the bill will allow states to set their own standards for processing meat sold within their borders. It would permit states to pass their own laws and regulations to allow custom-exempt processing facilities to slaughter and process meat for intrastate commercial.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News,clickhere)

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Food safety concerns are said to require the defeat of the "well ... - Food Safety News

U.S. Senator Rand Paul has warned that the U.S. dollar could lose its status as a global reserve currency. For a variety of reasons, both foreign policy as well as fiscal irresponsibility, yes, the dollar is in a precarious position, said the lawmaker.

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) shared his concerns about the growing de-dollarization trend and the USD losing its global reserve currency status in an interview with Fox Business Thursday.

He was asked: Is king dollar going to be tossed off of its throne because of bad fiscal and monetary policies? Is it going to lose its world reserve status in your judgment? The senator from Kentucky replied:

I am concerned about it.

I think our foreign policy has something to do with that Weve pushed all of our adversaries farther and farther away from us and closer and closer together. Its not just Russia and China being pushed together by foreign policy and obviously, some of it is their own doing, and its a response to things theyve done that we dont like, the lawmaker opined.

He added: North Korea is in that basket as well. Iran is in that basket. But now we have some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, also sort of being pushed together into this non-aligned or unaligned coalition that wants to denominate their trades in things other than the dollar. So I think it is coming. And also if you treat your dollar like scrap paper and you continue to buy up enormous amounts of U.S. debt, your dollar becomes worthless too.

Senator Paul continued:

So, for a variety of reasons, both foreign policy as well as fiscal irresponsibility, yes, the dollar is in a precarious position, and I think its not an unfounded prediction to say, yeah, we could possibly lose our status as a reserve currency.

Paul additionally warned: We need to be careful of having some sort of zero trade policy because I think that will make the world a worse place. The senator concluded:

You are essentially at war with a country when you quit trading with that country.

Do you agree with Senator Rand Paul about the dollar losing its status as the worlds reserve currency? Let us know in the comments section below.

A student of Austrian Economics, Kevin found Bitcoin in 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open-source systems, network effects and the intersection between economics and cryptography.

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US Senator Rand Paul Warns of US Dollar Losing Reserve Currency Status Says 'It's Not an Unfounded Prediction ... - Bitcoin News

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of "colluding" with teachers unions to spread COVID "hysteria" and promote school closures after the former NIAID director tried to absolve himself of responsibility in a recent interview.

Fauci struck a defensive tone during a New York Times interview this week in which he reflected on his and the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic while deflecting blame for lockdowns and school closures, the consequences of which have become a congressional focus with Republicans at the helm.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 01: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, gives an update on the Omicron COVID-19 variant during the daily press briefing at the White House on December 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. The first case of the omicron variant in the United States has been confirmed today in California. ((Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))

"This is hysteria, and it comesfrom the top down, and Fauci wasessentially the top dog in town,"Paul said Wednesday on "America Reports.""He was giving the information,wear a mask, one mask, two mask,cloth masks, he was giving the information that natural immunitydidnt make any senseDr. Fauci discounted naturalimmunity none fo those policies happened and then we went overboard andclosed the schools with noevidence of children were gettingsick or dying."

Paul made the comment inside the U.S. Capitol where just moments earlier, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of the nations most powerful teachers unions, was grilled by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on her unions role in influencing public policy on school lockdowns.

RAND PAUL TORCHES FAUCI: 'ONE OF THE WORST JUDGMENT ERRORS' IN HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Paul said Fauci's guidance on lockdowns and school closures was widely determined by Weingarten and other union leaders, who were "self-interested" and saw an opportunity to "getpaid for not working" while causing immeasurable harm to U.S. students.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., questions Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser and director of the NIAID, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine the federal response to COVID-19 and new emerging variants on Jan. 11, 2022 at Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo by GREG NASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) (GREG NASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"Without question, our kids have beendamaged, and some of them will be a long time in therecovery.But also without question, there was collusion between Fauci andgovernment public health experts and the internet, there was collusion with the teachers unions," he said. "We cannot stop theteachers union from giving theadvice they dont think theteachers should work, but we canstop the government from colludingwith them in secret, to the detriment of our students."

Addressing critics like Paul and other Republican lawmakers demanding accountability for school and business closures, Fauci insisted that his recommendations were merely based on the CDC's public health guidance and that he in no way dictated public policy.

"Show me a school that I shut down and show me a factory that I shut down. Never. I never did," Fauci told the New York Times. "I gave a public health recommendation that echoed the CDCs recommendation, and people made a decision based on that. But I never criticized the people who had to make the decisions one way or the other."

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks as U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) listens at the AFL-CIO on June 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. The AFL-CIO held an event to discuss "the importance of student debt cancellation for American workers." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) ((Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images))

Paul said Fauci's recommendations carried "the force of a mandate" in the United States, adding that the outspoken White House task force member was well aware of the weight his words carried.

DESANTIS TAKES SHOT AT TRUMP FOR FAUCIS ROLE DURING ADMINS CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

"If Dr. Fauci says you need towear masks, and its against the bestpractices not to wear a mask andI own a hotel,Im fearful if I dont followDr. Faucis recommendations,which are not really a mandatebut they become a mandate," Paul said. "Imgoing to be sued for notobserving best practices, so hisedicts did have the force of amandate.Democratic governors largely throughout the U.S. followedthem, schools followed them.

"You can look at the transcriptwhen I challenged him on openingschools I gave him theinformation," Paul continued, referencing an earlier exchange with Fauci on the topic. "We put up six different chartsof European countries and hadgone back to school withoutincrease or exacerbation ofinfection and it just went right by him.

"Hes been on both sides of the schoolissue two dozen times,"Paul continued. "Several articles summarized hesbeen on both sides of the issuealmost [in] the same day some daysso people who have a self-interestin not working should not be theones guiding usin what kind of policy we shouldhave for having the schoolsopen.Bad science, bad for students,once again, the teachers unions isconcerned with themselves andnot necessarily with thestudents."

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"Everything they told us waswrong. It was a lie." he concluded.

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Sen. Rand Paul accuses Fauci of colluding with teachers union to promote 'hysteria' around school reopenings - Fox News

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reintroduced a bill that would eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) introduced a similar motion in the House.

The CFPB is an utter and complete waste of government spending and should be eliminated, Cruz said. It is entirely ineffective and does very little to protect consumers. The only purpose of this sham, [Barack] Obama-mandated organization is to stifle economic growth by enforcing burdensome, unnecessary economic regulations. The last thing our economy needs under Bidenflation is further hinderance by government bureaucrats. Ending the CFPB will spur economic growth at a time when Texans and Americans sorely need it.

The entire text of the bill reads, The Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (12 7 U.S.C. 5481 et seq.) is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by that act are restored or revived as if the act had not been enacted.

The CFPB has been met with contention since its inception in 2011 and has been the focus of several court decisions in recent years. Among them were Selia Law, LLC v. CFPB in 2020, where the court determined the for cause removal provision for the bureaus director unconstitutional, but reparable. In October 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit determined the bureaus financial structure also to be unconstitutional. A second circuit court held the opposite, and the issue is scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in the fall.

Look no further than the CFPB for the epitome of the Washington Swamp: an unconstitutional, unaccountable, and overreaching government agency with no Congressional oversight, Donalds said. In addition to the drain of federal resources, the CFPB hinders economic prosperity by imposing burdensome and unnecessary regulations on American consumers. Its high time to eliminate the CFPB once and for all and ease the overarching financial restraints established by Dodd-Frank that permitted unfettered power to unelected activists and the obstruction of fiscal ingenuity and growth.

Cruz has regularly introduced a bill to eliminate the CFPB since 2015. He also introduced the same bill in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

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Senators introduce bill to eliminate CFPB | News by Edition - RESPA News