U.S. Congress

Northrop Grumman Spends $10.86 Million on Lobbying with 29 Revolving Door Officials

2023-12-31 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Northrop Grumman spent $10.86 million on federal lobbying in 2023, employing 36 lobbyists of whom 29—a staggering 80.6 percent—had previously worked in government positions, exemplifying the revolving door between the Pentagon, Congress, and defense contractors that enables systematic corruption of …

Northrop Grumman U.S. Congress Senate Armed Services Committee House Armed Services Committee lobbying revolving door military-industrial complex defense contractors corruption +2 more

90/10 Rule Loophole Closes, Ending For-Profit Colleges' Predatory Targeting of Veterans by Counting GI Bill and Military Tuition Assistance as Federal Aid

2023-01-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

On January 1, 2023, a critical reform to the “90/10 rule” governing for-profit college federal aid eligibility took effect, finally closing a decades-old loophole that had incentivized predatory targeting of military veterans and active-duty service members by for-profit colleges seeking …

U.S. Department of Education Veterans Education Success Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Holly Petraeus For-Profit College Industry +1 more for-profit-education veterans gi-bill regulatory-reform predatory-recruitment +2 more

No Surprises Act Bans Surprise Medical Billing After Years of Private Equity Industry Obstruction

2020-12-27 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

On December 27, 2020, Congress passed the No Surprises Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, banning most surprise medical billing beginning January 1, 2022. The legislation addressed a predatory billing practice that generated billions in profits for private equity-backed …

U.S. Congress TeamHealth Envision Healthcare Blackstone Group KKR +1 more healthcare private-equity regulatory-capture surprise-billing legislative-reform

Trump Vetoes Bipartisan Resolution to End U.S. Support for Saudi War in Yemen, Protecting MBS After Khashoggi Murder

2019-04-16 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

On April 16, 2019, President Trump vetoes S.J. Res. 7, a bipartisan congressional resolution invoking the War Powers Resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The veto protects Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman six months after the CIA concluded with high confidence that …

Donald Trump Mohammed bin Salman U.S. Congress Saudi Arabia government donald-trump saudi-arabia yemen war-powers congress +3 more

Facebook Admits Russians Bought $100,000 in Ads to Influence 2016 Election

2017-09-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Facebook reveals to Congress that Russian operatives bought $100,000 in political ads reaching millions of Americans, first admission of platform weaponization for foreign election interference, detailed in multiple congressional hearings and investigations throughout late 2017

Facebook Internet Research Agency U.S. Congress Russian Government Mark Zuckerberg russian-interference facebook-ads election-manipulation foreign-influence platform-weaponization +1 more

Mylan EpiPen Price Increases 550% in Nine Years, CEO Heather Bresch Testifies Before Congress

2016-08-24 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

In August 2016, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch faced intense scrutiny when it was revealed that EpiPen prices had increased from approximately $103 in 2007 to over $608 by 2016—a nearly 550% price increase for a life-saving allergy treatment. The scandal exposed pharmaceutical price gouging, the failure …

Mylan Heather Bresch U.S. Congress healthcare pharmaceutical-price-gouging regulatory-capture corruption corporate-crime

Obama Signs PROMESA Creating Unelected Fiscal Control Board to Govern Puerto Rico's $72 Billion Debt Crisis

2016-06-30 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

President Barack Obama signed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) into law, establishing a seven-member Financial Oversight and Management Board with sweeping powers over Puerto Rico’s government. The board, appointed by the U.S. President rather than …

Barack Obama U.S. Congress Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Government puerto-rico promesa fiscal-control-board austerity colonial-governance +3 more

Marco Rubio's Risk Corridor Amendment Triggers ACA Insurance Market Destabilization

2014-12-16 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Senator Marco Rubio successfully inserted a provision into the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 that prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from using general appropriations to fund the ACA’s risk corridor program, limiting payments to only user …

Senator Marco Rubio U.S. Congress Department of Health and Human Services Insurance Companies healthcare aca-sabotage insurance-markets legislative-sabotage republican-obstruction +1 more

Magnitsky Act Passed by US Congress

2012-04-06 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives, targeting Russian officials responsible for human rights violations and corruption. Named after Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who exposed a $230 million tax fraud scheme and subsequently died in …

Sergei Magnitsky Bill Browder Benjamin Cardin John McCain U.S. Congress sanctions human-rights russia legislative-action international-accountability +1 more

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report Released, No Banker Prosecutions Follow

2011-01-27 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC), established in 2010 and led by Phil Angelides, released its final report concluding the 2008 financial crisis was caused by a “systemic breakdown in accountability and ethics” on the part of corporate executives. The commission was …

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Phil Angelides Lloyd Blankfein Jamie Dimon U.S. Congress financial-regulation corporate-impunity regulatory-capture accountability-crisis 2008-financial-crisis

FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Passes, Granting Telecom Immunity

2008-07-09 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Congress passed the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, fundamentally expanding the president’s warrantless surveillance authority while granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the NSA’s illegal domestic wiretapping program since 2001. The Senate voted …

U.S. Congress George W. Bush Senate House of Representatives Telecommunications Companies +2 more fisa-amendments telecom-immunity warrantless-surveillance congressional-legislation section-702 +2 more

Dubai Ports World Abandons US Port Takeover Under Congressional Pressure

2006-03-09 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

On March 9, 2006, Dubai Ports World (DPW) announced it would abandon its controversial plan to control US port operations, marking a pivotal moment in the Bush presidency’s foreign investment strategy. The decision came after the House Appropriations Committee voted 62-2 to block the $6.8 …

Dubai Ports World House Appropriations Committee Charles Schumer Dennis Hastert Bill Frist +4 more corporate-defeat congressional-oversight foreign-investment national-security port-security +1 more

Congress Officially Defunds Total Information Awareness Program

2003-09-24 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Congress passes the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 (H.R. 2658), containing language that permanently terminates funding for the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program and orders the immediate closure of DARPA’s Information Awareness Office. The Senate had voted …

U.S. Congress Senate House of Representatives George W. Bush DARPA +4 more surveillance privacy legislation tia mass-surveillance +4 more

WHIG Achieves Systematic Bypass of Constitutional Separation of Powers Through Congressional Deception

2002-10-16 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

President Bush signs the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, marking the successful culmination of WHIG’s systematic campaign to bypass constitutional separation of powers through coordinated congressional deception. The signed authorization represents not …

George W. Bush White House Iraq Group U.S. Congress Constitutional Framework Andrew Card +4 more whig constitutional-crisis separation-of-powers executive-power congressional-manipulation +4 more

287(g) Program Created, Deputizing Local Police for Immigration Enforcement

1997-10-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) takes effect, creating a program allowing the Immigration and Naturalization Service to deputize state and local law enforcement officers to perform immigration enforcement functions. Under 287(g) agreements, …

U.S. Congress Immigration and Naturalization Service Department of Justice Local law enforcement agencies immigration local-enforcement police-collaboration racial-profiling iirira

Clinton Signs IIRIRA Expanding Deportation, Retroactive Aggravated Felonies

1996-09-30 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

President Bill Clinton signs the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), dramatically expanding deportation authority and creating new categories of removable offenses. The law increases annual deportations from approximately 50,000 to over 200,000 by the early 2000s, …

Bill Clinton U.S. Congress Immigration and Naturalization Service immigration-policy mass-deportation retroactive-punishment due-process expedited-removal

Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act Expands Deportation, Strips Judicial Review

1996-04-24 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

President Bill Clinton signs the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) in response to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, despite the attack having no connection to immigration. While primarily focused on death penalty procedures and terrorism prosecution, the law contains sweeping …

Bill Clinton U.S. Congress Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service immigration deportation judicial-review retroactive-punishment terrorism +1 more

Telecommunications Act of 1996 Eliminates Radio Ownership Caps and Raises TV Limits, Triggering Massive Media Consolidation

1996-02-08 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 10/10

President Bill Clinton signs the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law, eliminating the national cap on radio station ownership (previously 40 stations maximum) and increasing the television audience reach cap from 25% to 35%, triggering one of the largest media consolidation waves in American …

Bill Clinton U.S. Congress Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Clear Channel Communications Viacom +1 more media-consolidation deregulation telecommunications-act corporate-lobbying fcc +2 more

FDA Prescription Drug User Fee Act Creates Financial Dependence on Pharmaceutical Industry

1992-10-29 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of 1992 fundamentally restructured FDA drug approval financing by creating a direct financial relationship between pharmaceutical companies and regulators. The Act mandated drug companies pay fees to fund FDA drug reviews, which eventually comprised up to …

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America U.S. Congress Pharmaceutical Companies regulatory-capture pharmaceutical-industry fda government-funding institutional-transformation

Immigration Act of 1990 Expands Legal Immigration, Creates Diversity Visa Lottery

1990-11-29 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

President George H.W. Bush signs the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT), the most significant expansion of legal immigration since the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. The law increases annual immigration limits from 500,000 to 700,000 for the first three years and 675,000 thereafter, creates the Diversity …

George H.W. Bush Edward Kennedy Alan Simpson U.S. Congress immigration legal-immigration diversity-visa h1b employment-visas

Anti-Drug Abuse Act Creates "Aggravated Felony" Category, Merging War on Drugs with Deportation

1988-11-18 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

President Ronald Reagan signs the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, introducing the “aggravated felony” concept into immigration law for the first time. Initially defined narrowly to include murder, federal drug trafficking, and illicit trafficking in certain firearms or destructive devices, …

Ronald Reagan U.S. Congress Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service immigration deportation war-on-drugs mandatory-minimum due-process +1 more

WARN Act Passes with Corporate Loopholes, Toothless Plant Closing Protection

1988-08-04 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act becomes law on August 4, 1988, requiring employers with 100 or more workers to provide 60 days advance notice before plant closings or mass layoffs. Congress passes the bill over President Reagan’s veto threats, responding to the …

U.S. Congress Ronald Reagan U.S. Chamber of Commerce AFL-CIO labor plant-closings deindustrialization corporate-loopholes worker-protection

Immigration Reform and Control Act Grants Amnesty to 3 Million, Employer Sanctions Fail

1986-11-06 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

President Ronald Reagan signs the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, enacting the first federal law to impose sanctions on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers while simultaneously granting amnesty to approximately 3 million undocumented …

Ronald Reagan Alan Simpson Romano Mazzoli U.S. Congress immigration-policy amnesty employer-sanctions labor-exploitation regulatory-failure

Refugee Act of 1980 Establishes Systematic Asylum Process, Becomes Target of Enforcement Capture

1980-03-17 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

President Jimmy Carter signs the Refugee Act of 1980, the first comprehensive reform of U.S. refugee policy since the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. The legislation adopts the United Nations definition of refugee as anyone with a “well-founded fear of persecution” based on race, …

Jimmy Carter Edward Kennedy U.S. Congress United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Department of State immigration refugee-policy asylum cold-war institutional-capture

Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy Established, Framework for 1986 Reform

1978-10-05 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 6/10

President Jimmy Carter signs legislation establishing the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy (SCIRP), a sixteen-member bipartisan body charged with conducting a comprehensive review of U.S. immigration policy and recommending reforms. Chaired by Father Theodore Hesburgh, president …

Jimmy Carter Theodore Hesburgh U.S. Congress Alan Simpson Romano Mazzoli immigration policy-reform bipartisan commission amnesty

American Indian Religious Freedom Act Passes Without Enforcement Mechanisms, Proving Ineffective at Protecting Sacred Sites

1978-08-11 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 6/10

Congress passes and President Jimmy Carter signs the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA), establishing that it is “the policy of the United States to protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions …

U.S. Congress President Jimmy Carter Bureau of Indian Affairs Native American tribes indigenous-rights religious-freedom sacred-sites ineffective-legislation symbolic-policy

Equal Credit Opportunity Act and RESPA Pass After Industry Lobbying Weakens Enforcement

1974-10-28 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

Congress passes two major housing consumer protection laws in 1974: the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) prohibiting discrimination in lending based on sex and marital status (race added in 1976), and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requiring disclosure of closing costs. …

U.S. Congress President Gerald Ford American Bankers Association Mortgage Bankers Association Federal Reserve fair-lending consumer-protection housing-policy industry-lobbying housing

FECA Amendments Enable Corporate PAC Formation, Triggering 1,600% Growth

1974-10-15 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Congress enacts amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), legitimizing the role of corporations and business-related groups in federal elections and inadvertently triggering explosive growth in corporate political action committees that fundamentally shifts campaign finance in favor of …

U.S. Congress Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign-finance corporate-pacs feca powell-memo political-money

Occupational Safety and Health Act Creates OSHA After Decades of Industry Opposition to Workplace Safety

1970-12-29 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

On December 29, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and establishing for the first time comprehensive federal authority to set and enforce workplace safety standards. The legislation responded …

President Richard Nixon U.S. Congress AFL-CIO National Association of Manufacturers Chamber of Commerce worker-rights regulatory-reform corporate-lobbying labor-movement public-health

Draft Lottery Reform Attempts to Address Class Inequality After College Deferments Shield Wealthy from Vietnam Service

1969-12-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

The Selective Service System conducts its first draft lottery since 1942 at its Washington D.C. headquarters in response to widespread criticism that the draft systematically favors wealthy and educated Americans. Of the 2.5 million enlisted men serving in Vietnam, 80% come from poor or …

Selective Service System U.S. Congress Congressman Alexander Pirnie class-inequality institutional-corruption government-deception systematic-corruption

Age Discrimination in Employment Act Protects Workers Over 40 from Job Discrimination

1967-12-15 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

On December 15, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), prohibiting employment discrimination against workers aged 40 to 65 (later extended to all workers over 40). The law banned discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, and terms of …

President Lyndon B. Johnson U.S. Congress Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz Chamber of Commerce worker-rights discrimination regulatory-reform employment

Bracero Program Ends After 22 Years - Farm Wages Immediately Jump 40%

1964-12-31 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

The Bracero Program officially ends on December 31, 1964, after labor and civil rights reformers successfully pressure Congress to terminate the 22-year guest worker system. The program’s conclusion comes as mechanization increases in agriculture and mounting evidence exposes systematic …

U.S. Congress United Farm Workers Labor reformers Civil rights organizations immigration-policy labor-rights wage-suppression union-organizing corporate-accountability

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Passes Based on Fabricated Second Attack Authorizing Vietnam War Escalation

1964-08-07 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution with near-unanimous support (416-0 in the House, 88-2 in the Senate), granting President Johnson broad war powers to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war. The resolution responds to reported attacks on U.S. Navy …

President Lyndon B. Johnson Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara National Security Agency U.S. Congress military-industrial-complex war-profiteering government-deception institutional-capture intelligence-manipulation

24th Amendment Ratified Abolishing Poll Tax in Federal Elections After Decades of Voter Suppression

1964-01-23 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified on January 23, 1964, abolishing the poll tax as it applies to primary elections leading to general elections for federal office. The poll tax—a fee required to vote—has been used primarily in Southern states since Reconstruction as a means of …

U.S. Congress State legislatures Civil rights movement voting-rights poll-tax voter-suppression 24th-amendment civil-rights-legislation

Clean Air Act of 1963 Establishes First Federal Air Pollution Control Despite Industry Opposition

1963-12-17 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

On December 17, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Clean Air Act of 1963, the first federal legislation to establish a framework for controlling air pollution at the national level. The act authorized $95 million for research and state grants to develop pollution control programs, and gave …

President John F. Kennedy President Lyndon B. Johnson U.S. Congress American Petroleum Institute National Coal Association environmental-regulation public-health corporate-lobbying regulatory-reform

Landrum-Griffin Act Imposes Federal Restrictions on Union Internal Operations

1959-09-14 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

Congress passes the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act) in response to publicized corruption in the Teamsters, International Longshoremen’s Association, and United Mine Workers, imposing extensive federal oversight of union internal operations including …

U.S. Congress Department of Labor Labor unions Phil Landrum Leo Griffin labor-suppression union-restrictions landrum-griffin regulatory-burden labor-law

Congress Holds 25 Hearings on Pentagon Revolving Door, General Bradley Testifies Against Contractor Influence

1959-01-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

Congress holds 25 hearings throughout 1959 to investigate the revolving door between defense contractors and senior military officials, marking the first systematic examination of conflicts of interest in weapons procurement. General Omar Bradley, who served as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs …

U.S. Congress General Omar Bradley Department of Defense Defense Contractors revolving-door military-industrial-complex defense-contracts conflict-of-interest congressional-oversight

Federal-Aid Highway Act Creates Interstate System, Enables Destruction of Black Urban Neighborhoods

1956-06-29 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

On June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate Highway System—the largest public works project in American history. While celebrated as an engineering triumph, the $25 billion program (equivalent to over $300 billion today) systematically …

Dwight D. Eisenhower U.S. Congress Bureau of Public Roads General Motors American Petroleum Institute +2 more infrastructure institutional-racism urban-renewal corporate-interests automotive-industry

Communist Control Act Bans Party Members from Union Leadership, Weaponizing Anti-Communism Against Labor

1954-09-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Congress passes the Communist Control Act of 1954, preventing members of the Communist Party from holding office in labor unions and other labor organizations. The legislation represents the culmination of systematic efforts to weaponize anti-communism against labor organizing, following the …

U.S. Congress Dwight Eisenhower House Un-American Activities Committee American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations labor-suppression mccarthyism anti-communism red-scare union-busting +1 more

Housing Act of 1954 Expands Urban Renewal, Intensifies Destruction of Black Communities

1954-08-02 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

On August 2, 1954, President Eisenhower signed the Housing Act of 1954, dramatically expanding the urban renewal program that had begun with the 1949 Housing Act. The law introduced the “workable program” requirement for federal funds, mandated comprehensive planning, and provided new …

Dwight D. Eisenhower U.S. Congress Urban Renewal Administration Real estate industry Robert Moses institutional-racism urban-renewal housing-policy displacement corporate-interests

McCarran-Walter Act Imposes Racialized Immigration Quotas Over Truman Veto - 85% for Europeans

1952-06-27 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

Congress passes the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (McCarran-Walter Act) over President Truman’s veto on June 27, 1952, codifying a racialized immigration quota system that allocates 85 percent of the 154,277 visas available annually to individuals of northern and western European …

Pat McCarran Francis E. Walter Harry S. Truman U.S. Congress Herbert Lehman immigration racial-discrimination quota-system legislative-override anticommunism

Celler-Kefauver Act Closes Merger Loopholes, Strengthens Government Power to Block Anticompetitive Consolidation

1950-12-29 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Congress passed the Celler-Kefauver Anti-Merger Act, championed by Representative Emanuel Celler (D-NY) and Senator Estes Kefauver (D-TN), fundamentally strengthening the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and giving the government powerful new tools to prevent anticompetitive mergers. The Act closed …

U.S. Congress Representative Emanuel Celler Senator Estes Kefauver Harry Truman Federal Trade Commission antitrust merger-enforcement corporate-power competition cold-war

McCarran Internal Security Act Passes Over Truman Veto, Requires Communist Registration

1950-09-23 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

President Harry Truman vetoes the Internal Security Act of 1950 (McCarran Act) on September 22, 1950, sending Congress a lengthy veto message criticizing specific provisions as “the greatest danger to freedom of speech, press, and assembly since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798,” a …

Pat McCarran Karl Mundt Harry Truman Hubert Humphrey U.S. Congress +4 more mccarthyism red-scare congressional-action civil-liberties huac +1 more

Housing Act of 1949 Creates Urban Renewal Program, Becomes "Negro Removal"

1949-07-15 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

President Truman signs the Housing Act of 1949, establishing the Title I Urban Renewal Program that provides federal grants to local governments for slum clearance and redevelopment. While the act sets a goal of ensuring “a suitable home and decent living environment for all Americans,” …

U.S. Congress President Harry Truman Local Redevelopment Agencies institutional-capture racial-oppression housing-policy economic-strategy

FCC Establishes Fairness Doctrine Requiring Broadcasters to Present Balanced Coverage of Controversial Issues

1949-06-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

The Federal Communications Commission adopts the Fairness Doctrine through its “Report on Editorializing by Broadcast Licensees,” establishing a formal regulatory requirement that broadcast license holders must (1) provide adequate coverage of controversial issues of public importance …

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) U.S. Congress media-regulation fairness-doctrine fcc public-interest-standard broadcasting +1 more

NATO Established - 12 Nations Form Collective Defense Pact, $1.4 Billion Defense Buildup Begins

1949-04-04 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty) on April 4, 1949, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and marking a fundamental transformation in U.S. foreign and defense policy by committing the United States to an ongoing role in European defense. The …

Harry S. Truman U.S. Congress North Atlantic Treaty Organization Defense Department cold-war military-alliance defense-spending military-industrial-complex nato

Marshall Plan Begins - $13 Billion Aid Program Benefits American Exporters and Defense Industry

1948-04-03 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program) begins on April 3, 1948, as the United States initiates a $13.3 billion economic recovery program for Western Europe ($137 billion in 2024 dollars). Announced by Secretary of State George Marshall in June 1947 and signed into law by …

George Marshall Harry S. Truman U.S. Congress European Recovery Program cold-war foreign-aid corporate-welfare military-industrial-complex trade-policy

Smith-Mundt Act Authorizes State Department Propaganda Apparatus - Voice of America Expands

1948-01-27 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

President Harry S. Truman signs the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), popularly called the Smith-Mundt Act after sponsor Congressman Karl E. Mundt (R-SD), on January 27, 1948. The Act regulates broadcasting of programs for foreign audiences produced under …

Harry S. Truman Karl E. Mundt U.S. Congress State Department Voice of America propaganda information-warfare cold-war state-department voice-of-america

National Security Act Establishes Permanent Warfare State and Military-Industrial Framework

1947-07-26 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

President Truman signs the National Security Act, merging military departments into the National Military Establishment (later Department of Defense), creating the CIA and National Security Council, and establishing the National Security Resources Board to coordinate military, industrial, and …

Harry S. Truman U.S. Congress Department of Defense Central Intelligence Agency National Security Council military-industrial-complex national-security-state intelligence-agencies defense-industry institutional-capture

Truman Doctrine Announces $400 Million Military Aid Package - Cold War Containment Policy Begins

1947-03-12 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

President Harry S. Truman addresses a joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947, requesting $400 million in military and economic assistance for Greece and Turkey, establishing what becomes known as the Truman Doctrine. The speech marks a fundamental shift in American foreign policy from …

Harry S. Truman U.S. Congress George F. Kennan Dean Acheson cold-war military-aid containment foreign-policy military-industrial-complex