Alabama

Alabama U.S. Rep. Barry Moore criticizes federal spending, 'weaponization' of U.S. agencies • Alabama Reflector

Published

3 months ago

September 4, 2024

Alabama U.S. Rep. Barry Moore criticizes federal spending, 'weaponization' of U.S. agencies • Alabama Reflector

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, harshly criticized federal spending and President Joe Biden’s policies while attacking what he called the administration’s “weaponization” of the Justice Department.

Speaking at a breakfast of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Moore repeatedly criticized federal spending on the war in Ukraine as well as federal energy policy, which he said is the “driving factor” in driving inflation up and economic challenges Americans may be facing.

“When energy fuel costs goes up, folks, everything you do, whether you build a house and when you buy a car, the parts that go into that — the petroleum investment in there is higher,” Moore said to the attendees.

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Moore blamed Biden for increasing energy costs, claiming he halted energy production “from day one.” Moore did not provide a specific example, but Biden did shut down oil and gas lease sales in public lands and waters in his first days in office due to concerns about climate change, according to The Associated Press.

The move was seen as an effort to change the U.S. fossil-fuel economy into clean energy, but the rule has been on hold since February 2022 due to a Western District of Louisiana court decision after Louisiana and nine other states sued the Biden administration. It’s unclear the effect it has had on inflation due to energy, as U.S. energy exports hit a record high in 2023.

Moore also claimed the Biden administration added about $1 trillion to the national debt in the last one hundred days but did not cite a source. According to Politifact, Biden’s debt accumulation is expected to reach about $7.9 trillion by the end of his term in January. In his four-year term, former President Donald Trump added about $7.8 trillion.

When asked about Trump’s spending after his speech, Moore said that while they may occasionally have to reject Trump’s funding requests, he shifted to promoting energy independence, proposing “you drill here and you drill now” to bring down the national debt, as well as halting international aid.

“They told him no on the wall, $5 billion, and now we spend $176 billion in Ukraine. I think there’s some ways there. Then certainly go ahead and quit spending money all over the globe in the areas that we not even got oversight,” he said.

Trump in 2018 asked Congress for $5 billion to build a border wall, but the House of Representatives, headed by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, offered $1.3 billion for border security. As a result, Trump diverted $6 billion in military funds for the wall construction, which the Supreme Court in 2020 approved.

Congress also has passed five bills appropriating $175 billion in response to the war in Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent thinktank, but $107 billion is directly spent on Ukraine. The remaining portion is funding other U.S. government activities associated with the war.

Moore also expressed concern over what he called the “weaponization” of federal agencies, including the FBI and the IRS. He claimed an incident, claimed by the Wall Street Journal editorial board, where the home of a journalist testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by House Freedom Caucus deputy chair Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, was visited by the IRS, which Moore suggested was an attempt to intimidate.

There has been no evidence of the incident, other than the Judiciary Committee sending a letter to the IRS asking for details.

Moore, who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, also denounced the Russian election interference “narrative,” calling it a hoax that top Democratic officials knowingly perpetuated, but on July 13, 2018, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers for allegedly interfering in the 2016 U.S. elections. A bipartisan U.S. Senate committee concluded in 2020 that “Russia launched an aggressive effort to interfere in the election on Trump’s behalf” and that Trump associates “were eager to exploit the Kremlin’s aid,” according to The Associated Press.

Moore insinuated that Democrats will use it again to try to win the election.

“We certainly don’t want the federal government picking our next elected official. We want to have a fair election process,” Moore said.

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Alabama

In Alabama, falling prices and rising listings could tempt home buyers

Published

6 hours ago

December 3, 2024

Press Room

In Alabama, falling prices and rising listings could tempt home buyers

A recent report shows that the housing market in Alabama has seen a decrease in recent home sales, specifically over the last year, but this could prove opportunistic for buyers — especially during seasonal drops.

In September, Alabama reported via the Alabama Economic and Real Estate Report 5,340 home sales. This is a decrease of 8.2% from last year.

Though median sales prices increased year-over-year in September, the prices recorded in the report from this past September showed a 4.6% decrease from the previous month and the first drop since highs seen in the summer.

Evan Moore, an economist at Alabama Realtors, said that the final months of the past three years have seen home sales decrease. “While home sales are likely to decline through the remainder of the year, evidence suggests the state’s housing market is and will remain healthy,” Moore said.

However, active listings are also on the rise in Alabama, as has been the case for the past eight months. As of September, Alabama is seeing the highest number of listings in the past five years.

The report predicted that Alabama is moving toward 5 to 6 months of supply, which the report claims is historically considered evidence of a healthy market.

“We believe the current trends of rising listings and increased inventory will create more opportunities for buyers,” said Jeremy Walker, CEO of Alabama Realtors. “As more homes become available, we may see prices ease in the coming months.”

However, further drops could be coming to the Montgomery housing market.

In Construction Coverage’s recent report on the seasonality of the U.S. housing market, between 2014 and 2023, the Montgomery market saw an average seasonal decline of 24% in its median home sale price. This drop is the 15th largest of any midsize U.S. metro area.

Generally, in September, Montgomery home prices are at their highest, but Construction Coverage’s report says that last year, the median sales price fell to their lowest in January — which opens a potential opportunity for buyers in the winter.

Sarah Clifton covers business for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can reach her at sclifton@montgome.gannett.com or follow her on X @sarahgclifton.

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Alabama

Alabama AD Greg Byrne Pitches for Crimson Tide to Make College Football Playoff

Published

15 hours ago

December 2, 2024

Press Room

Alabama AD Greg Byrne Pitches for Crimson Tide to Make College Football Playoff

The College Football world has shifted focus on the inaugural 12-team Playoff as the 2024 regular season came to a close on Saturday.

In the four-team Playoff format that lasted for a decade, no two-loss program ever made the elite cut. One big question that’s stemmed from the 12-team format is if a three-loss team can be in the same conversation as an undefeated, one-loss or two-loss program.

Alabama finished the regular season at 9-3, and it may be difficult for the Crimson Tide to be a part of the inaugural 12-team cut. Alabama has become the center of attention as a team that could challenge the three-loss obstacle due to its plethora of impressive wins this season.

On Monday evening, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne took to X (formerly known as Twitter), to make his pitch for why his program meets the requirements to contend for what would be the Crimson Tide’s 19th National Championship title.

“Here’s a good look at the numbers/rankings for Alabama football,” Byrne said. “Recognize there’s lots of chatter out there about 2 vs. 3 loss teams, however that is just one factor. When you look at the College Football Playoff Principles for its Selection Committee, the first bullet point on the list of considerations is strength of schedule. Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.

“We’ve worked diligently to add more challenging non-conference home-and-homes, which is good for college football, not to mention the week-in and week-out of the SEC and it being the toughest in the country.”

Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne’s Pitch

Byrne, who is a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, is the second person involved with Alabama athletics to make his case to the CFP committee on Monday, as left guard and co-captain Tyler Booker also delivered his pitch this morning.

Alabama’s schedule has certainly been one of the toughest among the other teams being considered to make the College Football Playoff, but the Tide has ranked wins over current No. 7 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina and No. 21 Missouri. However, losses to current No. 8 Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma give the committee quite the head-scratcher.

We’ll find out if Alabama’s chances increase a bit during Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings show at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Alabama

Where does Alabama basketball rank after the Players Era Festival

Published

23 hours ago

December 2, 2024

Press Room

Where does Alabama basketball rank after the Players Era Festival

Alabama basketball checked in at No. 10 in the latest edition of the Associated Press top 25 poll. The Crimson Tide dropped one spot after going 2-1 in the Players Era Festival tournament last week.

The Tide (6-2) also dropped in the US LBM Coaches poll, landing at No. 12 after victories over Rutgers and then-No. 6 Houston, before suffering a loss to Oregon in the championship game.

Kansas remained at No. 1 in the AP Poll, improving to 7-0, including a win over Duke last week. Alabama’s archrival Auburn jumped up to No. 2 following an impressive showing at the Maui Invitational. The Tigers defeated then-No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and Memphis to win the championship.

Fellow SEC sides Tennessee and Kentucky climbed to No. 3 and No. 4 in the AP Poll respectively. Both the Volunteers and Wildcats are also off to 7-0 starts this season. Marquette (8-0) rounded out the top five.

Alabama will look to pick up a pair of wins with two games left in the gauntlet portion of its non-conference schedule. The Tide will first travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for a matchup with the No. 12-ranked Tar Heels on Wednesday as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. UNC (4-3) lost its last two games to Auburn and Michigan State and will look to avenge its loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

After its trip to North Carolina, Alabama will play its first game back in Coleman Coliseum since Nov. 11 when it faces No. 21 Creighton on Dec. 14. The Bluejays (5-3) also participated in the Players Era Festival, dropping games to San Deigo State and No. 20 Texas A&M and picking up a win over Notre Dame. Creighton fell out of the top 25 this week.

Alabama will face North Carolina at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday inside the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Here are the full AP and coaches polls

AP Poll

1. Kansas

2. Auburn

3. Tennessee

4. Kentucky

5. Marquette

6. Iowa State

7. Gonzaga

8. Purdue

9. Duke