According to a report released last week by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Alabama receives 36.1 percent of its annual revenue from the federal government, the ninth highest percentage in the country. Nationwide, the ratio was down to about 30 percent, the lowest it has been since the Great Recession spurred massive growth in federal spending. […]

(Video above: Sen. Sessions speaks at CPAC) One of the most widely-read conservative news sites, Breitbart News, declared Friday that Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush are battling for the “soul of the GOP.” Last weekend at the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC), Sen. Sessions decried the influence of major GOP […]

The prosecution in the State of Alabama’s case against Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard on Friday filed the most detailed documentation to date regarding their case against him. The filings were the result of Mr. Hubbard’s legal team requesting more detailed descriptions of the charges against their client. In short, Mr. Hubbard has been charged […]

WASHINGTON — Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) bucked GOP Senate leadership Friday by voting against a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bill that would have funded President Obama’s executive actions on immigration through the end of the year. “While I support providing critical funding for agencies that protect our national security,” Sen. Shelby said in a […]

On Friday, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley laid out a plan to raise taxes in Alabama by $541 million, including a $205 million tax on tobacco products. This “sin tax” will increase taxes on cigarettes by 82.5 cents per pack, bringing the total tax on cigarettes to $1.25 per pack. “Sin taxes,” which are taxes levied […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Governor Robert Bentley (R-Ala.) announced the details of his proposed $700 million tax increase in a press conference Friday. In all, Gov. Bentley proposed raising taxes in 8 areas. Corporate Income Tax – Require combined income reporting for corporations that do business in other states. Estimated increase in revenue – $20 million […]

(Video above: Rep. Gary Palmer grills EPA consultant during committee hearing) WASHINGTON — In a House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing Thursday, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL6) raked Environmental Protection Agency consultant Dr. Susan Tierney over the coals for the agency’s use of armed agents when investigating possible violators. “EPA has been very aggressive […]

Lately, Alabamians have struggled to discern any difference between what they thought they voted against in November and what they might be getting in the coming months. A commitment to oppose tax increases is now being replaced with a “bold” move to increase taxes, without any reference as to how this could impact bringing new […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama State Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) announced Thursday that he has pre-filed the School Choice and Student Opportunity Act, which would allow charter schools in the state for the first time. “Alabama’s children are the building blocks of our future and they should be given every available option to […]

MADISON, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has informed north Alabama officials that multiple major road projects totaling roughly $100 million have been shut down in the wake of their senator publicly opposing Gov. Bentley’s $700 million tax hike plan. Highway 72 and Jeff Road in Limestone County were both in the process […]

Rush Limbaugh said on Wednesday he believes Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) may be the only Republican in the Senate who is not scared of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the liberal media narrative that a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be Republicans’ fault. After promising to roll back […]

Grover Norquist doesn’t mind playing the villain. Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington called him “The dark wizard of the Right’s anti-tax cult.” Politico described him as “the high priest of anti-tax orthodoxy who’s convinced nearly every elected Republican to sign a pledge not to raise taxes.” Former Republican U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson went so far […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama House Republicans on Wednesday released their 2015 list of legislative priorities, dubbing it the “Alabama First” agenda. “The Alabama First agenda is designed to put Alabama firmly on the road toward being first in education and first in economic development,” Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard said in a press conference. “And […]

WASHINGTON — Four members of Alabama’s congressional delegation have signed a letter to House leadership asking them to hold strong against pressure from the White House and Senate to pass a DHS reauthorization bill funding President Obama’s executive actions on illegal immigration. “We write you today to thank you for standing firm and forcing the […]

WASHINGTON — As Congress inches closer to a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is concerned Senate Democrats are more willing to protect the President’s controversial executive actions on immigration than the United States’ national security interests. “Once again, Senate Democrats have filibustered legislation to fully fund the […]

(Video above: Matt Murphy interviews Sen. Jabo Waggoner) One of Alabama’s most powerful state senators believes Gov. Robert Bentley’s impending $700 million tax hike proposal is dead on arrival in the Legislature when the body convenes for its 2015 session next week. Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) was listed at No. 5 on Yellowhammer’s 2014 […]

WASHINGTON — President Obama has vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have transported up to 830,000 barrels of oil across the country every day, and provided up as many as 42,000 jobs, and Alabama’s Congressional delegation is less than enthused by the President’s decision. This is the President’s first time to use the veto […]

Alabama State Senators Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and Tripp Pitman (R-Montrose) are introducing a bill that would require Alabama high school students to pass the US citizenship civics test in order to graduate. The test would be comprised of the same 100 questions on US civics as the naturalization test administered to new US citizens. Though […]

DALEVILLE, Ala. — Approximately 1,600 community members in the Wiregrass area of southeast Alabama attended a forum Monday night with Department of Defense representatives to voice their concerns over impending budget cuts that could effect nearby Fort Rucker. The cuts, part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 also known as “Sequestration,” are scheduled to […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama State House Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) unveiled draft legislation Friday that would establish a charter schools program in the Yellowhammer State for the first time. “We’ve tried to take a lot of what has been working with charters and learn from those and then draft our legislation so there’s a lot […]

MADISON, Ala. — State Senator Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison), a retired Marine, unleashed his battle cry against Governor Bentley’s proposed tax hike Monday, and he wants to make sure his whole district knows where he stands. Holtzclaw rented space on a billboard in Madison saying, “Governor Bentley wants to raise your taxes. I will not let […]

(Video above: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) enters the “Yellowhammer Exchange” with Cliff Sims) In an exclusive interview, Yellowhammer News founder and CEO Cliff Sims sat down with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul over the weekend to discuss the Senator’s possible 2016 Presidential run, what the Republican party needs to do to attract new voters, his foreign […]

(Video above: Sen. Rand Paul gives one word to describe President Obama and potential 2016 candidates) In an exclusive interview with Yellowhammer News in Montgomery over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) described several of his potential 2016 presidential rivals in one word or phrase. His responses can be seen above. The full interview […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) on Monday reacted to news that Alabama Education Association (AEA) boss Henry Mabry — one of the most polarizing and adversarial figures in Montgomery — had been fired. “The AEA leadership over the last four years has been unwilling and unable to work with the Republican […]