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Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a conservative political advocacy group in the United States. Receiving initial funding from businessmen and philanthropist brothers David H. Koch and Charles Koch, it is their primary political advocacy group. It is one of the most influential American conservative political advocacy organizations. After the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, AFP helped transform the Tea Party movement into a political force. It organized significant opposition to Obama administration initiatives such as global warming regulation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the expansion of Medicaid and economic stimulus. It helped turn back cap and trade, the major environmental proposal of Obama's first term. AFP advocated for limits on the collective bargaining rights of public-sector trade unions and for right-to-work laws, and it opposed raising the federal minimum wage. AFP played an active role in the achievement of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives in 2010 and in the Senate in 2014. In the 2014 mid-term election cycle, AFP led all groups other than political action committees in spending on political television advertising. AFP's scope of operations has drawn comparisons to political parties. AFP, an educational social welfare organization, and the associated Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a public charity, are tax-exempt nonprofits. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, AFP is not legally required to disclose its donors.〔 The extent of AFP's political activities while operating as a tax-exempt entity has raised concerns among some campaign finance watchdogs and Democrats regarding the transparency of its funding. == Background, founding, and growth == Americans for Prosperity was founded in 2004 when internal rivalries caused a split in the conservative political advocacy group Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE),〔 dividing it into Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks. AFP's founding was funded by businessmen and philanthropist brothers David H. Koch and Charles Koch, of Koch Industries, the second largest privately held company in the U.S.〔〔 The Americans for Prosperity Foundation is the Koch brothers’ primary political advocacy group. According to a spokesperson from Koch Industries, the Koch companies do not direct the activities of AFP.〔 AFP's original stated mission was "educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing citizens as advocates in the public policy process".〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.americansforprosperity.org/about )〕 Its current stated mission is "to mobilize citizens to advocate for policies that cut red tape and increase opportunity, put the brakes on government overspending, and get the economy working for hard workers– not special interests."〔 It is focused on "fiscal responsibility," and in particular on cutting taxes, reducing regulation of business, and limiting the power of the courts.〔Meyer, D. S. and A. Pullum. ("The Tea Party and the Dilemmas of Conservative Populism," ) in ''Understanding the Tea Party Movement,'' edited by D. S. Meyer and N. Van Dyke. (London: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2014), p 89.〕 According to FactCheck.org, "AFP seeks to support free markets and entrepreneurship by advocating lower taxes and limited government spending and regulation". Its leaders view the organization as a counterbalance to the progressive movement's unions and activist organizations.〔 According to NBC News, ''The New York Times'' and others, some of AFP's policy positions align with the business interests of the Koch brothers and Koch Industries, including its support for rescinding energy regulations and environmental restrictions, expanding domestic energy production, lowering taxes, and reducing government spending, especially Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.〔 in Nella Van Dyke and David S Meyer, eds., * Describes AFP as one of several groups “established before Obama’s election and funded by very wealthy sponsors who sought both to promote an ideological vision and to protect a financial interest. As Jane Mayer’s profile of the billionaire Koch brothers (2010) notes, the promotion of a conservative ideology with hundred of millions of dollars serves business concerns worth many times that. Moreover, she notes, the Koch brothers had accepted the input of big government initiatives when they were helpful to the business.”〕 From 2004 to 2007, AFP was led by Nancy Pfotenhauer. In 2005, the Kochs hired political strategist Tim Phillips to work at AFP. AFP had a staff of 116 employees in September 2012,〔 and the next year it had chapters in 34 states and reported a membership of 2.3 million. In June 2014, it had 240 employees in 32 states. AFP has been active in national, state,〔 and local elections.〔〔 AFP registered to lobby in 2014. According to FactCheck.org, by 2011, AFP had "emerged as one of the most influential conservative issue advocacy groups on the national and state political scene".〔 The ''Los Angeles Times'' said AFP performed roles typical of national and state political parties.〔 ABC News said in August 2014 that AFP was "poised to be the most influential conservative group in the nation this year, and among the most influential and heaviest spending across the political spectrum this year and into the looming presidential race". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Americans for Prosperity」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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