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Analysis of Selected Provisions in Hurricane Sandy Emergency Spending Proposals

Update January 10, 2013: We’ve combed through the House Appropriations Chairman Rogers Sandy Supplemental bill (HR 152 and his...

Transportation Tax Provisions within Fiscal Cliff Deal

The final agreement signed by the president to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff” contains several items related to transportation that...

Green Scissors Campaign 101

A basic primer on the Green Scissors campaign and answers general questions about the history and goals of the coalition....

Sliding Past Sequestration: $2 Trillion in Common Sense Cuts to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff

In the summer of 2011, Congress sent the President a bill that acknowledged failure. Instead of swallowing hard and coming up with...

Congress’ Tortured Math in MAP-21 (Trans. Reauthorization)

The just-passed MAP-21 (transportation omnibus) is paid for! It reduces the debt over 10 years! By $16.3 billion,if CBO is to be...

Golden Fleece Awarded to Riverboat Ripoff

Taxpayers for Common Sense awarded the Golden Fleece to Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) for introducing H.R. 4342, the WAVE4 Act. This legislation would codify recommendations made by barge operators to increase the federal subsidy for inland waterway construction projects on the nation's rivers....

Congress Relies on Billions from Treasury in Transportation Reauthorization

A quick note: This analysis is based upon best available data at the time it was written. As of this posting (6:20pm), the final...

Why Transportation Reauthorization Negotiations Are Failing: The Pay-fors Just Don’t Add Up

Congress continues to meet behind closed doors in a Conference Committee to hash out the details of a transportation bill...

California HSR Project Cuts Costs but Federal Taxpayer Still on the Hook

In response to growing public opposition, questionable project merit, and an increasingly bloated cost, the California High Speed Rail...

House to seek another extension for transportation program

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Mica (R-FL) introduced H.R. 4239 yesterday; a “clean” extension to the...

TCSAction Letter to Congress: Budget Gimmicks Hit the Road

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to members of Congress as they consider H.R. 7, The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs...

Backdoor Earmarks? Slush-y Funds in the Corps of Engineers Budget

(February 8, 2012 | 3:00 p.m.) Below is a chart detailing the number of projects that receive funding in the Corps 2012 Work Plan that...

The Nation’s Transportation Trust Funds

The nation’s transportation system — highways, transit lines, aviation, waterways, and ports — is largely supported by a series of...

TIGER III Grant Awardees Named

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) today awarded $511 million worth of grants to support 46 projects in 33 states and...

Analyzing Transportation Provisions in Mini-Bus Appropriations Bill

House and Senate negotiators have released a final version of the so-called "mini-bus" appropriations bill that will roll three funding...

Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Loan Program: Program Expansion Must Not Erode Taxpayer Protections

The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) was adopted by Congress in 1998 to leverage federal resources and...

Bridging the Gap: Redirecting Investments to Fix the Nation’s Bridges

A large portion of the nation’s 600,000 bridges are in poor condition and require investment to repair or replace. Congress, by virtue of...

Common Sense Cuts

Taxpayers for Common Sense has been working hard to meet the challenge of that the so-called Super Committee is facing - $1.2-1.5...

Super Cuts for the Super Committee

Taxpayers for Common Sense has been working hard to meet the challenge of that the so-called Super Committee is facing - $.12-1.5...

Report Highlights Significant Savings in Essential Air Service Program

Taxpayers for Common Sense is pleased to join National Resources Defense Council, Reason Foundation, and the American Bus Assocation in a...

Comparing Proposals for a National Infrastructure Bank

With extension of the nation's surface transportation program currently being debated in the halls of Congress, policymakers are...

Transportation: Gridlock may lead to Crashes Ahead

The daunting challenges Congress faces in the next month regarding the nation's transportation programs when it returns next week: 1....

Green Scissors 2011

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined environmental, consumer watchdog, and free-market groups today to release Green Scissors 2011, which...

Essentially Wasteful: The Essential Air Service

Congress has split town leaving an important deal unfinished. Yes, the debt ceiling got raised, but there’s another important piece of...

House Should Support Stronger Reforms to the Wasteful Essential Air Service

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the House of Representatives urging strong reforms of the wasteful and outdated...

Senate Transportation Reauthorization Summary Released

On the heels of the House's recent proposal, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today released a summary of its own...

House Transportation Reauthorization Proposal Released

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Rep. John Mica (R-FL) today released an outline of its proposal for a...

Repair Priorities: Transportation Spending Strategies to Save Taxpayer Dollars and Improve Roads

June 1, 2011 Taxpayers for Common Sense and Smart Growth America released a report highlighting smarter investments in road repair and...

The Most For Our Money—Highlighting Solutions for the Nation’s Transportation Problems

Transportation dollars are tight. The gasoline tax that we rely on to build and maintain our transportation networks isn’t enough to meet...

Draft of Administration’s Transportation Reauthorization Revealed

A draft has started floating around of the Obama Administration's reauthorization proposal for the nation's transportation program....

Reports highlight problems with transportation spending

Billions of taxpayer dollars handed out by the Department of Transportation was distributed on the basis of a flawed selection process,...

Framing the Transportation Debate: Two Recent Documents Highlight Key Issues

Two documents released recently do a great job framing the upcoming debate over reauthorization of the nation’s surface transportation...

Common Sense Cuts—$900 billion in savings over 10 years

The time has come for Congress to begin a serious discussion about how it is going to correct the current budgetary path into deeper and...

TCS Recommended Budget Cut List for the 112th Congress: Transportation

Transportation Total Cuts: $18.7 billion The nation’s transportation system is broken, as the gasoline tax that each of us pays at the...

TCS Budget Cut List for the 112th Congress: Infrastructure

Infrastructure Total Cuts: $6 billion For nearly two centuries, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has been a way for lawmakers to...

TCS Recommended Budget Cut List No. 2: Total Cuts $205+ billion

The time has come for Congress to begin a serious discussion about how it is going to correct the current budgetary path into deeper and...

TCS Review of CBO Brief: Spending and Funding for Highways

As the 112th Congress begins to tackle runaway deficits, government spending cuts, and congressional earmark bans, they will undoubtedly...

TCS Recommended Budget Cuts for the 112th Congress

The time has come for Congress to begin a serious discussion about how it is going to correct the current budgetary path into deeper and...

Common Sense Reforms for the 112th Congress

As the dawn of the 112th Congress draws near, there are several reforms Congress should enact, regardless of which party is in control....

Green Scissors 2010

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a number of environmental and consumer groups and a bipartisan slate of Representatives today in...

Senate Jobs Bill: The Wrong Direction on Transportation

Updated 2:33pm The Senate-passed jobs bill (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act or the Jobs for Main Street Act) contains a...

North Shore Road: Final Agreement a Win for Taxpayers

An agreement was signed this week that settles a long-standing dispute about what to do with the North Shore Road in the Great Smoky...

Support Sound Science for Salmon

We commend Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA), Tom Petri (R-WI), and the current cosponsors of H.R. 3503, the Salmon Solutions and Planning...

Hearing: Recovery Act: 160-Day Progress Report for Transporation and Infrastructure Programs

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing today entitled: “Recovery Act: 160-Day Progress Report for...

TCS Letter to Congress on Salmon Solutions and Planning Act

This week TCS released a letter to Congress supporting the Salmon Solutions and Planning Act. The legislation was introduced by...

Bailout Bank Bio: Chrysler

Chrysler LLC was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  In 2007 Cerberus Capital Management took up managing...

Failing Salmon Recovery Efforts are Costing Taxpayers Billions

Over the last two decades, federal agencies have spent more than $8 billion on efforts to restore salmon to the Columbia and Snake River...

Raising Questions About Transportation Spending in House Economic Stimulus Legislation

The transportation portion of the House stimulus package contains more than $43 billion for the Department of Transportation, including...

Water Infrastructure Spending in the House Economic Stimulus

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructs large water projects (dams, levees, pumping sand on beaches)...

FY2009 Appropriations Bills: TCS Analyses and Earmark Databases

The following are links to TCS's analysis and database for each of the FY09 appropriations bills. (Note: With the exception of House...

TCS Statement on Don Young Ad Controversy

Washington, D.C. – The following is a written Statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense: It has come to our...

Oppose Attempts to Raid Treasury to Backfill Highway Trust Fund

July 23, 2008 Dear Representative: Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to oppose H.R. 6532, which would transfer $8 billion from...

Final Days of Don Young’s Way?

With board members jumping ship, the governor asking tough questions, and the cost estimate ballooning, the logical conclusion is that...

Transportation Committee Discloses New Earmarks

The earmark disclosure debutantes are making their way to the floor today in the technical correction bill for SAFETEA-LU (H.R....

Senate Cuts Transportation Earmarks

The FY09 Senate appropriations bill providing money for transportation and Housing and Urban Development projects contains 609 earmarks...

Golden Fleece Award

From surfing subsidies to the Great Wall of Bedford, Indiana, Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire’s Golden Fleece Award protected...

A Look at the New New Orleans

posted by Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500 ext. 126     TCS Vice-President, Steve Ellis, just got back from touring the Lower Ninth ward in New...

Failure to Hold Water

In 1997, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published the results of its economic evaluation of a proposed lock to replace the existing lock...

President Vetoes $23 Billion Water Projects Bill

Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement by Steve Ellis, Vice President of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the President...

Veto ﾖ Channeling Ike on WRDA

It’s a Friday afternoon, but I thought you might be interested in another veto statement from a few years back. The WRDA bill was called...

Water Project Waste: Oppose Water Resources Development Act of 2007

Dear Senator: We write in strong opposition to the final conference version of H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of...

Rep. Don Young’s Coconut Rd. Earmark Rejected

You may have heard about the $10 million earmark for a Florida highway interchange that Rep. Don Young (R-AK) included the 2005 highway...

House Transportation Spending Bill: The Road to Political Pork

Washington, D.C. - The House FY08 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill contains more...

Water Project Waste

Dear Senator: On behalf of the nearly one million members of our organizations, we write in strong opposition to the Senate version of the...

Support Flake Amendments to Strike Wasteful Programs from H.R. 1401

Dear Representative: Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to support Representative Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) amendments to cut wasteful...

Sen. Thune Earmark and DM&E Rail Loan - Rejected

Today, the Federal Railroad Administration rejected the Dakota, Mining & Eastern (DM&E) loan application. Why does TCS care? For two main...

Time to Learn the Hard Lessons from Hurricane Katrina: Support Real Fiscal Reforms in Water Resources Development Act

Dear Member of Congress: For many years, our organizations have examined the standard operating practices of the Corps of Engineers and...

Donﾒt Fall for False Advertising: Support Real Fiscal Reform in Water Resources Development Act

 Dear Senator: For many years, our organizations have examined the standard operating practices of the Corps of Engineers and working to...

WRDA 2007 Senate Letter

Dear Senator: For many years, our organizations have examined the standard operating practices of the Corps of Engineers and working to...

500 Alaska Fisherman Endorse Removal of Four Dams

Contact: Kathleen McNeilly (202) 546-8500 x128 or Eric Jordan 907-747-6743   WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than 500 Alaska fishermen have...

North Shore Road

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Swain County), North Carolina Projected Cost to Federal Taxpayers: $604...

TCS Applauds the Elimination of the Alaska Bridges to Nowhere

Washington, D.C. – The following is a written statement from Jill Lancelot, President...

New Report Addresses Water Infrastructure Deterioration in Pennsylvania;

Washington, DC - A new report by Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) finds that Pennsylvania and the nation are facing hundreds of billions of...

TCS Statement on the Signing of the Transportation Bill

Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement by Keith Ashdown, Vice-President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on George W. Bush...

August 2005 Westlands Renewal Letter

Mr. Richard Stevenson Bureau of Reclamation 2800 Cottage Way, MP-440 Sacramento CA 95825 Dear Mr. Stevenson, Taxpayers for Common Sense,...

August 2005 San Luis Drain Letter

Ms. Claire Jacquemin Bureau of Reclamation 2800 Cottage Way, MP-700 Sacramento, CA 95825 August 4, 2005 Dear Ms. Jacquemin, On behalf of...

Banking on the Future

Investing in Smart Water Strategies for Pennsylvania and the Nation...

TCS Statement on Passage of the Water Resources Development Act

Washington, D.C. – The following is a written statement by Steve Ellis, Vice-President of Programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a...

Banking on the Future: Investing in Smart Water Strategies

The United States maintains the most advanced water system in the world, but faces major funding challenges over the next twenty years to...

Senate Passes Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement from Steve Ellis, Vice President for Programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense on the...

Veto the Transportation Bill

Dear Mr. President:     On behalf of the millions of members represented by our respective organizations, we ask that you hold steadfast to...

Louisville’s Eastern Bridge Project is a Taxpayer Waste

Remarks by Erich W. Zimmermann, Policy Analyst Delivered at River Valley Club, Louisville, Kentucky June 3, 2005 Good afternoon, my...

Highway Bill Breaks the Bank

The following is a written statement by Erich Zimmermann, Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, on Senate passage of the...

An Open Letter to the Senate: Water Resources Development Act Bill Flushes More than $17 Billion Down the Drain

  Dear Senator:    Our organizations strongly oppose S. 728, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005 (WRDA 2005). This legislation...

The Gravina Access Project: A Bridge to Nowhere

Recipient of the TCS "Golden Fleece Award in 2003 (Read the award write-up) Project Update (September 2007): After many years of...

Missed Opportunity on Energy & Water Spending Bill; House Pads Corps Water Budget

Washington, D.C. – The following is a prepared statement by Steve Ellis, Vice President at Taxpayers for Common Sense on the House Energy &...

Road to Ruin: The 27 Most Wasteful Road Projects in America

Road to Ruin documents 27 road projects that will drain federal tax dollars, harm communities, and damage the natural environment. In total, these projects would cost federal taxpayers at least $24 billion....

Taxpayer Groups Blast Mississippi River Legislation: Embattled Locks Project Mired in Controversy Given Boost by Neighboring Senators

Washington, D.C. - New legislation that re-ignites parochial efforts to soak taxpayers for one of the most wasteful water boondoggles in...

TCS and NTU Letter To Sec Gale Norton

On behalf of our members, the undersigned groups urge you to exercise fiscal responsibility as the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) completes...

Veto this Bill Mr. President

Washington, D.C. - The following is a prepared statement by Keith Ashdown, Vice President of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the passage of...

Crossroads: Congress, the Corps of Engineers, and the Future of America’s Water Resources

The nation’s largest water management agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is at a crossroads. The Corps is poised to either...

October 2003 Letter to Governor Bill Owens

The Honorable Bill Owens Governor 136 State Capitol Denver, CO 80203-1792 Dear Governor Owens: Taxpayers for Common Sense Action (TCS...

Amend Sec. 5025 to Require Cost-Justification for Arkansas River Deepening Project

Dear Chairman Young:     Taxpayers for Common Sense Action (TCS Action), a non-partisan, budget watchdog group, is highly concerned by...

House Approves $8 Million for Delaware Deepening

Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement by Steve Ellis, Vice President for Programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense in...

Keep Fiscally Wasteful Project Out of FY04 Energy and Water Development Appropriations

Dear Chairman Hobson and Representative Visclosky: Taxpayers for Common Sense Action (TCS Action), a non-partisan, budget watchdog group,...

Include Reform for Army Corps of Engineers in Water Resources Development Act

Dear Chairman Young: As you mark up a potential Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2003, we urge you to include significant reforms...

Golden Fleece: $190 Million Bridge to Nowhere

***This article first published June 12, 2003 when TCS was the first to shed light on the "Bridge to Nowhere"*** Rep. Don Young...

Oppose H.R. 901: Bridge Proposal Rips Off Taxpayers

Dear Resources Committee Member:  We oppose H.R. 901, introduced by Congressmen John Doolittle (R-CA) and Doug Ose (R-CA). This bill...

Folsom Bridge Legislation is Over Trouble Waters, Says TCS

Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement from Aileen Roder, Program Director of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national...

Federal Salmon Recovery Plan Year 2: Costing hundreds of millions of dollars and doing little for salmon

Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement by Autumn Hanna, Senior Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national...

BPA Gets a Valentine Gift from Federal Taxpayers

Washington, D.C. - Despite opposition from leading taxpayer and environmental groups, Congress, last night, approved a $700 million...

Barge Traffic Continues Dropping on Mississippi and Illinois Rivers

Washington, DC - Barge traffic on the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway continues to decline, according to new Army Corps of...

Power Council Proposes to Further Weaken Salmon Recovery Efforts

Portland, OR - On the eve of a hearing on proposed changes to hydropower operations in the Columbia River basin, conservationists are...

Feds Spend $3.3 billion on Salmon Recovery

Washington, D.C. - Federal agencies have spent more than $3.3 billion on salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia River basin, according to...

TCS Statement on the House Resources Committee Markup on H.R. 2301

Washington, D.C. - Prepared Statement by Aileen Roder, Water Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House Resources Committee...

TCS Statement on the Smith-Feingold-McCain Corp Reform Bill

Washington, D.C. - Written Statement By Steve Ellis, Senior Director of Water Resources, Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the...

Long-Awaited Corps of Engineers Project Suspension List Released

Washington, D.C. (May 17, 2002) - An early copy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' much anticipated "project review list" was obtained by...

TCS Statement on Markup of H.R. 2301

Washington, D.C. - Prepared Statement by Aileen Roder, Water Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense for Water and Power Subcommittee...

Irrigation Provision in Farm Bill Could Sell Taxpayers Down the River

Washington, D.C. - At the last minute, a provision was added to the Farm Bill Conference Report authorizing a study of expanding new ways...

Taxpayer, Environmental Groups Applaud New Fishery Management Law; Offer Suggestions to Enhance Taxpayer, Environmental and Fisherman Protections

Washington, D.C. - The Magnuson-Stevens Act being taken up in subcommittee today is an excellent first step towards protecting fishermen...

TCS Statement on the Corps of Engineers Decision to Halt 150 Wasteful Project Pending New Economic Studies

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will be delaying 150 water projects pending further economic...

$85 Million Bridge Boondoggle Fleeces Taxpayers

Washington, D.C. - Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) is attempting the get the Bureau of Reclamation, a water supply agency, to build an $85...

TCS Statement on the release of the American Rivers Most Endangered Rivers Report

Washington, D.C. - Written Statement by Joe Theissen, Executive Director of Taxpayers for Common Sense for the April 2nd release of the...

Army Corps Decision Against Dam Removal Could Cost Taxpayers Billions and Drive Salmon to Extinction

Washington, D.C. - The US Army Corps of Engineers' decision not to remove the four dams on the Lower Snake River in eastern Washington...

10 Billion Dollar California Water Bill to be Debated Today

 Washington, DC - A $10 billion bill to fund California water projects will launch a new era of wasteful water projects at the expense of...

Western Water Enhancement Security Act

Last month Representative Calvert (R-CA), Chairman of the Water and Power Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced...

Statement on defeat of the Auburn Dam for the fifth time in a decade

Last night Congress struck down the $2.5 Auburn Dam project for the fifth time in a decade through a major bi-partisan effort. The Auburn...

Army Corps of Engineers Reform and Community Relations Improvement Act of 2001

Taxpayers for Common Sense would like to applaud Congressman Tancredo for his leadership and defense of taxpayers in introducing this bill...

Alternative Presented for Grand Prairie Irrigation

(Washington) - A coalition of Chambers of Commerce, conservationists, sportsmen, and farmers today unveiled a $144 million plan to meet the...

Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Introduces Bill to Revamp Army Corps of Engineers

Washington, D.C. - Legislation introduced today in Congress would revamp the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and...

Joint CVP Letter to Sec Babbitt January 9 2001

The Honorable Bruce Babbitt Secretary of Interior 1849 C Street, NW Suite 6151 Washington, DC 20240 Dear Mr. Babbitt: This letter...

Anti-Salmon Rider Passes ﾖ Taxpayers Potentially Liable for Billions

Washington, DC - A legislative rider that would perpetuate salmon extinction and cost taxpayers billions was included in the Interior...

Conservation, Taxpayer Groups Offer 90-day Prescription to Reform Scandal-Plagued Corps of Engineers

  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Conservation and taxpayer advocacy groups have called upon President Clinton and Congress to make significant changes...

Army Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2000 Introduced in the House

(Washington, DC)-Environmental and taxpayer groups today praised Representatives Ron Kind (D- WI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Earl Blumenauer...

Congressional Testimony by Jill Lancelot, TCS Senior Advisor on June 7, 2000, before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee

  Taxpayers for Common Sense testified to the Congress regarding the Animas-La Plata (ALP) project in 2000. Since its founding in 1995, TCS...

Troubled Waters

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is wasting billions of dollars on environmentally harmful projects, charges a new report by Taxpayers...

Troubled Waters: Congress, the Corps of Engineers, and Wasteful Water Projects

At the beginning of the 21st Century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the nation's chief water resources agency, finds itself adrift in...

Actors Adam West and Mariel Hemingway, Endorse Retirement of Four Lower Snake River Dams

Washington, D.C. - Actors Adam West and Mariel Hemingway joined today with over 800 organizations and prominent individuals in endorsing...

300 Groups Endorse Retirement of the Four Dams on

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 12, 1999) - Over 300 national and grassroots organizations from across America today endorsed the retirement of...

07 Members of Congress Urge President to Consider Snake River Salmon Recovery Options

WASHINGTON, D.C.— One hundred and seven members of Congress today called upon President Clinton for "prompt" consideration of all options...

Water Pork Bill Floats Through Senate

Washington DC- A national taxpayer organization today called for key reforms to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bill expected...

HOLD FOR TRANSPO REPORT

HOLD FOR TRANSPO REPORT

Superfund - The Clark Fork River Basin

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and liability act of 1980, also known as the Superfund, gives the federal...

Charles Taylor: Jackson County Properties

Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) owns several pieces of property in Jackson County, NC, including at least two that are very close to Highway 19,...

Engineering Boondoggles

While Washington is wringing its hands about the automatic across-the-board budget cuts known as...