Policy Brief

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Taxpayers Lose with More Unnecessary Farm Subsidy Layers

July 26, 2012 | Policy Brief | Agriculture

Taxpayers Lose with More  Unnecessary Farm Subsidy Layers Federal farm programs are ripe for reform, especially those that lock in record high prices and guarantee farmers’ expected income. As... Read More

Turning a Drought into a Fiscal Disaster

July 24, 2012 | Policy Brief | Agriculture

Turning a Drought into a Fiscal Disaster Politicians on both sides of the aisle are trying to take advantage of the drought crisis to foist a trillion-dollar farm bill on... Read More

House Farm Bill Draft Analysis: Squanders Savings, Recycles Wasteful Ideas, and Creates New Subsidy Entitlement Programs

July 05, 2012 | Policy Brief | Agriculture

House Farm Bill Draft Analysis: Squanders Savings, Recycles Wasteful  Ideas, and Creates New Subsidy Entitlement Programs Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee released its 2012 Farm Bill draft which eliminates some wasteful commodity programs but... Read More

Senate’s New Way to Lock in Unlimited Farm Subsidies

July 04, 2012 | Policy Brief | Agriculture

On June 21, the Senate passed a few long-awaited reforms to the farm subsidy maze. Unfortunately, at the same time, they also increased... Read More

Congress Relies on Billions from Treasury in Transportation Reauthorization

June 27, 2012 | Policy Brief | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Senate Ag Committee: More is Less

June 17, 2012 | Policy Brief | Agriculture

(Originally published June 8, 2012) With debate on the 2012 Farm Bill underway on the Senate Floor, proponents of this nearly trillion... Read More

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

June 14, 2012 | Policy Brief | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

House to seek another extension for transportation program

March 22, 2012 | Policy Brief | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

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

February 08, 2012 | Policy Brief | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

The Nation’s Transportation Trust Funds

January 19, 2012 | Policy Brief | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All

September 13, 2013

Syria: Excuse 535 To Not Cut the Deficit

Volume XVIII No. 37 Possible action in Syria has become the most recent excuse du jour for Pentagon boosters... Read More