Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending.

Budgeting on Reality

September 29, 2011 | Budget & Tax

As millions of Americans do every year, Congress should jot down some New Year’s resolutions. But instead of waiting until January, these... Read More

Guaranteed Loss

September 21, 2011 | Energy

You may have heard about Solyndra. The first casualty, but certainly not the last, for the embattled Department of Energy (DOE) Loan... Read More

Matrix Budget Scoring

September 15, 2011 | Budget & Tax

In The Matrix, Morpheus could have been describing the government’s budgeting rules: “some of them can be bent, others can be broken.”... Read More

W(h)ither Appropriations

September 08, 2011 | Budget & Tax

Lawmakers of all political stripes are fond of reminding everyone in earshot that the Constitution gives them the power of the purse.... Read More

Disasters in the Budget

September 01, 2011 | Budget & Tax

As the Northeast dries out from Hurricane Irene, it is sobering to think that this likely multi-billion dollar storm that rode the east... Read More

Run with the Scissors

It’s past time to get out the scissors. This week the latest deficit projections emerged, forecasting a $1.3 trillion federal deficit... Read More

A Helping Hand

Incapable of producing a grand compromise to rein in our burgeoning debt, Congress has punted that responsibility to a bi-partisan "Super... Read More

Failure Is Not an Option

August 11, 2011 | Budget & Tax

Others have already pointed out the obvious: the newly appointed ‘Super Committee’ is nowhere close to the first committee or commission... Read More

Mailing It In

August 03, 2011 | Budget & Tax

It’s down to the wire. Weeks of debate, marathon meetings at the White House, and hundreds of press conferences have all led to this. The... Read More

Just Do It

July 28, 2011 | Budget & Tax

The competing debt ceiling plans from House and Senate leaders have several things in common. Obviously increasing the debt limit, but... Read More

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