Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending.

Flooding in the Treasury

Yet again we are reacquainted with flooding from the “Father of Waters,” or “Ol Man River,” – the mighty Mississippi. Just like 2008,... Read More

House Cleaning

Spring cleaning is underway in the House, and they’re not just tossing out earmarks. Some motivated lawmakers are wiping down the grimy... Read More

Taxes a la mode

April 28, 2011 | Budget & Tax , Energy

Adding insult to injury, taxpayers recently found out that BP was able to save $13 billion on their taxes by writing off their losses... Read More

Pouting Over Ports

We’ve all seen that unlucky parent dealing with the kid stomping and screaming in the checkout line demanding a sweet treat or precious... Read More

Analysis Paralysis

April 14, 2011 | Budget & Tax

It has been difficult watching Congress these past few weeks. For the amount of pain it caused, the budget bill that just passed might as... Read More

You Say You Want a Resolution

April 07, 2011 | Budget & Tax

The seeds of this springtime spending showdown were sown nearly a year ago when the 111th Congress failed to agree on a budget... Read More

Cropping Insurance

March 31, 2011 | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

While much of Washington is coming around to the fact we can leave no stone unturned when tackling our deficits, some old bulls are... Read More

Enforcing the No-Cost Zone

March 24, 2011 | National Security

Among the many voices loudly debating our bombing of Libya this week is one we haven’t heard in a while—the one saying “hey, how much... Read More

Subsidizing Risk

March 17, 2011 | Energy

This week, we have all watched the events following the tragic earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan... Read More

Unconventional Wisdom

March 11, 2011 | Budget & Tax

The polarized positions that have solidified around deficit reduction on the Hill and in the headlines have spawned a crop of polls... Read More

View All »