Oppose Ag-Only Farm Bill: Spends More Than Senate Bill; Changes Make Subsidies Permanent
July 11, 2013
Today, TCS sent a letter urging the House to reject a new trillion dollar farm bill and instead enact a short-term extension....
It’s been a busy summer!
So far, we’ve been instrumental in exposing corporate subsidies in the farm bill. We gained ground in our...
The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) recently released its midterm financial report and in addition to troubling financials,...
The Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure met Wednesday, July 31 to discuss the...
Early last year, the President signed the “FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,” authorizing spending for the Federal Aviation...
As midyear profit results are released this week, the oil and gas industry is asserting itself once more as one of the most lucrative and...
Support McClintock amendment to cut Essential Air Service funding....
Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, released the following statement on the House's passage of an agriculture-only farm bill....
Today, TCS urged the House to vote no on an agriculture-only farm bill that would spend more than the Senate-passed bill. ...
Members of the Green Scissors Campaign sent a letter to Congress today urging cuts to wasteful fossil fuel subsidies....
Fresh on the heels of losing a farm bill vote on the Floor because the rushed bill did not cut spending enough, House leadership is...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to Congress today urging support to trim funding for the B61 bomb....
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined several groups today in urging Congress to eliminate wasteful subsidies for the United States Enrichment Corporation....
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced last week it would offer an expanded, second solicitation for advanced fossil energy loan...
TCS published a press release today on another deadline passed by DOE to reach an agreement on loan guarantee terms for Southern Company's Plant Vogtle...
Medicine Bow Fuel and Power LLC—subsidiary of DKRW Advanced Fuels LLC—has filed updated construction and development plans with the state...
The rhetoric from defenders of Washington’s heavy-handed role in agriculture reached a peak during recent House debate on a nearly $1...
Many farm bill apologists attacked basic means testing as a “poison pill” for the farm bill.
House Agriculture Committee leaders Frank...
"And if you look at how [crop insurance] has worked in the 7 years prior to the onset of the drought of 2011, basically the Federal...
Below is a statement by Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House's rejection of the 2013 farm bill. ...
Today, TCS sent a letter urging the House to support common sense amendments to rein in the trillion dollar farm bill. ...
Today, TCS joined other fiscal conservative organizations expressing outrage at the farm bill process. ...
Today, TCS urged the House Rules Committee to allow a full and open debate on the farm bill....
Today, TCS sent a letter to the House opposing the trillion dollar farm bill, HR 1947....
Yesterday was yet another low for Congress. The Senate passed a Farm Bill without any real effort to trim the bloat and waste. ...
Statement of Ms. Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on passage of the 2013 Senate farm bill. ...
Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements held a hearing...
The Farm Bill IS NOT a Deficit Reduction Bill
The last two farm bills cost $400 billion more than predicted
Most of this...
Sen. Landrieu (D-LA) has offered an amendment to the farm bill that would delay National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reforms adopted last summer. ...
Federally subsidized crop insurance is on pace to cost at least $27 billion – 57 percent – more than was promised in the last farm bill...
The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) announced Friday it will shut down its Paducah gaseous diffusion plant, a Cold War-era...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the Senate, urging support for common sense reforms to the 2013 farm bill....
The most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s $955 billion farm bill continues to show...
As we expected, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees went to great lengths this week to save as little money as possible in their...
Today, TCS joined 11 other fiscal conservative groups in supporting the Bipartisan Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act....
Today, TCS joined 10 other fiscally conservative groups highlighting a dozen wasteful farm policy programs. ...
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and related Agencies held a hearing today to discuss the FY2014...
A recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) questions whether or not the nearly decade long, $1.65 billion FutureGen...
The House Ways and Means Committee created eleven tax reform working groups to focus on select issues within the U.S. tax code as part of...
The Essential Air Service (EAS) is a federal subsidy program created in the 1970s as part of airline deregulation. Though the program was...
Last year's trillion-dollar farm bills would have saved billions less than proponents claimed....
Senate Democrats' plan to avoid sequestration cuts fails to save taxpayers enough money....
As annual financial reports come in, it’s clear the oil and gas industry is looking to continue its decade long trend of being one of the...
Defenders of agricultural subsidies at all costs are starting to feel the heat.
Yesterday, professors from Ohio State University,...
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced the approval of Phase II for the $1.65 billion experimental FutureGen 2.0 Project located in...
Oil and gas companies continue to boast substantial profits while reaping billions in taxpayer-backed subsidies. As of February 1st, four...
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed what taxpayers have feared for months. After tallying losses from last...
As we predicted, all the hype about the “dairy cliff” hitting consumers with sky-high milk prices was nothing but a hoax....
Don’t believe the hype. There is no milk cliff. Yes, after the new year, permanent farm law from 1949 (and 1938) will take effect, but...
The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing November 30th to discuss the development...
Last month, Representative Ralph Hall (R-TX) introduced a bill (H.R. 6603) to create $50 million in new taxpayer-funded handouts for oil shale speculation....
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a joint letter today urging Congress to reject a five-year farm bill as part of a deficit reduction package....
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that even after this year’s drought, farm profits are on pace to...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to Congress urging members to reject passing a nearly trillion-dollar farm bill in the lame duck session....
With fiscal cliff looming, TCS calls for end to government handouts for failed oil shale experiments....
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2012
CONTACTS:
Steve Ellis
202-546-8500...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to Speaker Boehner to oppose $1 trillion worth of bad agriculture policy....
July 18, 2012
Dear Representative:
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action, a...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined several groups in urging Congress to support H.R. 6098, "Crop Insurance Subsidy Reform...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined together with several groups today urging Congress to oppose the House of Representative's Draft Farm...
Left-Right coalition identifies practical steps Congress could take to slash deficits, save natural resources....
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2012
CONTACT:
Joshua Sewell
202-546-8500
Statement of Ms. Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers...
The Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing last week on tax reform and its impacts on energy policy. Among the four witnesses from...
In yet another attempt to revive the struggling United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), the Department of Energy (DOE) has offered...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2012
CONTACT:
Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500 x126
The following is a statement by Ryan Alexander,...
Yesterday the House of Representatives cut $25 million in new funding for oil shale development. Instead of directing more subsidies at...
It appears that one of the top contenders for a loan guarantee under the Department of Energy program has decided to abandon original...
Thank you, Senator Sanders, for inviting me to join you today. Some of you might be wondering what Taxpayers for Common Sense is doing at...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2012
CONTACTS:
Steve Ellis, Vice President, Taxpayers...
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) today introduced legislation that is important in efforts to focus federal...
The following is a statement by Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on S. 1813, "Moving Ahead for Progress in the...
Today the Senate defeated an amendment offered by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Burr (R-NC) that would have provided billions in lucrative...
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action joined an ideologically diverse coalition in a letter to the Senate urging them to oppose Amendment...
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development met Wednesday to discuss the FY2013 Office of Nuclear Energy budget...
Despite a billion dollar taxpayer investment and years of commitment by the Department of Energy (DOE), in a United States Energy...
It appears the oil and gas industry is looking to continue its decade long trend of record profits. As of February 2nd, Chevron, Exxon...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined several groups today to call on Congress to oppose the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans...
Oil subsidies must go, but we can’t stop there; Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program will continue to fail; increased...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joins several groups in marking the expiration of the largest subsidy to the ethanol industry, something TCS...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS:
December 19, 2011 Kristina Rasmussen
(217)...
The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, or VEETC, the largest subsidy to the ethanol industry, is set to expire on December 31st. Last...
Taxpayers for Common Sense worked with Congressional allies to get 73 Representatives to sign a letter last week asking Speaker of the...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a coalition on a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, asking them to not...
Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) sent a letter this week to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction...
October 20, 2011
CONTACT:
Mike Surrusco: michael@taxpayer.net
(202) 546-8500...
UPDATE:
In 2011, Taxpayers for Common Sense celebrated a major policy win. Congress let the wasteful ethanol tax credit (VEETC) expire...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined with other groups urging Congress to save taxpayers from footing the bill for billions in risky loans by not creating the Clean Energy Deployment Administration....
Today, Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) struck a deal with Sens. Klobuchar (D-MN) and Thune (R-SD) to eliminate the ethanol tax credit (and tariff)....
Today, a diverse coalition of groups including Taxpayers for Common Sense released a letter to Representatives Herger (R-CA) and Crowley (D-NY), expressing strong support for their bill, the Ethanol Subsidy Repeal Act, which would end more than 30 years of tax credits to the ethanol industry. The Act would save taxpayers several billion dollars this year alone, with no impact to the ethanol industry....
WASHINGTON, DC – June 16, 2011 – A broad and diverse coalition that includes business associations, taxpayer advocates, hunger and...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a broad and diverse coalition supporting Senators Coburn (R-OK), Feinstein (D-CA), and McCain (R-AZ) and their amendments this week which will end the $6 billion annual, taxpayer-funded subsidies for conventional ethanol which go to Big Oil when they blend ethanol with gasoline. ...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense released a comprehensive report on the largest subsidy to corn ethanol, the Volumetric Ethanol Excise...
The Blue Dog Research Forum's "Point and Counterpoint" Edition asked the question: Should We End Tax Benefits to the Oil and Gas...
Taxpayers for Common Sense and a coalition of groups sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee calling for them to oppose the Clean Energy Deployment Administration....
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined 16 other taxpayer and conservative groups on an open letter to Congress urging them to oppose yet another new energy subsidy. ...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) released “Subsidy Gusher: Taxpayers Stuck with Massive Subsidies while Oil and...
Democrats target big oil: Experts debate
In an effort to create revenue and decrease the deficit, Democrats are pushing to end tax...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives calling for Congress to oppose H.R. 1380, the New Alternative Transportation to Give American Solutions or NAT GAS Act....
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a broad and diverse coalition applauding Senators Coburn (R-OK) and Feinstein (D-CA) for combining their efforts to end billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded subsidies for conventional ethanol by introducing the bipartisan “Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act.”...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, regarding his recent comments that oil companies "ought to be paying their fair share."...
The House Appropriations Committee released the final Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the federal government for the rest of the 2011...
Taxpayers for Common Sense along with a coalition of nearly 30 groups sent a letter to Congress calling for an end to energy...
Taxpayers for Common Sense alongside a broad and diverse coalition of groups sent a letter supporting the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax...
On March 3, 2011 Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander testified at a House Committee on Oversight and Government reform...
Taxpayers for Common Sense along with 90 other organizations and associations delivered a letter to Congressional leaders on Tuesday...
The House of Representatives is debating a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year 2011 (through...
We all know that lawmakers are allowed the occasional stretching of the truth, but at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources...
Taxpayers for Common Sense, together with a diverse coalition of 58 groups, sent a letter to congressional leaders today urging them to...
US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday urged members of Congress to reinstate the biodiesel tax credit and extend...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense alongside environmental groups and business associations hosted a conference call with members of the...
The key word here is simply. Congress can pass and should pass what is referred to as a “clean” CR, where nothing changes from last...
Today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the plan to build “FutureGen” a massive commercial “clean coal” facility in Mattoon,...
The House Committee on Agriculture is currently holding a series of hearings reveiwing our country's agriculture policy in order to lay...
On July 22, the Senate Committee on Appropriations passed the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The $34.97 billion bill...
On June 30, 2010, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the End Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act to cut a number of subsidies for big...
Today the House Committee on Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee was scheduled to hold the first mark-up on a Fiscal Year...
Today, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) filed an amendment, 4318, to so-called tax extenders legislation that would repeal $35 billion...
“And our efforts will not come at any cost to the taxpayers.” – BP advertisement, New York Times, June 2, 2010
BP’s assurance that...
On March 17th, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development donned green ties for St. Patrick’s Day and met to...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense joined together with representatives from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, American Meat...
In early March, the Senate Energy Natural Resources (ENR) Committee met to hear testimony from Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary...
Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program to provide loan guarantees...
The President’s proposed FY2011 Department of Agriculture (USDA) budget is $25.8 billion, slightly reduced from the FY2010 level of $26.9...
Similar to last year’s budget request, the Fiscal year 2011 budget request eliminates several longstanding oil and gas subsidies. TCS is...
Written Statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense:
Last night in his State of the Union address,...
Today the Department of Energy (DOE) released their amended final rule governing the Title XVII loan guarantee program. The program’s...
Taxpayers will likely lose at least $19 billion to oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico.
At the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh today, President Obama and the other G-20 leaders called for an international end to fossil fuel...
Oil and Gas companies have skirted millions of dollars in payments owed to the federal government for the extraction of natural gas from...
This morning, Interior Secretary Salazar announced that he will end the mismanaged and wasteful Minerals Management Service’s (MMS)...
This fall, Congress is poised to consider an energy financing entity that would allow for the distribution of extensive loan guarantees...
Taxpayers for Common Sense applauds Senators Feingold (D-WI), Cantwell (D-WA), and Feinstein (D- CA) for introducing the Elimination of...
Last month, the House Committee on Science and Technology held a hearing on nuclear fuel reprocessing. The hearing covered a range of...
Last Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held their mark-up of the fiscal year 2010 Energy and Water...
Bloomberg News reports today on some of the more egregious unintended consequences of the Economic Stabilization legislation (Bank...
June 23, 2009
Dear Senator,
For more than 137 years the law...
Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources completed work on the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA), passing...
Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee narrowly passed an amendment to repeal the outer continental shelf deep water and...
The GAO has just released a lengthy report on the questionable land exchange process. TCS has frequently pointed out how the process is...
On Wednesday, the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee heard testimony from Department of Energy Secretary...
The President’s budget highlights, released last week, took the ax to major subsidies to the oil and gas industry. Through the...
Both the House and Senate included increase for clean coal technologies in their stimulus bills. The House provided $2.4 billion for...
As part of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) work on offshore tax havens, their most recent report – released today – really...
A new report today released by the RAND Corporation addresses the costs, benefits and risks associated with commercial development of...
Statement by Jill Lancelot, Co-founder/Senior Advisor, regarding Colorado public awareness effort on energy.
Statement by Jill...
Little noticed beneficiaries of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, commonly known as the $810 billion bailout bill, are...
Update:
The House has just passed the final version of the 2008 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, without making any changes to the...
Today the House passed a Continuing Resolution and a minibus that included the final FY09 Defense spending bill, which had 6 earmarks for...
Government officials responsible for the collection of billions of dollars of oil royalties to the federal treasury accepted gifts from...
The FY09 House Energy and Water Bill specifically denies funds for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), a large-scale DOE...
TCS joined other groups in a letter to President George W. Bush on suspension of the ethanol tariff. ...
TCS fights to keep unnecessary subsidies, loopholes and tax breaks out of America's energy policy
For more than a decade, TCS has led...
Letter to Congress: Oppose Farm Bill Conference Report
May 13, 2008
Dear...
May 7, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,...
Washington, D.C. – Today Senators Feingold (D-WI), Sununu (R-NH), Cantwell (D-WA), and Gregg (R-NH) led a bi-partisan push for the...
February 28, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave...
Below is a February 2008 letter to House Speaker and Minority Leader, and Agriculture Committee chairman and ranking member. The letter,...
February 6, 2008
The administration’s 2009 budget for the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program requests $38.5 billion in loan guarantee...
Dear Representative,
On behalf of our combined memberships, we urge you to...
Dear Senator,
We urge you to oppose the inclusion of language in the...
End a 135 Year Old Taxpayer Giveaway
Support the Reform of the General Mining Law of 1872
Vote “YES” on H.R. 2262
Dear...
Dear Senator:
We are writing to urge you to vote for the Wyden-Sununu Amendment to the...
Dear Natural Resources Committee Member:
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you...
May 14, 2007
Dear Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Goodlatte:
During reauthorization of the...
February 8, 2007
Dear Member of Congress:
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action, a...
The U.S. Senate
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C....
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the Green Scissors campaign, a coalition...
June 5, 2006
Dear Speaker Hastert and Leader Pelosi:
Earlier this month several Members of...
May 26, 2006
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we urge you to...
May 23, 2006
Dear Representative:
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to support...
Oppose Farm Bill Extension in Budget Reconciliation
December 14,...
The following is a written statement by Jill Lancelot, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the President signing the energy...
Dear Energy Bill Conferee,
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action, a...
Dear Representative:
We urge you to support the Sanders-Rohrabacher-Tim...
Dear Senator,
We urge you to oppose the amendment by Senators Pete...
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our members, the undersigned groups urge you to...
The following is a written statement by Jill Lancelot, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on final passage of H.R. #6 – The Energy...
The following is a prepared statement by Keith Ashdown, Vice-President of Policy at Taxpayers for Common Sense on H.R. #6:
Washington,...
April 18, 2005
Dear Representative,
We urge you to support the...
April 11, 2005
Dear Representative,
We urge you to support the Doggett amendment to the...
July 20, 2004
The Honorable Jeff Flake
United States House of Representatives
424 Cannon House...
Washington, D.C. - The following is a written statement by Jill Lancelot, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the energy bill...
The following is a written statement by Jill Lancelot, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national budget watchdog on efforts to...
The following is a written statement by Aileen Roder, Program Director at Taxpayers for Common Sense on introduction of legislation to...
For Immediate Release
August 1, 2003
A Costly Deal on the Energy...
Washington, D.C. -- The House of Representatives today passed a new energy bill loaded with billions of special interest provisions and...
The following is a written statement by Autumn Hanna, Senior Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national budget watchdog...
Statement by Jill Lancelot, Legislative Director at Taxpayers for Common Sense for the May 7th
Washington, D.C. - The Senate decision today to approve the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) that will increase the use of ethanol to 5...
In the first single state effort of the national Green Scissors Campaign, TCS and the Michigan Land Use Institute released the Green...
Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All
Volume XVIII No. 37
Possible action in Syria has become the most recent excuse du jour for Pentagon boosters...
July 11, 2013