What's Happening in Earmarks & Appropriations

A Transportation Earmark is Still an Earmark

Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) told a local newspaper this week that she supports a ban on earmarks – but then turned around and said that...

TCS & Earmark Reforms Mentioned by Sen. James Inhofe on Senate Floor

Yesterday, while speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) highlighted the earmark reforms that TCS developed with other...

TCS VP Steve Ellis discusses The Future of Earmark Transparency on Capitol Hill

Yesterday, the Advisory Committee on Transparency hosted “the Future of Earmark Transparency” on Capitol Hill. The Advisory Committee...

Reforms Proposed by National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Co-Chairs Unveiled Today

The Co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform gave their proposals to fellow Commission members today....

Press Briefing: Nonpartisan Coalition of Lobbyists and Advocates to Announce Commonsense Earmark Reform Principles

  On Tuesday, September 28th, 2010, a diverse coalition of good government groups, and Washington lobbyists from both sides of the...

Earmark Lobbyist Pleads Guilty; Lobby Shop’s Earmarks Detailed

September 24, 2010 (Update) Former high-powered PMA lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti has pleaded guilty to an illegal contribution scheme in...

FutureGen: Massive Clean Coal Project Changes Track, Still Securing $1 Billion Earmarked in the Stimulus

Today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the plan to build “FutureGen” a massive commercial “clean coal” facility in Mattoon,...

Senate Takes a Step Toward Earmark Transparency

By an 11-5 vote today the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee passed  S.3335, the Earmark Transparency Act of 2010....

Letter to Chairman Oberstar: TCS Supports Efforts to Rescind Unused Transportation Earmarks

Chairman James Oberstar House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 2165 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC...

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Passes Energy & Water Bill—Includes $17 BILLION in Risky Loan Guarantees

 On July 20, the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee approved a whopping $17 billion in new loan guarantees...

Engineering Boondoggles

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