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Top 10 Fiscal Cliff Tax Fails

January 02, 2013 | Budget & Tax

Washington’s last minute deal to avert the fiscal cliff saw the return of many never-ending “temporary” tax breaks. While the bulk of the... Read More

President Ms. Ryan Alexander Sliding Past Sequestration Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2012 CONTACTS: Steve Ellis 202-546-8500 x126 or steve@taxpayer.net Taxpayers for Common Sense... Read More

Counting on Speculative Oil and Gas Revenues to Fund our Transportation Needs is Fiscally Reckless

Counting on Speculative Oil and Gas Revenues to Fund our Transportation Needs is Fiscally Reckless Today the House Natural Resources Committee considered the energy portions of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (the... Read More

A Legacy for Earmarks (updated 11/14/2011)

November 14, 2011 |

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today passed its version of a transportation reauthorization bill, to replace the... Read More

TCS Releases Report on Largest Ethanol Subsidy

June 08, 2011 | Budget & Tax , Energy

Today Taxpayers for Common Sense released a comprehensive report on the largest subsidy to corn ethanol, the Volumetric Ethanol Excise... Read More

TCS VP Steve Ellis on CNN discussing ways in which Congress is “Bypassing the Earmark Ban”

June 03, 2011 |

Members of Congress promised an end to earmarks, but guess what? They found another way to spend your money. In this Memorial Day... Read More

TCS VP Steve Ellis Op-Ed: Earmarks are dead. Long live earmarks (CNN)

April 06, 2011 | Earmarks & Appropriations

By Steve Ellis, CNNMoney guest columnist April 7, 2011: 11:31 AM ET Earmark reform: The end-arounds have begun -- Steve Ellis is Vice... Read More

TCS Testifies at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

March 03, 2011 | Agriculture , Budget & Tax , Energy

On March 3, 2011 Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander testified at a House Committee on Oversight and Government reform... Read More

Ongoing Analysis of Debate Over FY11 Continuing Resolution

February 16, 2011 | Budget & Tax , Energy , National Security

The House of Representatives is debating a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year 2011 (through... Read More

Senate Appropriations Committee Announces Earmark Moratorium

February 01, 2011 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Today, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) announced a two year moratorium on earmarks. The call comes after... Read More

TCS VP Steve Ellis on NPR: How To Get Around The Ban On Earmarks

December 28, 2010 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense VP Steve Ellis spoke with NPR regarding ways to get around the earmark ban. You can listen to the NPR... Read More

TCS VP Steve Ellis on MSNBC’s The Last Word discussing the Earmark Moratorium

December 23, 2010 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Steve Ellis appeared on MSNBC's "The Last Word" program to discuss the earmark moratorium with Lawrence O'Donnell and Congressman Tim... Read More

TCS mentioned by media outlets after TCS found 6,700 earmarks worth $8.3 billion in the Omnibus bill

December 20, 2010 |

Senate Democrats unveiled a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill yesterday.  The bill is over 1,900 pages in length.  Taxpayers for Common... Read More

Sen. McCain mentions TCS work on the Earmarks Request Database on the Senate Floor

December 14, 2010 |

Dec. 14, 2010 Taxpayers for Common Sense was mentioned by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) on the Senate floor today about our work on the... Read More

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... Read More

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

November 16, 2010 | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

November 15, 2010 | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Good Government Groups & Lobbyists Hold a Briefing on The Future of Earmarks

October 20, 2010 |

Yesterday, Taxpayers for Common Sense Vice President Steve Ellis held a briefing alongside Melanie Sloan, Executive Director, Citizens... Read More

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

September 29, 2010 |

 Date: Monday, September 27, 2010 CAGW Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334 lpaige@cagw.org TCS: Steve Ellis 202-546-8500... Read More

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... Read More

UPDATE: Senate adds $2.6 billion in earmarks to defense spending bill

September 15, 2010 | National Security

(September 16)  In passing its edition of the FY2011 defense spending bill today, the Senate Appropriations Committee didn’t add much to... Read More

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.... Read More

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... Read More

Alaska Adopts Sensible Policy on Transportation Earmarks

Earlier this week, our attention was pointed to a new earmark policy released by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public... Read More

Still Fortifying Against Barge Company Bailouts

The IWTF was created to pay for construction and maintenance on much of the nation’s most used waterways. Funded by a tax on fuel used... Read More

Bipartisan Support for Earmark Database Bill Continues

(June 2)  Fully one-fifth of Senators have now joined efforts to show American taxpayers the true priorities of Congress. ... Read More

TCS Action Letter: Energy Tax Bill Should End Coal Liquids, Oil and Gas Tax Breaks and Not Extend the VEETC

May 10, 2010 | Energy

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means urging members to protect taxpayers' interests in drafting energy tax and green jobs legislation.... Read More

TCS Action Letter: Energy and Climate Legislation: More Transparency and Accountability,  Not More Giveaways

May 06, 2010 | Energy

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action released a letter to the Senate urging support for a transparent energy and climate bill that reduces subsidies to well-established, highly profitable companies, and that holds industry accountable for meeting our clean energy needs.... Read More

House Republicans Adopt One-Year Earmark Moratorium

It’s been quite a whirlwind the last couple days. On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) announced a... Read More

House Spending Committee Continues Down Path of Earmark Reform

The House Appropriations Committee took a positive step today on the long journey toward earmark reform. Chairman David Obey (D-WI)... Read More

Ethics Committee Ignores Earmark Problems

February 26, 2010 | Earmarks & Appropriations

The House Ethics Committee today closed their investigation into ties between campaign donation to seven lawmakers and earmarks to the... Read More

TCS Earmark Analysis and Proposal for Reform

December 11, 2009 |

The traditional partisan earmark split was maintained. Of earmarks requested by only Republicans or only Democrats, the old 60/40... Read More

Watchdogs to Defense Secretary Gates: Tell Congress Earmarks Cannot be Tolerated

Government watchdogs yesterday sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates urging him to make it unmistakably clear to Congress... Read More

Senators Deliver Earmark Cash for Campaign Contributors

Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) has cross-referenced earmarks sought and obtained by Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee members... Read More

Inouye, Cochran Benefit from Earmark Recipients

Taxpayers for Common Sense has mapped the connections between earmarks and campaign contributions for the chairman and ranking member of... Read More

Watchdogs Release Database Detailing Earmarks and Campaign Contributions

August 12, 2009 | Earmarks & Appropriations

                                                                          For immediate... Read More

House Defense Appropriators Rake in Earmarks for Campaign Contributors

Taxpayers for Common Sense analyzed the FY2010 Defense Appropriations spending bill that recently passed the House Appropriations... Read More

House Defense Appropriations Committee Members Rake in Nearly $1 million from Potential Earmark Beneficiaries

A Taxpayers for Common Sense analysis found that the House lawmakers who write the annual defense spending bill asked for billions of... Read More

House Commerce, Justice, Science Earmarks

The House Appropriatations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) released the list of earmarks from its... Read More

Fight Over Weapons Cuts is About to Get Ugly

April 08, 2009 | National Security

At Monday’s unveiling of major weapons cuts in the 2010 defense budget, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped members of Congress... Read More

Recommendations to the President for Earmark Reform

At Taxpayers for Common Sense, we believe that all funding decisions must be made on the basis of merit, federal priorities and national... Read More

Letter to the President: Pledge to Keep the Stimulus Earmark Free

February 23, 2009 | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President, On behalf of the millions of members of our respective... Read More

GAO and Bailout banks

January 16, 2009 | Budget & Tax

As part of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) work on offshore tax havens, their most recent report – released today – really... Read More

Earmark Reform Bill Introduced in the Senate

January 08, 2009 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Taxpayers for Common Sense applauds Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) for... Read More

Stimulus Not Needed for Department of Defense

January 06, 2009 | National Security

Of all the industries in line for a handout in this financially frightening time, the defense industry would seem to bring up the rear.... Read More

Congressman Gets Earmark for His Church

January 06, 2009 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL) appears to have taken the saying “taking care of your flock” to another level. Rush, who is also an... Read More

House, Senate Appropriators Offer Further Earmark Reforms

January 06, 2009 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Today, the House and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman announced new earmark reforms for FY10 spending bills. The new reforms:... Read More

Auto Bailout Draft Legislation

December 08, 2008 | Budget & Tax

TCS has obtained a draft copy of the auto bailout legislation. Read the text here. We just got it and are looking through it, but... Read More

President Approves $5 Billion in Defense Earmarks

October 13, 2008 | National Security

The President today signed the 2009 Defense Authorization bill. While the levels of earmarks are down significantly from previous years,... Read More

Senate Turns Against Earmark Reform

Tonight, the Senate passed the $612.5 billion Fiscal Year 2009 defense authorization bill. Virtually all the amendments to the... Read More

White House Targets Contract Reform

September 10, 2008 | National Security

The White House has targeted several contracting reform initiatives in the Senate defense authorization bill as veto-worthy, though its... Read More

Wasilla, Alaska Benefited from Nearly $27 Million in Earmarks from 1996 to 2002

September 01, 2008 | Earmarks & Appropriations

As Mayor of Wasilla between 1996-2002, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) helped get nearly $27 million in earmarked federal funding. Under her... Read More

New Analysis: Lawmakers Cutting Their Earmark Calories

During this election year, lawmakers are showing slight restraint in writing the earmarks in the FY 2009 spending bills, according to an... Read More

Missile Defense Finds Funds in Milcon Earmarks

August 06, 2008 | National Security

This week we finished databasing earmarks in the Fiscal Year 2009 Senate bill that funds military construction and veterans’ affairs,... Read More

Stevens Obtained $3.2 billion in earmarks between 2004-2008

July 29, 2008 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Taxpayers for Common Sense has released the last four years of earmark data for Alaska to help create an understanding of how powerful... Read More

TCS, Allies and Taxpayers Find 76 Lawmakers Publish Earmark Requests

July 14, 2008 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Every year lawmakers submit tens of thousands of earmark requests to the Appropriations Committees. Only a percentage of these make it... Read More

Istook Sent Earmarks to Six Abramoff Clients

June 02, 2008 | Earmarks & Appropriations

A chief of staff for a former House Appropriations Committee Chairman pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to conspiring to defraud... Read More

DeMint Earmark Moratorium Amendment Fails

March 12, 2008 | Earmarks & Appropriations

So it finally happened at 10:30 tonight. The DeMint earmark moratorium amendment to the budget resolution came to a vote. When faced... Read More

More on Earmark Transparency

March 11, 2008 | Earmarks & Appropriations

We’re still waiting to see what Speaker Pelosi does; word has been that it will be today. Over in the Senate, it keeps getting more... Read More

TCS Requests Ethics Investigation of Coconut Road Earmark

September 26, 2007 | Earmarks & Appropriations

The Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Chairwoman The Honorable Doc Hastings, Ranking Member House Committee on Standards of Official... Read More

Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All

February 15, 2013

Engineering Boondoggles

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