What's Happening in Increase Transparency

Big Oil, Big Profits: Industry Tops $120 Billion in 2012

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...

Government Report: Taxpayers Losing Billions in Unaccounted Minerals Extracted from Federal Lands

The federal government does not know the value of hardrock minerals being extracted from public lands, a new report by the Government...

Hall Bill to Create Millions in New Taxpayer Handouts for Oil Shale

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....

Report shows billions risked on oil shale speculation

With fiscal cliff looming, TCS calls for end to government handouts for failed oil shale experiments....

Preserve NNSA Cost Controls in Defense Authorization Bill

Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees today asking members to protect cost-controlling language for nuclear weapons in the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). ...

House Scuttles Debate on Amendment to Truly Stop Next Solyndra

The House Committee on Rules decided yesterday to sideline an amendment offered by Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA) to stop all new...

Statement: TCS President on Passage of No More Solyndras Act

Today House lawmakers passed the fatally flawed "No More Solyndras Act" enabling tens of billions of dollars in high-risk, costly loan guarantees to move forward. Instead of fulfilling its promise, this misleadingly named bill will...

More Solyndras Act Passes Committee

Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the so-called “No More Solyndras Act.” While the bill includes some taxpayer...

Letter to Congress: No More Solyndras Act Fails to Fully Protect Taxpayers

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined several groups today urging Congress to support changes to the 'No More Solyndras Act' in order to...

“No More Solyndras Act” Moves Forward

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power voted 14-6 Wednesday to send the “No More Solyndras Act” to the full...

No More Solyndras Act Falls Short for Taxpayers

The House Subcommittee on Energy and Power and the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a joint hearing today to...

Congress Votes to Keep Same Program That Brought You Solyndra Alive

Last week the House of Representatives passed the Energy and Water spending bill that provides funding for the Department of Energy's...

BETA - New TCS Digital Infrastructure

Our new website and digital toolkit is live in BETA testing....

Stop the Next Solyndra: Put the Brakes on Troubled Loan Guarantee Program

Reps. Kucinich (D-OH) and McClintock (R-CA) have offered an amendment to stop new loan guarantees from the Department of Energy (DOE)...

Defense Authorization Antics Begin

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the largest policy bill directing the nation’s annual spending, accounting for some $650...

TCS Statement on Sanders-Ellison Bill Eliminating Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Statement of Ryan Alexander, President, Taxpayers for Common Sense on the introduction of the Sanders-Ellison bill to eliminate...

GSA Inspector General Blasts Lavish Conference Spending

The media has been awash with reports on the more than $800,000 Las Vegas, NV conference the Western Regions of the General Services...

Problems with DOE Loan Guarantee Program Continue

Last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report in a series of on-going analyses criticizing the Department of...

TCS Analysis of the FY13 Presidential Budget Request

Last Updated: February 19, 2012 The FY2013 Presidential Budget Request was released this morning (2/13/2012). TCS staff will be posting...

White House Loan Guarantee Review

Today the White House released a 60 day review of the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program. The review, conducted by former...

New Nuclear Reactors Must Move Forward Without Passing Risk to Taxpayers

For the first time in decades, a new nuclear reactor is getting its federal license to build and operate in the United States. Today, the...

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...

Coalition Demands Deficit Plans be Public

Taxpayers for Common Sense and a coalition of groups sent a letter to the President, Speaker Boehner, and Majority Leader Reid today...

House Subcommittee Discusses Loan Guarantees

The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight met as part of an ongoing series of hearings...

Loan Guarantee Program Up for Review

The Department of Energy (DOE) Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program is coming up for some much needed scrutiny after two companies funded...

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

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

Uranium Loan Guarantee Is A Bad Bet

Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantees are and should be under the magnifying glass. On August 31, 2011, the first company to receive...

Solyndra Probe Continues

Today the House continued its investigation of the failed Department of Energy loan guarantee to the solar start-up Solyndra. Today...

Clock Ticking Only On Some of the Risky DOE Loan Guarantees

Today, a portion of the Dept. of Energy Loan Guarantee Program will expire. While that’s good news for taxpayers the trouble is far from...

Coalition Letter to Support Transparency in Super Committee

A coalition of watchdog groups, along with Taxpayers for Common Sense, sent a letter to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the...

Regulatory Comments for Office of Natural Resources Revenue Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Oil and Gas Valuation

Taxpayers for Common Sense submitted comments to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue concerning Federal Oil and Gas Valuation....

TCS National Security Spending Update: Spending Big on Services

The Senate Armed Services Committee released the report for the FY2012 National Defense Authorization Act on Friday, and though it will...

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

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

Updates & Budgetary Gimmicks in the Final Continuing Resolution Unveiled by House Appropriations

The House Appropriations Committee released the final Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the federal government for the rest of the 2011...

House Subcommittee Hearing on DOE Loan Guarantees

Taxpayers for Common Sense has been critical of the Loan Guarantee Program since its inception in 2005 and we are pleased that Congress...

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

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

Energy Loan Guarantee Program Under More Scrutiny

Energy Loan Guarantee Program Under More Scrutiny The Department of Energy Inspector General recently released a report faulting DOE...

TCS Testifies at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

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

Ongoing Analysis of Debate Over FY11 Continuing Resolution

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

CR Misses the Mark on Loan Guarantees

The House Continuing Appropriations Bill (CR) offers ample fodder for the chopping block. Unfortunately, House Republicans released a...

A Taxpayer Victory!  Thank You!

With the Senate's begrudging acceptance of an earmark moratorium, taxpayers just achieved a well-earned victory on the road to fiscal...

Senate Appropriations Committee Announces Earmark Moratorium

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Congressional Briefing on Department of Energy Loan Guarantees

(Update 9/30/2010) Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense participated in a discussion on whether taxpayers should bear the risks for the...

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...

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

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

TCS VP Steve Ellis debates American League of Lobbyists’ President Dave Wenhold on CNBC

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense Vice President Steve Ellis debated American League of Lobbyists President Dave Wenhold on the record...

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

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

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...

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

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

Tribute to Beth Daley: A Friendly Watchdog

Taxpayers for Common Sense mourns the passing of our friend and colleague Beth Daley, a fierce and dedicated advocate at the Project on...

TCS Statement on SACE FOIA lawsuit against DOE Loan Guarantee Program

  Statement by Steve Ellis, Vice President, Taxpayers for Common Sense at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Tele-Press Conference...

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...

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...

Abandoned Gulf Wells Could Cost Taxpayers

An AP investigation released yesterday found that in the gulf region alone, there are approximately 27,000 abandoned wells lying...

$36 Billion Dollar Giveaway to Nuclear Industry Causes Meltdown in Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee

As we posted yesterday, the Fiscal Year 2011 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill mark-up scheduled in the Subcommittee was postponed. ...

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. ...

TCS President Ryan Alexander’s Hearing Testimony on The Legality and Efficacy of Line-Item Veto

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander testified at the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on the Legality and Efficacy of Line-Item Veto Proposals...

Federal Oil and Gas Agency Divided

Yesterday Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a Secretarial Order dividing the Minerals Management Agency, the federal manager of oil...

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

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....

Energy Savers That Don

   When the GAO is able to submit false information to gain certification for 15 products that do not even exist, taxpayers must...

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...

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)...

Ethics Committee Ignores Earmark Problems

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

Bailout Bank Bio: Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup continues to be one of the largest recipients of taxpayer assistance under TARP (the financial industry bailout). Citigroup is...

TCS Earmark Analysis and Proposal for Reform

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

Troop Surge Dollars Must be Watched

Since President Obama announced a 30,000 troop buildup for Afghanistan Tuesday, everyone is asking the inevitable question: How much is...

House Office Expenditures Available Electronically

The U.S. House of Representatives has taken one more step toward transparency with the inaugural publication of an electronic version of...

Dollars Fly Overseas to Military Bases

The annual military construction spending bill is not generally a big deal for Congress, which treats it as an opportunity to fund gyms...

Make the Contractor Performance Database Available to the Public

After years of debate, taxpayers are close to finally getting a federal contractor misconduct database that should stop their money from...

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...

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...

Bailout Transparency Continues to Fall Short

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) just released its eighth report on TARP, this one a look back over the life of the program. ...

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...

TCS Weighs in on Proposed Changes to the DOE Loan Guarantee Program

Yesterday TCS submitted comments to the Department of Energy (DOE) on proposed changes to the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program. In early...

Watchdogs Release Database Detailing Earmarks and Campaign Contributions

                                                                          For immediate...

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...

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...

TCS Holds Congressional Briefing on Defense Spending

Taxpayers for Common Sense sponsored a briefing for House of Representatives members and staffers Wednesday, July 15, titled Defense...

House Commerce, Justice, Science Earmarks

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

Nuclear Weapons: Transformation or Business As Usual?

Two Senate hearings on nuclear weapons this week showed that the Obama administration’s charge toward a smaller—and hopefully...

Fight Over Weapons Cuts is About to Get Ugly

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

No Joke: Stevens Conviction to be Thrown Out

According to media reports, the Justice Department will ask for dismissal of the indictment against former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (R)...

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...

President Obama Releases 2010 Federal Budget

President Obama has released his proposed federal budget for FY2010.  Download a copy of the budget here:  FY10 Federal Budget...

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

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

Final Stimulus Bill Posted

The House of Representatives website is being bombarded by taxpayers trying to read the final economic stimulus bill. All 1500...

Support Independent Oversight of the Stimulus

President Obama is likely to place his signature on a $789 billion stimulus bill by President’s Day. Thank you to all of you who have...

Senate Holds Hearing on Energy Loan Guarantee Program

Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program. The program,...

$50 Billion Expansion of Loan Guarantee Program Cut from Stimulus

During conference negotiations over the stimulus bill, the egregious $50 billion expansion of the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan...

Letter to the House: Oppose $50 Billion DOE Loan Guarantee Program in the Stimulus

February 10, 2009 Dear Representative, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to oppose the inclusion of an additional $50...

Causes of the Financial Crisis (CRS Report)

A handy website called Open CRS has been tracking down as many Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports they can get their hands on...

Letter to the Senate: Stop $50 Billion Blow-Up of DOE Loan Guarantee Program

(Download a pdf version of this letter) February 2, 2009 Dear Senator, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to oppose...

Key Accountability and Transparency Provisions in the Economic Stimulus Legislation

There are a lot of legitimate concerns about the size of the economic stimulus legislation and where some of the specific funds are...

National Geographic To Air Government-Funded Homeland Security Special

A friend of Taxpayers for Common Sense in Maine just alerted us to something very interesting. Tonight, National Geographic is going to...

House Economic Stimulus Bill Released

The latest version of the economic stimulus legislation that contains both the appropriations and tax portions of the legislation has...

Stimulus Adds to Stratospheric Satellite Costs

Despite energetic lobbying by the defense industry (and some lawmakers) the $825 billion stimulus bill now emerging from committee...

Earmark Reform Bill Introduced in the Senate

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

Congressman Gets Earmark for His Church

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

House, Senate Appropriators Offer Further Earmark Reforms

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

New Reports Document Wasteful War Spending

Just in time for a new war funding request to hit Capitol Hill, a trio of recently released documents recall just how badly the Pentagon...

Bailout Lacks Measures of Success and Oversight Tools

It’s been about two months since the U.S. Treasury Department implemented its Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). With nearly half of...

Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Bank Bailout Spending

Concerns are rising that the Treasury Department is allowing banks too much leeway to decide how they spending the bailout funds. Reports...

President Approves $5 Billion in Defense Earmarks

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

Top 10 Tax Sweeteners in the Bailout Bill

Update: The House has just passed the final version of the 2008 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, without making any changes to the...

TCS Statement on the Bailout Plan

Washington, D.C – The following is a prepared statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the Emergency...

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...

White House Targets Contract Reform

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

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

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

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...

CBO: $85 Billion for Iraq Contractors

The Congressional Budget Office today released a report providing some of the most comprehensive estimates we’ve seen to date on the...

Don Young Legal Defense Fund Disclosures Released

New documents show that Rep Don Young (R-AK) has raised $54,000 for his legal defense fund. This money was raised mainly from Alaskan...

Missile Defense Finds Funds in Milcon Earmarks

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

Stevens Obtained $3.2 billion in earmarks between 2004-2008

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

Quick Overview of the Stevens Indictment

The indictment handed down today in the federal case against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK): Click Here Stevens was indicted on seven federal...

TCS Statement on Don Young Ad Controversy

Washington, D.C. – The following is a written Statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense: It has come to...

TCS, Allies and Taxpayers Find 76 Lawmakers Publish Earmark Requests

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

GAO Recommends Congress Limit Loan Guarantees

In a new report released today, the Government Accountability Office recommends Congress limit the amount of loan guarantees issued by...

Don Young’s “A Team” Lobbyist List Uncovered

A two-page “survival guide” issued in 2007 to interns in Rep. Don Young’s (R–AK) office lists nine transportation lobbyists as “The A...

Istook Sent Earmarks to Six Abramoff Clients

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

DeMint Earmark Moratorium Amendment Fails

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

More on Earmark Transparency

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...

Oppose Blank Check Loan Guarantees in Final Energy Bill

Dear Senator, We urge you to oppose the inclusion of language in the final energy bill exempting the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan...

Ask Senator Stevens to Give Up Committee Assignments

Dear Leader McConnell: I'm writing to request that you ask Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) to temporarily recuse himself from his...

Land Swap for Cash Puts Rep. Rick Renzi in the Hot Seat

Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) was indicted in federal court on Feb. 22, 2008, on 35 counts including official extortion and money laundering....

TCS Commissioned Report—Billions Spent to Deter Marijuana Use, But Program Effectiveness Remains Unknown

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance in the United States, and study after study shows that despite spending billions of...

TCS Testimony: Waste, Fraud and Abuse in U.S. Government Contracting in Iraq

Oral Statement of Steve Ellis, Vice President of Programs, Taxpayers for Common Sense before Senate Democratic Policy Committee...

Engineering Boondoggles

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