What's Happening in Rein in Deficits

Organizational Review of the Office of the Secretary of Defense

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter have instituted a review of the organization of the Office...

Taxpayers Cannot Afford a $1 Trillion Farm Bill

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!

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...

Senate Finance Subcommittee Discusses Energy Tax Reform

The Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure met Wednesday, July 31 to discuss the...

Big Oil Continues to Receive Billions in Taxpayer Subsidies While Profits Soar

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...

Important Cuts Fail & Wasteful Subsidies Hang On in House Energy & Water Bill

Late Wednesday night the House wrapped up debate on the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2014. Several...

TCS Statement on House Passage of Ag-Only Farm Bill

Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, released the following statement on the House's passage of an agriculture-only farm bill....

Oppose Ag-Only Farm Bill: Spends More Than Senate Bill; Changes Make Subsidies Permanent

Today, TCS urged the House to vote no on an agriculture-only farm bill that would spend more than the Senate-passed bill. ...

Joint Letter to Congress: Trim Fossil Fuel Giveaways in Energy Spending Bill

Members of the Green Scissors Campaign sent a letter to Congress today urging cuts to wasteful fossil fuel subsidies....

House Leadership Proposes Outspending Senate in Farm Bill

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...

TCS Statement on House Rejection of 2013 Farm Bill

Below is a statement by Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House's rejection of the 2013 farm bill. ...

Energy and Water Spending Bill Passes Subcommittee

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies voted today to pass the fiscal year 2014...

Reject House Farm Bill: Costs 60% More Than Last Bill

Today, TCS sent a letter to the House opposing the trillion dollar farm bill, HR 1947....

Joint Letter to the House: Reduce Wasteful Pentagon Spending

     June 13, 2013 Dear Representative: We, the leaders of our undersigned...

TCS Statement on Passage of 2013 Senate Farm Bill

Statement of Ms. Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on passage of the 2013 Senate farm bill. ...

Fighting Deficit Reduction

The most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s $955 billion farm bill continues to show...

Letter to the Senate: Oppose Fiscally Irresponsible Amendments to S. 601,  Water Resources Development Act of 2013

This bill is irresponsible and we urge you to oppose it and amendments that will make the bill worse....

House Subcommittee Discusses BLM Budget

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and related Agencies held a hearing today to discuss the FY2014...

New Report Casts Further Doubt on Troubled FutureGen Project

A recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) questions whether or not the nearly decade long, $1.65 billion FutureGen...

First Award for Small Modular Reactor Program Announced

The Department of Energy (DOE) and Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) announced yesterday that a subsidiary of B&W—B&W mPower, LLC—will...

Comments to House Ways and Means Committee 2013 Tax Reform Working Groups

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...

White House Budget Proposes Spending More On Small Modular Reactors, Winner of 2013 “Golden Fleece Award”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 10, 2013 CONTACTS: Steve Ellis, (202) 546-8500 x126, or...

Support Bill to Prioritize Payments on U.S. Debt

Today, TCS sent a letter to Rep. McClintock supporting his bill to prioritize payments on U.S. debt....

Energy Department Announces Second Round of Small Modular Reactor Funding

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced yesterday a second funding opportunity for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Program. The new...

Oil and Gas Production on Federal Lands High-Risk For Waste, Fraud

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released its bi-annual “High-Risk” report detailing federal programs and...

New Analysis: Farm Bills Save Billions Less Than Previously Expected

Last year's trillion-dollar farm bills would have saved billions less than proponents claimed....

Senate Dems’ Plan to Avoid Sequester Fails to Save

Senate Democrats' plan to avoid sequestration cuts fails to save taxpayers enough money....

TCS President Statement on Golden Fleece Awarded for Federal Spending on Small Modular Reactors

Today we present the Golden Fleece Award to the Department of Energy for providing federal subsidies for small modular reactors or SMRs. ...

An Open Letter to President Obama and the Congress: Spend Less, and Spend Smarter at the Pentagon

TCS joined groups from across the political spectrum telling the President and Congress that the Pentagon’s budget must be right-sized....

Golden Fleece Award Goes to Department of Energy for Federal Spending on Small Modular Reactors

TCS awarded the Golden Fleece to DOE for wasting taxpayer funds on small modular reactors....

Defense Savings Strengthen Our Economic Security

February 6, 2013 Dear Member of Congress, On behalf of the undersigned organizations and...

TCS Moderates Congressional Briefings on Reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard

            February 5, 2013 CONTACTS: Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500 ext...

Big Oil Boasts High Profits; Subsidies Continue

Oil and gas companies continue to boast substantial profits while reaping billions in taxpayer-backed subsidies. As of February 1st, four...

It’s Official: 2012 Drought Cost Taxpayers a Record $14 Billion

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed what taxpayers have feared for months. After tallying losses from last...

House Science Subcommittee Debates Oil Shale Subsidies

The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing November 30th to discuss the development...

Fiscal Conservatives: Taxpayers Won’t Harvest Farm Bill Savings

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....

Use Common Sense to Rappel the Fiscal Cliff

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a “Common Sense Proposal to Rappel the Fiscal Cliff” to the President and congressional...

Don’t Toy With the Cliff: Support TCS Today

Dear Friends: Congress, the administration, and the punditry at large have been bemoaning the federal government’s fiscal situation....

Drought Fails to Dry Up Farm Profits

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that even after this year’s drought, farm profits are on pace to...

Congress: Avoid Fiscal Cliff and Go Home

Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter today to all members of the 112th Congress outlining what they should do regarding the fiscal cliff....

Remarks by TCS President Ryan Alexander on Fiscal Cliff

Taxpayers for Common Sense held a media conference call earlier today to discuss the outcomes of the election and what the Lame Duck...

President Ms. Ryan Alexander Sliding Past Sequestration Statement

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2012 CONTACTS: Steve Ellis 202-546-8500...

Letter to the Speaker: Don’t Cut the House out of the Farm Bill Debate

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined 13 other organizations representing a diversity of interests in calling on Speaker Boehner to not let taxpayers be subjected to a "bait and switch" on the Farm Bill. Recent comments from House Agriculture Committee leadership clearly outline a strategy to use supplemental drought assistance and a one year extension of the Farm Bill as a “Trojan Horse” to get to conference with the Senate on a five-year Farm Bill....

Fiscal Conservatives: Farm Bill Will Not Solve Drought

Following the old adage "never let a crisis go to waste," special interests in Washington are trying to exploit the current drought...

TCS Statement on Amendment to Freeze Pentagon Budget

The following is a written statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the adoption of the Frank-Mulvaney...

Green Scissors 2012 Finds Environmentally Destructive Federal Programs

Left-Right coalition identifies practical steps Congress could take to slash deficits, save natural resources....

Senate Defeats Attempt to Attach NAT GAS Act to Transportation Bill

Today the Senate defeated an amendment offered by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Burr (R-NC) that would have provided billions in lucrative...

Ideologically diverse coalition sends letter to Congress: Stop the NAT GAS Act

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action joined an ideologically diverse coalition in a letter to the Senate urging them to oppose Amendment...

Coalition Letter Urges Congress to Reject Linking Drilling Revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Preserve User-Pays

Taxpayers for Common Sense, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Reason Foundation, National Taxpayers Union, and Natural Resources Defense...

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...

Super Failure: Time for Congress to Do Its Job

For Immediate Release November 21, 2011 Contact: Steve Ellis 202-546-8500 x126 Super Failure: Time for Congress to Do Its...

November 4, 5:43 PM—The Latest on the Deficit Cutting Super Committee

November 4, 2011-5:43 PM This way madness lies. Because the vast majority of the Super Committee’s activities have occurred behind...

TCS Letter In Support of S. 1775, the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to several senators regarding S. 1775, the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act...

TCS Statement on DOI’s Plans to Lease Public Lands for Solar Development

Statement of Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense in response to Department of Interior release of the Supplement to...

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...

TCS Letter to the ‘Super Committee’

Yesterday, Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to all 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the "Super...

TCS Statement and Analysis on Debt Ceiling Agreement

A statement from TCS President Ms. Ryan Alexander is below.  Analysis on the debt ceiling legislation agreed to by leadership from both...

TCS on the Debt Ceiling

Taxpayers for Common Sense statement on the debt ceiling and deficit reduction bills.          ...

TCS Testifies on Revenue Sharing from Offshore Drilling

Ms. Ryan Alexander President Taxpayers for Common Sense Written Testimony submitted to the United States House of...

Support Gang of Six Bi-Partisan Plan to Reduce Our Nation’s Deficit

    Support “Gang of Six” Bi-Partisan Plan to Reduce Our Nation’s Deficit   July 20,...

Senate Committee Passes Energy Financing Entity

With little debate, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed by voice vote a bill to create the Clean Energy Deployment...

Ethanol Update: Coalition Applauds Two Important Votes to End Taxpayer-Funded Ethanol Subsidies in t

WASHINGTON, DC – June 16, 2011 – A broad and diverse coalition that includes business associations, taxpayer advocates, hunger and...

Coalition Letter Supporting Ending Wasteful $6 Billion Annual Ethanol Subsidy

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. ...

TCS Releases Report on Largest Ethanol Subsidy

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

TCS Letter in Opposition to H.R. 1380, the NAT GAS Act

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....

Letter Supporting Bipartisan Effort to Cut Billions in Ethanol Giveaway

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.”...

TCS Letter to House Speaker John Boehner Agreeing with his Recent Comments on Oil Subsidies

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."...

Budget Gimmicks in FY11 Defense Bill

Washington is abuzz with talk of the deficit-reduction plan President Obama announced Wednesday, mostly along the lines of “wait, what...

Coalition Letter to Congress Calls for an End to Energy Subsidies

Taxpayers for Common Sense along with a coalition of nearly 30 groups sent a letter to Congress calling for an end to energy...

Broad Coalition Supports Senators Efforts to End VEETC

Taxpayers for Common Sense alongside a broad and diverse coalition of groups sent a letter supporting the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax...

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...

Legislation Introduced to End Reverse Royalty for Hardrock Mining

Last week, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced legislation to eliminate an unnecessary giveaway for mining companies that cost...

Letter to Congress: Where to Start Cutting to Trim the Deficit

Today Taxpayers for Common Sense delivered to leadership in both the House and Senate a report on how Congress can quickly cut nearly...

TCS Letter to Deficit Commissioners: Support the Final Report

Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the commissioners of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform urging...

Deficit Commission Releases its Final Report—The Moment of Truth

So the "The Moment of Truth" is here. We've been combing through the specifics of the aptly titled final report of the National...

Diverse Coalition Calls for Congress to End the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC)

Taxpayers for Common Sense, together with a diverse coalition of 58 groups, sent a letter to congressional leaders today urging them to...

TCS Letter to Deficit Commissioners

TCS applauds the Co-chairs for not leaving any stone unturned and acknowledging the difficult budgetary choices that must be made given...

Keep it Clean

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...

U.S. Deficit Double-Edged Sword for Defense Budget Cuts

TCS National Security Analyst Laura Peterson published the following commentary as a guest writer on Budget Insight, the blog of the...

New Report Urges Pentagon Role in Deficit Reduction

Today, the Sustainable Defense Task Force held a press conference at the Capitol Visitors Center releasing a report identifying roughly $1 trillion in Pentagon budget savings over the next ten years. ...

Secretary Salazar Reiterates ‘Taxpayers Must Receive Fair Return’ for Our Natural Resources

In early March, the Senate Energy Natural Resources (ENR) Committee met to hear testimony from Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary...

Taxpayers at Risk: Expansion of Nuclear Loan Guarantees Could Cost Billions

This fall, Congress is poised to consider an energy financing entity that would allow for the distribution of extensive loan guarantees...

House Committee on Science and Technology Hearing on Advancing Technology for Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing

Last month, the House Committee on Science and Technology held a hearing on nuclear fuel reprocessing. The hearing covered a range of...

DOE Halts Plan for Commercial Reprocessing: Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Shelved

The Obama Administration has put the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) on hold until further notice. GNEP, an international...

Another Huge Year for Oil and Gas Industry Profits

Exxon Mobil likes breaking records. In 2007, it posted the biggest annual profit number reported by any American company ever — $40.6...

The President’s Energy Budget

The President’s budget released last week includes $ 26.3 billion for the Department of Energy, a $2.1 billion increase over 2008 and...

Energy Campaign Overview

TCS fights to keep unnecessary subsidies, loopholes and tax breaks out of America's energy policy For more than a decade, TCS has led...

TCS Letter to Congress: Oppose Farm Bill Conference Report

Letter to Congress:  Oppose Farm Bill Conference Report May 13, 2008 Dear...

Interest Payments on Debt Skyrocket

3:25 p.m. -- With the economy in the tank and rising federal debt, the costs of servicing the federal debt is skyrocketing. According to...

Maintain Congressional Oversight and Stringent Budget Cap on DOE Loan Guarantee Program

           Dear Representative, On behalf of our combined memberships, we urge you to...

Written Testimony Royalties at Risk Hearing before House Natural Resources Committee

Good morning Chairman Rahall and members of the committee.  Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.  My name is Ryan Alexander...

Oral Testimony Royalties at Risk Hearing before House Natural Resources Committee

Good morning Chairman Rahall and distinguished members of the committee.  Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.  My name is...

Preserve Language to End Royalty Relief for Oil and Gas Industry in Interior Appropriations Bill

             Dear Representative, Taxpayers for Common Sense urges you to support...

Oppose Farm Bill Extension in Budget Reconciliation

                Oppose Farm Bill Extension in Budget Reconciliation December 14,...

Give Taxpayers a Break!

            Dear Energy Bill Conferee, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action, a...

Senate Passes Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

The following is a written statement from Steve Ellis, Vice President for Programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense on the Senate passage of...

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...

Statement on Introduction of Legislation to Curb Section 29 Abuses

The following is a written statement by Aileen Roder, Program Director at Taxpayers for Common Sense on introduction of legislation to...

Energy Secretary Richardson Saves Taxpayers $5 Billion: Supports DOE Tritium Decision and Oppose Pork Barrel Opponents

Washington, D.C. – Making the best of a bad set of options, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson courageously saved American taxpayers at...

Syria: Excuse 535 To Not Cut the Deficit

Volume XVIII No. 37 Possible action in Syria has become the most recent excuse du jour for Pentagon boosters...