What's Happening in Stop Waste

USEC Posts Net Loss in Second Quarter; Seeking Further Taxpayer Handouts

The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) recently released its midterm financial report and in addition to troubling financials,...

Congressional Summer Ends with a THUD

Congress is on the verge of heading home for a five-week vacation (“home work period” is the euphemism they use). In the run-up to...

Essential Air Service: Why Reform Isn’t Reducing Overall Cost

Early last year, the President signed the “FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,” authorizing spending for the Federal Aviation...

Letter to House: Support McClintock-Bridenstine-Hudson Amendment to Cut Essential Air Service

Support McClintock amendment to cut Essential Air Service funding....

Letter to Senate: Support Common Sense Amendments to Transportation/HUD Appropriations Bill

Propsals would cut wasteful spending and increase transparency....

A Lesson in What Saving Money Means to Congress: Essential Air Service

Essential Air Service (EAS) reforms passed as part of last year’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill were intended...

A Cigar for SIGAR – Documenting Hundreds of Millions of Dollars of Waste in Afghanistan

The title says it all: “[Department of Defense] Moving Forward with $771.8 Million Purchase of Aircraft that the Afghans Cannot Operate...

Golden Fleece Award to Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority for a Decade of Waste Cheerleading a Bridge in Alaska

A press release from TCS on the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority being awarded the most recent "Golden Fleece."...

Small Taxpayer Victory: Outdated Airport Subsidy Reduced

In a small victory for taxpayers, the Department of Transportation (DOT) last week issued an order terminating Essential Air Service...

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...

Washington Post Slams Charlottesville Bypass

Over the weekend, Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney published a piece about the ridiculous proposal to build the Charlottesville...

Letter to House: Support Common Sense Amendments to FY14 NDAA

These amendments would help bring the total level of spending in line with what is already agreed to in current law....

Fiscal Watchdogs Oppose Farm Bill Gutting Flood Insurance Reform

Sen. Landrieu (D-LA) has offered an amendment to the farm bill that would delay National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reforms adopted last summer. ...

Support McCain-Flake Amendment No. 955

    Support McCain-Flake Amendment No. 955 May 23, 2013 The...

2013 House and Senate Farm Bills Stack on More Subsidies

As we expected, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees went to great lengths this week to save as little money as possible in their...

Water Waste: Cut Costly Provisions from Water Resources Development Act

The Senate WRDA bill is too costly to stand....

Costly Water Projects Bill Demands Scrutiny

Taxpayers for Common Sense and eight other organizations allied on this issue urge scrutiny of S.601, the Water Resources Development Act of 2013...

Essential Air Service: Illustrating Coming Changes to the Program

The Essential Air Service (EAS) is a federal subsidy program created in the 1970s as part of airline deregulation. Though the program was...

Hagel Grabs the Axe

There was never any question that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel would have to wield the budget axe—simple fiscal and political math...

It’s Budget Season…Play Ball!

Dear Taxpayer, Classic inside baseball. Above is just one nugget Taxpayers for Common Sense came across while reading page 237 of...

Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution/Spending bills

The current CR and spending bills theoretically mimic the FY13 appropriations bills, but we’ve started looking to see where lawmakers added and subtracted dollars....

The Beat Continues on the Charlottesville Bypass

In a great piece about the proposed Charlottesville (VA) Bypass, James Bacon from Bacon’s Rebellion lays out several significant problems...

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. ...

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....

Military Brass Play a Fiscal Requiem for Defense

Capitol Hill’s hearing rooms again witnessed a vale of tears this week as the Armed Services Committees of both the House and Senate...

Step Outside the MOX

The Project On Government Oversight and Taxpayers for Common Sense are encouraged by reports of waning support for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX) at the Savannah River Site...

Even More Options for Cutting Crop Insurance Costs

Defenders of agricultural subsidies at all costs are starting to feel the heat. Yesterday, professors from Ohio State University,...

Heard On The Hill: Support TCS Today

Dear Fellow Taxpayer, I wanted you to know you’re getting your money’s worth. Earlier today I testified before the House Committee on...

Alexander to testify before Government Reform Committee today

Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander will be testifying before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on...

Sandy Spending Accountability

With the Senate's 62-36 vote, lawmakers have sent in aggregate more than $60 billion to help those affected by Superstorm Sandy. You can...

Defense Authorization Bill: More Money, Less Savings

The Senate today passed the final version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which, though late, will still beat the...

Golden Fleece Awarded to Agriculture Risk Management Agency

TCS awarded the Golden Fleece to USDA's Risk Management Agency for wasting taxpayer funds...

TCS Cited in Bipartisan Congressional Letter on Defense Savings

A group of eleven Democratic and eleven Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to President Obama and...

TCS Supports Extending Whistleblower Protections

November 28, 2012 An Open Letter to the Senate in Support of More Protections for Taxpayer Dollars Dear Senator: We the undersigned...

Letter to Congress: Oppose Any Fiscal Cliff Farm Bill Deal

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....

The Department of Everything

We love to remind people that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is the world’s largest bureaucracy, employing more than the world’s...

DOD Acquisition Reforms: Spending Money is Hard!

“It turns out acquisition reform is hard,” said Undersecretary of Defense Frank Kendall at yesterday’s rollout of the Defense...

President Ms. Ryan Alexander Sliding Past Sequestration Statement

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

Letter to the Speaker: Washington Cannot Make It Rain

Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to Speaker Boehner to oppose $1 trillion worth of bad agriculture policy....

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...

Oppose House Farm Bill Draft: Fails to Reform; Creates New Subsidy Entitlement Programs

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined together with several groups today urging Congress to oppose the House of Representative's Draft Farm...

Green Scissors 2012 Finds Environmentally Destructive Federal Programs

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

End USEC Giveaways in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

Congress is considering spending $100 million on the United States Enrichment Corporation’s (USEC) Piketon, Ohio enrichment project...

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...

House Backdoor Earmarks $150 million for Parochial Boondoggle

This morning the House voted down an amendment that would have stripped the $150 million added to the National Defense Authorization Act for the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC). ...

Stop $150 million for troubled uranium project in NDAA

$150 million for the United States Enrichment Corporation's (USEC) Piketon, Ohio enrichment facility has been added to the National...

Spending Even Less, Spending Even Smarter Report Released

Watchdog Groups Identify Nearly $700 Billion in Wasteful Spending on National Security...

Golden Fleece Awarded to Riverboat Ripoff

            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2012 CONTACTS: Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for...

Statement from TCS President Ms. Ryan Alexander on the House Republican Budget Resolution

The following is a statement by Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House Republican Budget...

TCS Statement on Senate Adoption of “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP-21)

The following is a statement by Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on S. 1813, "Moving Ahead for Progress in the...

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...

FutureGen Behind Schedule: What’s Happening to Taxpayers’ Billion Dollars?

Despite a billion dollar taxpayer investment and years of commitment by the Department of Energy (DOE), in a United States Energy...

FAA Reauthorization: EAS reforms fail taxpayers

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to members of Congress as they consider legislation on FAA...

Oil Profits Stay High; Needless Subsidies Continue

It appears the oil and gas industry is looking to continue its decade long trend of record profits. As of February 2nd, Chevron, Exxon...

FAA Reauthorization Should Include EAS Reforms

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to House and Senate conferees before they meet today to negotiate differences between...

TCS Joins Coalition Against Wasteful Army Corps of Engineer’s Deepening Delaware River Project

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined the Delaware Riverkeeper and Water Protection Network to compile a report analyzing the wasteful Army...

Plenty of Money Moving Around Defense Authorization Bill

Followers of the annual National Defense Authorization Act will recall the kerfuffle that occurred earlier this year after lawmakers in...

Letter and Briefing on the Wasteful, Expiring $6 Billion Ethanol Subsidy

Taxpayers for Common Sense worked with Congressional allies to get 73 Representatives to sign a letter last week asking Speaker of the...

Coalition Letter Opposing Passing Farm Bill Through Super Committee

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a coalition on a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, asking them to not...

Congressmen Support Common Sense Cuts to Wasteful Ag Spending

Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) sent a letter this week to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction...

Support FAA Extension, Reform the Essential Air Service

Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to the Senate, encouraging it to pass H.R. 2553, which would reform the wasteful...

House Should Support Stronger Reforms to the Wasteful Essential Air Service

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the House of Representatives urging strong reforms of the wasteful and outdated...

Analyzing the House Transportation Proposal

Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure John Mica (R-FL) released a summary of his transportation...

Senate Energy Committee Needs to Stop the Clean Energy Deployment Administration

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....

Anchorage Sues FHWA to Stop Knik Arm Crossing

The Municipality of Anchorage (Alaska) filed suit in U.S. District Court challenging the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of the...

Coalition letter in support of Reps. Herger and Crowley bill to end 30 years of tax credits to the E

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....

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...

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...

Coalition Letter Opposing Clean Energy Deployment Administration

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....

Federal taxpayers railroaded? New report says California’s rail project needs an overhaul

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently announced an additional $2 billion in grant money for developing high speed rail (HSR)...

Coalition Letter Opposing Wasteful Mississippi River Locks

Taxpayers for Common Sense recently joined other Nicollet Island Coalition members on a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers detailing how new locks on the Upper Mississippi are economically unjustified....

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...

TCS Statement on the JSF Alternate Engine Cancellation

Statement by TCS President Ms. Ryan Alexander on the announcement the Defense Department issued a stop-work order on the Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine program....

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...

Broad Coalition Calls for the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit to Expire

Taxpayers for Common Sense along with 90 other organizations and associations delivered a letter to Congressional leaders on Tuesday...

Energy Committee Questions DOE on Budget

Senate Energy Committee’s Hearing on the President’s FY2012 Budget Request Earlier this week the President released his budget request...

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...

UPDATE: Gates Shifts Defense Dollars

Defense Secretary Robert Gates today gave what was billed as one of the longest speeches in his current job, defining the battlefield for...

TCS President Ryan Alexander Statement on the Defense Cuts Announced by Sec. Robert Gates

Please find below a statement from Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the defense cuts announced today by...

TCS President Ryan Alexander Op-Ed: The Appropriations Pork Machine (The New York Times)

Ryan Alexander is president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. The early indicators of what to expect from the 112th Congress in terms of...

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...

President Pumps up Nuke Budget Again

The White House released a plan yesterday to pump up their investment in the United States’ nuclear weapons complex by another $4.1...

As the Armed Services Committee Turns

Now that the final ballots have come in, it’s time to assess the impact the midterms will have on the Congressional committees that...

GAO Report Slams DHS Management of SBInet Contractor

  The Department of Homeland Security did not effectively manage or oversee the prime contractor on its over-budget, behind-schedule...

VA Senators Author Amendment to Stop JFCOM Closure

Democratic Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner said today they will introduce an amendment to the FY2012 defense authorization...

Gates Mandates Affordability in Defense Spending

 Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday unveiled details of his effort to overhaul procurement processes, just ahead of Senate markups...

New Report Urges Comprehensive Security Spending

A bipartisan group of national security experts including Taxpayers for Common Sense today released a report calling for a budget that...

TCS on Gates Defense Reforms: One Small Step Forward

Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ new belt-tightening initiatives at the Department of Defense are a positive step forward. But much more...

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,...

House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill Mark-Up Delayed

Today the House Committee on Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee was scheduled to hold the first mark-up on a Fiscal Year...

Faulty Virtual Fence Could Cost Taxpayers $8 Billion

A recent hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee on SBInet, Boeing’s borderland “virtual fence” that has failed to function...

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. ...

TCS President Ryan Alexander Op-Ed: Why two jets are not better than one (Politico)

 Today, President Ryan Alexander issued an Op-Ed to Politico.com regarding the recent $485 million alternate engine addition by the House...

DOD Audit Still Nowhere in Sight

The Defense Department yesterday turned over to Congress an update on its attempts to pass an audit. Though Congress mandated audits back...

Taxpayers Must Not Carry Water for Bad Projects: Comments on the Draft Principles and Standards for Water Resource Projects

Taxpayers for Common Sense submitted comments to the Federal Register concerning revisions to how the nation's water resources are...

TCS Supports New OMB Contracting Guidance

The White House took an important step this week toward rolling back one of the most pernicious pieces of contracting law on the federal...

Gates: Defense Cuts Saved Taxpayers $330 Billion

Eliminating wasteful defense programs like the F-22 Raptor last year saved taxpayers $330 billion, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said...

TCS Statement on SBInet’s Funding Freeze

Below is a comment from TCS President Ms. Ryan Alexander on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s announcement that she will...

FY11 Budget Cuts Agriculture Waste

The President’s proposed FY2011 Department of Agriculture (USDA) budget is $25.8 billion, slightly reduced from the FY2010 level of $26.9...

FY2011 Budget Request: President Terminates Yucca Mountain, Increases Funding for Other Nuclear Projects

The President’s budget ends funding for the Yucca Mountain project, which was intended to be a permanent nuclear waste disposal site....

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...

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...

A Billion Here A Billion There

Taxpayers received a bit of good news this morning.  The Treasury Department announced it will be letting the Guarantee Program for Money...

House Opportunity to Shoot Down Funding for Defense Contractor Raided by FBI

There are several amendments on the House Defense spending bill that is on the floor this morning. In addition to the important earmark...

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...

Contracts for Synthetic Fuels not Included in Senate Defense Bill

Late last night the Senate completed their work on the Defense Authorization bill, S. 1390.  The bill passed with an overwhelming...

TCS Statement on the Senate’s F-22 Cut

The following is a statement by Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander on the 58-40 Senate vote to eliminate additional...

Hearing on Alaska Native Corporations Probes Wasteful Spending

A July 16 hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight on federal procurement...

UPDATE: Senate Strips F-22s From Defense Authorization Bill

(July 21) The Senate today took a small step for Pentagon reform and a giant step for fiscal sanity when it voted 58-40 to approve the...

House Appropriators Reject Weapons Cuts

The House Defense Appropriations Subcommitte today set the tone for the upcoming debate over Congresses’ biggest spending bill. Following...

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...

TCS and NTU to House: Don’t Fund F-22

Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense and the National Taxpayers Union sent a joint letter to all members of the House of Representatives...

Oversight and Government Reform Hearing on the V-22 Osprey

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing Tuesday on the future of the V-22 Osprey, an aircraft with a...

Obama Waves Veto Pen at Wasteful Fighter Jet

President Obama came out swinging yesterday, issuing the first veto threat of his presidency to tackle a congressional sacred cow...

Senate Energy Committee Passes American Clean Energy Leadership Act

Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources completed work on the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA), passing...

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...

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...

Knik Arm Crossing Gets Another Cost Estimate

An independent cost estimate puts the price tag for the Knik Arm Crossing—a.k.a. Don Young’s Way—in Anchorage, Alaska at $686 million...

Bank Bailout: GAO to Treasury Department - More Effort Needed

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has just released its second report on the progress of the Treasury Department’s in...

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...

Evaluating Economic Stimulus Legislation

The House of Representatives is expected Wednesday to vote on an economic stimulus package, H.R. 1, the ‘‘American Recovery and...

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...

Are Bailout Banks Lending Money?

This morning, The New York Times published an excellent story about some of the problems with the financial sector bailout – the Troubled...

Stimulus Not Needed for Department of Defense

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

Capitol Visitor Center Still Not Completed

Hundreds of millions of dollars overbudget, four years overdue and the Capitol Visitor Center is still not finished. Although...

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...

What $24 Million Gets These Days

The controversial National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), located in a former department store in the congressional district of Rep....

Auto Bailout Draft Legislation

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...

Uncle Sam Should Review Sports Sponsorships by Bailout Banks

Under the financial bailout, taxpayers are becoming silent investors in numerous banks and other financial institutions. While Uncle Sam...

The Non-Oversight Cannon

Last week we told you about a congressman’s efforts to feed the already overstuffed Army modernization program called Future Combat...

Bring Home the Bailout Bucks

Got a pen? Taxpayers for Common Sense has obtained the application needed to get a piece of the bailout pie. We’re all for streamlining...

Gates: New Nukes Are Good For You and Cheaper Too

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates fired a preemptive strike against potential cuts to the U.S. nuclear weapons program this week by...

New Report Raises Concerns with Royalty-In-Kind Program

A report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concludes that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) is at risk of...

Stevens Trial: Senator Takes Stand in Own Defense

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), on trial for failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars of gifts from Veco Corporation and its former...

DHS Needs to Slow Down, Rethink Fencing Future

The Department of Homeland Security blames its doubled cost estimates for the border fence on pricey fuel, labor and materials. But it’s...

GAO: Border Costs Climbing the Fence

Federal watchdogs confirmed our suspicions today when they revealed that the cost of building a 600+ mile fence along our southern border...

Roadless Rule Struck Down Again

The so-called roadless rule, promulgated in the final days of the Clinton Administration, has once again been struck down by U.S....

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...

Los Alamos’ Insecurity Complex

Though two of the nation’s largest nuclear labs are no doubt sad to see their patron Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) depart Congress, the...

Marines Advertising on Hummers

Anyone who has a TV knows the military spends tons of money for recruiting prospective troops into the services. Recently, while watching...

End of a Nuclear Era

Nuclear weapons labs and the Senator who loves them closed a chapter yesterday when the Senate cut funding for a controversial program to...

Joint Letter to the President on Suspension of Ethanol Tariff

TCS joined other groups in a letter to President George W. Bush on suspension of the ethanol tariff. ...

GAO Finds Funny Fence Numbers at DHS

At last, the Department of Homeland Security has given us some idea of what its border fence is going to cost—and it looks like a...

Independent Audit Ordered for Bridge to Nowhere

The Anchorage Daily News reports today that the state of Alaska will ask for an independent cost estimate of the Knik Arm bridge.  This...

Missile Defense

11:20 a.m. -- The administration’s request included $9 billion for the Missile Defense Agency, the organization within the Defense...

Veto – Channeling Ike on WRDA

It’s a Friday afternoon, but I thought you might be interested in another veto statement from a few years back. The WRDA bill was called...

TCS Requests Ethics Investigation of Coconut Road Earmark

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

Testimony - Federal Crop Insurance Program

(Download a pdf of this testimony)   Testimony of Steve Ellis Vice President,...

Time to Learn the Hard Lessons from Hurricane Katrina: Support Real Fiscal Reforms in Water Resources Development Act

Dear Member of Congress: For many years, our organizations have examined the standard operating practices of the Corps of Engineers and...

North Shore Road

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Swain County), North Carolina Projected Cost to Federal Taxpayers: $604 million January 12,...

TCS Applauds the Elimination of the Alaska Bridges to Nowhere

Washington, D.C. – The following is a written statement from Jill Lancelot, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense: The conferees on...

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 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...

Bulldozed: How Taxpayers Get Leveled by Highway Pork

Despite the call on Capitol Hill for fiscal belt tightening to deal with record deficits, the House has shown an unprecedented hunger for...

GAO to Audit Bonneville Power

Washington, D.C. - The General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, has alerted the Bonneville Power...

Army Corps of Engineers Reform and Community Relations Improvement Act of 2001

Washington, DC -- Taxpayers for Common Sense would like to applaud Congressman Tancredo for his leadership and defense of taxpayers in...

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...