Our Take

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...

Third Quarter Results are in and still the same story: Billions in profit, billions more in subsidies to Big Oil

Ten months into 2010 and Big Oil has pumped in billions in profits. So far this year, top oil companies have made nearly $50 billion in...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Urges Congress to extend $5 billion/year Ethanol Tax Credit

US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday urged members of Congress to reinstate the biodiesel tax credit and extend...

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...

Taxpayer Victory: Costly Nuclear Loan Guarantee Shelved

Score one for the taxpayers!  A $7.5 billion Department of Energy loan guarantee for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor near Lusby,...

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...

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...

Hearing on Loan Guarantee Program Raises Concerns for Taxpayers

Last week the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee held a hearing on the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program.  The...

Earmark Lobbyist Pleads Guilty; Lobby Shop’s Earmarks Detailed

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

Engineering Boondoggles

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