In the News

Most Southwest Idaho Forests Have Burned Since 1985

Wildfires since 1985 have burned 69 percent of the Payette National Forest and more than 50 percent of the Boise National Forest, a new...

Analysis: Clipped wings: How essential is Essential Air Service?

The program is called Essential Air Service, and its stated intent is to ensure that small communities distant from regional airport hubs...

Ky. Sen. Mitch McConnell Faces Hard Choices on Spending

WASHINGTON — As Congress faces a potential meltdown over the budget and spending, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is staring at tough...

River Industry Cites Olmsted Failure in Push for Taxpayer Aid

WASHINGTON • For years, the barge industry has complained that aging locks and dams hike the cost of waterborne cargo and pose an...

Trinity Uptown Bridges in Fort Worth Will Initially Span Dirt, Not Water

FORT WORTH — They’re not exactly bridges to nowhere, but when three new bridges in Fort Worth’s massive Trinity Uptown project are complete...

Critics Pan LIRR Plan to Spend Sandy Cash on Double Track

The Long Island Rail Road wants to spend $300 million in federal Sandy money to complete its Double Track effort between Farmingdale and...

Op-Ed: Divide and Conquer: Turning Us Against Them

The lead story in the Dec. 14, 2009 edition of the Washington Post began: “The Senate cleared for Obama’s signature on Sunday a $447 billion...

Q&A: The Lowdown on the Shutdown, or Why You Should Care About the CR

Washington (CNN) -- In less than a month, the government may shut down. Lines are being drawn. Vacations are being canceled. Friends are...

House Makes Proposal for Waterways Projects

A bipartisan group of congressional members has introduced legislation that would change the way billions of dollars of water infrastructure...

Should Taxpayers Back Reactors?

Supporters call it smart energy policy. Critics have dubbed it "Solyndra on steroids." An energy bill that President Bush signed into law...

Government Fees the Key to a Budget Bargain?

Lawmakers are deadlocked over tax increases and spending cuts, but there’s another way that could nudge them closer to addressing this...

Congress’ Massive To-Do List

Congress came back to town this week and there is plenty to do in the brief time both chambers are in session during September. First,...

The Next Solyndra? $8 Billion U.S. Loan Guarantee for Nuke Reactors Too Risky

Think what you want about nuclear power. Maybe it’s the best way to generate electricity, and maybe it’s the worst. If you are a taxpayer,...

Mitch McConnell’s Close Ties with Humana Founder

In 2005, David A. Jones Sr., founder of health insurance giant Humana Inc., needed help raising money for a Louisville, Ky., parks project...

House Panel May Unveil CR Today

The House Appropriations Committee will release the text of a continuing resolution as early as Tuesday, with the full House scheduled to...

Obama and the GOP Hawks

By all accounts, President Obama’s efforts to lobby Congress in support of military intervention in Syria are going poorly. Perhaps most...

House could vote on CR next week

The House could move forward as early as next week with a fiscal 2014 continuing resolution, a spokeswoman for the House Appropriations...

VA Budget Skyrockets Despite Federal Spending Cuts

DAYTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs spends more today in inflation adjusted dollars than it did after World War II and the Vietnam...

Taxpayers Turn U.S. Farmers Into Fat Cats With Crop Subsidies

A Depression-era program intended to save the nation’s farmers from ruin has grown into a 21st-century crutch enabling affluent growers and...

Don’t Bomb Us Back to the Fiscal Stone Age

The decision by the President to seek Congressional debate and votes regarding military action against Syria is the talk of Washington this...

Don’t Use Syria to Pump Up Pentagon Spending

(CNN) -- A number of conservative hawks, including Senator John McCain and House Armed Services Committee chair Howard P. "Buck" McKeon,...

The Pentagon’s Place in this Fall’s Budget Battle

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew says the U.S. will reach its $16.7 trillion borrowing limit in mid-October. Unless Congress acts, a big part of...

Letter to the Editor: Congess Adds to the Pentagon’s Budget Bloat

Walter Pincus hit the nail on the head with his Aug. 27 Fine Print column, “The defense appropriations shuffle.” There are still billions of...

Letters to the Editor: Learning the Lessons From Hurricane Sandy

To the Editor: Your editorial about the report from the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force hit the nail on the head: better preparation...

Congress Needs to Clean House

This week at Taxpayers for Common Sense we are taking advantage of the slow pace of Washington while Congress is out of town to do a big,...

SAVANNAH PORT:  Slowdown Dims Aura of Gaeorgia’s Ports

BRUNSWICK --- More than 635,000 Kias, Toyotas and Caterpillar tractors moved in and out of this brawny port last year. Wood pellets from...

We Don’t Need Earmarks to Get Congress Working Again

As long time political observers lament the failure of Congress to get anything done, every once in a while you hear a call for the return...

A Call for Tax Reform Transparency

For the first time in nearly three decades, Congress is trying a blank slate approach to tax reform. But a big part of the process has been...

Bloomberg: Wal-Mart Connection Means Taxpayers Pay More for Rogers Airport Tower

Bloomberg yesterday took a look at the Rogers Municipal Airport, home to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s fleet of corporate jets, and finds the...

4 Examples Of Corporate Welfare In Action

While corporations are often painted as the independent drivers of the U.S. economic system, the beacons of small government success aren’t...

Hey Taxpayers, Here’s How You’re Subsidizing Wal-Mart

The operations of an airport in Rogers — a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, with a population nearly 56,000 — show the degree to...

Tax Reform Debate Should be Open for All to See

Nobody questions the necessity of keeping America's most vital national security secrets behind closed doors, whether it be the launch...

National Flood Insurance Program

Taxpayers for Common Sense Vice President Stephen Ellis discusses the National Flood Insurance Program and how a new law is causing rates to...

Congressional Meddling Floods Over

The National Flood Insurance Program is insolvent. By the end of the year, it will likely owe at least $26 billion to the U.S. Treasury...

Wal-Mart Air Fleet Gets Taxpayer Support for Controllers

U.S. taxpayers are increasingly picking up the tab for the control tower at an airport that’s home to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT:US)’s...

Report Calls For Congressional Reform Of River Management Practices

A new report by a coalition of conservation and public interest groups representing the Upper Mississippi River basin is calling on Congress...

Study: New river law should emphasize restoration

A coalition of conservation groups argued Tuesday that a new long-term water resources proposal ought to focus more on restoration of the...

11 Trillion Reasons

Here is a good line: Unenlightened farm policy with its massive subsidies for junk food ingredients has played a pivotal role in shaping our...

Tax chiefs’ training held at luxury resorts

Year after year, tax chiefs from across the state pack their suitcases and motor off to some of Georgia's top resorts, courtesy of their...

Five federal secrets that have come out in 2013

A generation after the internet appeared on the scene and more than a decade since New York City’s twin towers collapsed due to a terrorist...

Okla. Sen. Inhofe criticizes military budget cuts

OKLAHOMA CITY — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma condemned budget cuts to the nation's armed services Tuesday, telling a group of...

Congress’ Session Ends With a THUD

Several weeks back I predicted that the appropriations season would be a window into Congressional dysfunction. But even accounting for my...

Antiquated U.S. farm policy fiscally foolish

In June, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives rejected, 195-234, a trillion-dollar farm bill that included agriculture...

Congress considers clipping rural Montana air service’s wings

The future of rural Montana air service could be in for a bumpy ride when Congress returns to work next month. Federally subsidized...

Oklahoma GOP US Sen. Inhofe to run for 4th term

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe said Wednesday that he will seek a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, telling...

Transportation bill yields a THUD in the House

The Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill -- THUD for short -- is a $44 billion measure. House leaders put it...

Truth-O-Meter: Eric Cantor says the federal deficit is “growing”

During an interview on Fox News Sunday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., took aim at red ink in the federal government. Cantor...

Deficits falling (from way up)

In recent speeches, President Obama has repeatedly claimed that “our deficits are falling at the fastest rate in 60 years.” The White House...

Why Do We Subsidize Inter-City Rail When Buses Can Do the Job?

Liberals love buses — at least when the buses are run by municipally owned enterprises with union workforces and operate at a loss that...

Truth-O-Meter: John Boehner says Barack Obama has promised veto unless sequestration cuts are eliminated

As the nation hurtles toward another possible fiscal showdown, both President Barack Obama and House Republicans are engaging in a...

Mini-nuclear plants the next frontier of US power supply—or the next Solyndra?

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com A boon to the economy? Or a boondoggle? That's the debate raging over a new nuclear technology...

Tax Reform Is Too Important For Secrecy and Backroom Deals

At Taxpayers for Common Sense, were thrilled when Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, announced that the Senate Finance...

Tax reform secrecy plan blasted

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) A Senate committee's decision to keep tax reform proposals secret for 50 years has drawn strong objections and calls for...

Stem the wealthy’s sweet flood-insurance deal

Tucked into the Department of Homeland Security spending bill the Senate Appropriations Committee approved recently is a nefarious provision...

Truth-O-Meter: Obama says deficit is falling at the fastest rate in 60 years

President Barack Obama aimed to refocus the national debate and put the economy front and center with a speech at Knox College in Illinois....

Our Secretive Senate

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana, wants to reform our tax system, and he wants it badly. His Senate career...

Rep. Ted Yoho entangled in dispute over farm bill

The farm bill making its way through Congress includes a significant change — away from direct payments and toward crop insurance — in the...

Rising flood insurance rates a growing fear in Lowcountry

Michael Sally, who works in the real estate business, went on a road trip in May. His destination: Washington, D.C. The purpose: to hear...

The big insurance gamble for farmers and taxpayers

For the past 46 years Richard Barber has coaxed peanuts from the earth in western Marion County, but it wasn't until last year that for the...

Conservative Groups Urge Open Rule on Defense Appropriations

Conservative groups and budget watchdogs on Monday urged House Republican leaders to abandon a plan to limit debate on the largest annual...

Bill would raise flood insurance for some and subsidize others

Tucked into the Department of Homeland Security spending bill the Senate Appropriations Committee approved this week is a nefarious...

For Rahall, Representation Means Fighting for Resources

Nick Rahall knew exactly what he wanted to do when West Virginia sent him to Washington in 1976, and almost four decades later he is still...

Shhhh. Republicans Are Defending Earmarks.

Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are starting to quietly defend earmarks, three years after Congress...

Rep. Mulvaney gets win in U.S. House on defense cuts

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., gained a major legislative victory Wednesday as the House passed his measure to reduce...

The Fair Act of 2013

Alexander interview July 23, 2013 The Fair Act of 2013, a bill sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would establish a partnership...

ROMERO: Putting spies on a leash

The spirit of Massachusetts lawyer James Otis is awakening in Congress with a vote scheduled for the House floor Wednesday to limit...

Landrieu disappointed at Obama administration

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu said Tuesday it was tragic that the Obama administration opposed legislation that would generate...

Lack of revenue bill support criticized

WASHINGTON - Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska slammed the Obama administration Tuesday for opposing their...

The FAIR Act Is Bad Fiscal Policy

Today I am in the Senate testifying before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on proposed legislation to shift some of the federal...

All In W/ Chris Hayes: House passes Farm Bill with zero Democratic votes

Watch All In with Chris Hayes for the latest on the battle in Washington over food stamps and the Farm Bill, as the House passed a new...

U.S. House rejects bid to kill Piketon project

WASHINGTON — The House yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to strip $48 million from a proposed uranium centrifuge in Piketon, Ohio...

Farm bill: Divided

Concerned about ever-increasing federal food stamp spending and the incentives it affords to the poor, conservatives in the House of...

Program promoting U.S.-grown foods divides California Republicans

WASHINGTON — In this era of federal austerity, appetites are souring over spending taxpayer money on dinner parties in India featuring...

Vogtle reactors mean more clean energy

The City of Calhoun Electric Utilities receives the majority of its power from nuclear power. During the city council meeting on Monday,...

RYAN ALEXANDER: House farm bill worsens government waste

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Remember when the House rejected a trillion-dollar version of the farm bill a month ago? I predicted the subsidy...

Conservative groups push Republican leaders to open up Defense bill

A group of 11 conservative organizations are calling on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to keep the Defense Appropriations bill open to all...

How to Achieve Real Farm Bill Reform

A lot has been written about the initial failure of the farm bill to pass the House of Representatives in June, and the passage last week of...

GOP’s cruel intentions

Last week, we saw the full measure of Republican cruelty. Discarding decades of precedent, the House GOP stripped the nation’s food stamp...

Flood insurance changes hit resistance, face delay as premiums are due to spike

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing higher federal flood insurance premiums under reforms passed last year would win a temporary...

Flood Insurance Rates Could Jump for Thousands of Homeowners in Hawaii

More than 13,000 Hawaii property owners — including businesses, owners of vacation homes, and those whose properties have had major problems...

Landrieu inserts controversial flood insurance provision into spending bill

A major battle is unfolding in Congress over the troubled National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The fight pits homeowners in...

House Speaker John Boehner says rushed farm bill was nearly the same as old one

House Republicans rushed a new farm bill to a vote last week. But it wasn’t really all that new, Speaker John Boehner argued. Sure,...

House Republicans finally pass a farm bill — with no money for food stamps

After a failed attempt earlier, the House GOP has finally passed legislation to fund U.S. farm policy for the next five years. The only...

House OKs farm bill - but leaves out food stamps

After two embarrassing failures to pass a farm bill, usually a popular bipartisan exercise marrying crop subsidies with food stamps, House...

House farm bill leaves food stamps in limbo

House Republicans achieved the elusive goal of passing a farm bill Thursday by slicing federal support for food programs from the bill,...

Stripped-down farm bill passes U.S. House

Republicans narrowly pushed through a farm bill stripped of nutrition programs on Thursday in a raucous session marked by Democratic charges...

Farm bill 2013: House narrowly passes pared-back version

The House narrowly passed a pared-back farm bill Thursday after Republican leaders stripped out the nutrition title — affecting food...

New House farm bill cuts $12.9B, CBO finds

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Thursday released a new score on the split farm bill. The CBO said that the bill...

House to vote on farm bill in big test for Boehner, Republican leaders

The House will vote Thursday on a new farm bill in a major test for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the rest of the House GOP leadership...

Is it time for food stamps to come out of the farm bill?

Remember this chart about the contents of the House farm bill? As you can see, the farm bill isn’t purely a “farm” bill. About 80...

House could vote on Piketon project money as soon as tonight

The U.S. House could vote as soon as later tonight on an amendment that would strip USEC of federal dollars. An amendment by Rep. Michael...

Congress’ Latest Ridiculous Investment

Today's post is a bad news/good news story. The bad news is that deep in the fiscal year 2014 Energy and Water Development Appropriations...

Farm bill support frays amid tight money, shifting alliances

For decades, Congress rolled food stamps and farm subsidies together into one giant bill. The tactic generated lots of rural and urban votes...

Leaders Struggle to Find Votes for Farm Bill Without Food Stamps

House GOP leaders’ plan to strip food stamps from the farm bill ran into trouble Tuesday when it failed to win over conservative groups who...

Are drivers of electric cars saints or freeloaders?

Are drivers of electric and hybrid cars saints who reduce fuel use, emissions and global warming? Or are they freeloaders who...

Federal loan guarantee offer for Vogtle expansion extended again

The owners of Plant Vogtle have secured – for the third time – an extension to allow further negotiation with the U.S. Energy Department...

Immigration debate continues for Tennessee senators

Even though Tennessee's senators insist otherwise, critics say the immigration reform legislation they helped pass amounts to amnesty for...

Another Toubled Department of Energy Loan Guarantee

Spectacular failure made Solyndra a household name and highlighted failures in the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program. Since...

The Congress That Couldn’t Shoot Straight

For budget watchdogs, summer does not mean simply the arrival of school breaks and trips to the beach. Summer is also appropriations season...

Blog del Narco: Bill Calls for 40 helicopters on the Border with Mexico & Boon to US Companies

A fleet of 40 helicopters will be deployed along the border with Mexico if the security amendment included in the immigration reform bill is...

Immigration Deal Would Boost Defense Manufacturers

The border security plan the Senate approved last week includes unusual language mandatingthe purchase of specific models of helicopters and...

D.C. group blasts KABATA as geotech work for bridge begins

This week the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority announced the start of geotechnical work in Anchorage and a national watchdog group gave...

Alaska Ear: We win again

WE WIN AGAIN ... Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan national watchdog organization, has awarded our apparently eternal Knik Arm...

Optimism grows for repairing Western Pennsylvania locks and dams

River industry officials are confident Congress will approve legislation this year that would boost funding for much-needed repairs to...

KABATA announces Government Hill tunnel survey, catches national flak

A critical legislative audit and an attempt at transferring project management has failed to slow down the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll...

Nearly One in Five Members of Congress Gets Paid Twice

To solve the debt crisis, Americans—who are already suffering in these tough economic times—will have to make even more sacrifices, Rep....

Fantasy budgeting won’t make us safer;  Lawmakers should make targeted and smart Pentagon budget cuts

The watchword in Washington has been "cut" for some time. But the House of Representatives headed in the opposite direction when it adopted...

Knik Arm Bridge Under Fire From Taxpayer Advocacy Group

Many efforts have been made to find an alternative means of moving people and vehicles from the Mat-Su Valley to Anchorage and points...

How House Tackles WRDA Could Signal Surface Transport Approach

The approach the U.S. House of Representatives takes in tackling the long-delayed Water Resources Development Act over the coming months...

National group targets Knik bridge as waste of taxpayer money

A Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group on Wednesday gave its "Golden Fleece" award for frivolous public spending to the Knik Arm bridge...

Anti-spending groups hostile to farm bill stances of Tennessee Republicans

Tennessee's congressional Republicans usually find themselves on the same page as think tanks and advocacy organizations that call for...

Fight Over Genetically Modified Salmon Looms in Agriculture Spending Bill

The Alaska delegation could advance its fight against the commercial production of genetically modified salmon if the fiscal 2014 Senate...

Chris Coons named to Senate Appropriations Committee

Sen. Chris Coons was appointed on Thursday to the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Congress. The...

Ohio farmers glum after U.S. House plows under farm bill

The House dealt a surprising defeat yesterday to a five-year, nearly $1 trillion bill regulating farm programs — a blow to Ohio farmers who...

Fiscal group enraged by limits on House farm bill amendments

Deficit hawks at Taxpayers for Common Sense are enraged Wednesday by limits imposed by the House Rules Committee on farm bill...

House to Consider 100-Plus Farm Bill Amendments; Passage May Slip to Next Week

The House launched into debate of more than 100 amendments to the farm bill Wednesday, but there were signs that final passage might be...

Farm bill’s subsidy for sugar under pressure

Tucked into a sweeping $1 trillion farm bill being debated in the U.S. House this week and next is a provision that may define the future of...

Shocking House leaders, chamber soundly defeats farm bill

The House today delivered a blow to farm-state lawmakers and GOP leaders, voting down a Republican-sponsored five-year farm bill in a...

Politics drives farm bill policy

The U.S. farm subsidy program can be an important tool in stabilizing crop prices and ensuring a consistent food supply. The federal program...

Fantasy Budgeting Won’t Make Us Safer

The watchword in Washington has been “cut” for some time. But the House of Representatives headed in the opposite direction when it adopted...

Cotton Amendments Left Out Of Farm Debates

Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, saw several of his amendments fall by the wayside Wednesday without debate as the House launched a marathon...

Earmarks 2.0: Plenty of Swag for Hawaii In Defense Bills

The end of earmarks and the loss of Hawaii’s senior U.S. senators might well have led to something bordering on an economic catastrophe for...

Opposition to House Farm Bill Spans Political Spectrum

As the House prepares to vote this week on a new five-year farm bill, advocacy groups from across the political spectrum are lining up to...

Fraud Used to Frame Farm Bill Debate

Jimmy Thomas Sasser stood in silence in February as a federal judge sentenced him to four years in prison. For more than a decade,...

Farm bill cuts judged both too much, not enough

A year after they failed to pass a farm bill and suffered for it in several big congressional races, House Republicans think they’ve finally...

Sushi Aid in $1 Trillion Agriculture Bill Angers Watchdogs

Tucked deep in the 1,198-page U.S. House agriculture policy legislation is an initiative to guarantee prices for sushi rice. So too is...

Nuclear Power, Part 2: Nukenomics

Can the nuclear industry stand on its own two feet financially? It all depends on whom you ask. "There are plenty of cost estimates out...

Boehner decides to support farm bill

Speaker of the House John Boehner on Wednesday pledged his support for the farm bill scheduled to come to the House floor next week — a...

The farm bill, food stamps, and the future of crop subsidies

This week, the Senate passed a five-year, half-trillion dollar farm bill on a bi-partisan 66-27 vote. Now, it's on to the House of...

Republican bill would limit environmental reviews of offshore drilling

The federal government would be forced to make decisions on offshore drilling before fully scrutinizing how the work would affect coral and...

Coastal lawmakers, fearing rate hikes, cross party lines to keep flood insurance subsidies

Nearly a year after Congress was hailed for moving to fix the debt-ridden flood insurance program, coastal lawmakers are trying to stall key...

John Boehner: Time is right to bring latest farm bill to House floor

After punting last year on a farm bill, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Monday he will bring his chamber’s 2013 version to the floor this...

Letter: Redirect tax dollars to those most in need

I don't think anyone would dispute the claim of the May 31 letter "CA editorial got it wrong" that the SNAP program suffers from fraud and...

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Senate dives into ocean research — a James Cameron production

TUESDAY’S AGENDA: Film director James Cameron will advocate for ocean research during a Tuesday Senate hearing. The legendary filmmaker...

Senate’s new farm bill will waste billions on subsidies, critics say

To deficit hawks and critics of American farm policy, they are a clear example of wasteful government spending, lavishly rewarding farmers...

The Senate is voting on a $955 billion farm bill. Here’s what’s in it.

On Monday evening, the Senate will vote on a massive farm bill that will set the course of U.S. food policy for the next decade. The old...

Coachella Valley businesses see benefit in Presidential summit

Today, President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in the California desert to tackle a wide-range of issues, from...

Crop insurance push made for conservation requirements

Rep. Mike Thompson wants the subsidized coverage to require compliance for eligibility. Among the differences between the current...

Changes to dairy subsidies may take Boston out of equation

WASHINGTON — No one would mistake Boston for a bovine bastion. So it may come as a shock that the eyes of the nation’s dairy farmers are...

‘Man cave’ found in EPA warehouse

The EPA has found itself at the center of controversy after a report revealed a government funded rec room in a warehouse meant for the...

Watchdog: Man caves hidden in government warehouse

Contractors at an Environmental Protection Agency warehouse were careless with inventories, and used government furniture and appliances to...

On way out, Mack issued parting gifts

GOP Rep. Connie Mack IV gave his staff a parting gift as he left Congress in January: more than $61,000 in bonuses and raises. In the last...

Lets Wise Up About Defense Spending

The House Armed Services Committee is voting on the fiscal year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act this week and will turn it over to...

Rep. Mike Thompson wants crop insurance to require conservation

One of the big drawbacks of federally subsidized crop insurance — the new mode for subsidizing farmers — is that it has detached...

After deadly storms, how can costs be controlled?

The nation is still reeling from deadly tornadoes across the Midwest and preparing for hurricane season, but advocacy groups continue to...

Growing Economy Absorbing Sequestration Cuts

Sequestration, the mandated across-the-board budget cuts activated in March, has not triggered the financial apocalypse predicted by...

Lobbyists for Banks to Beet Farms Feast on $1 Trillion Farm Law

After his side lost a fight over federal sugar aid in the Senate last month, Bob Simpson, the president of Jelly Belly Candy Co. of...

Lawmakers clash over catastrophe fund

There’s a bill in Congress that would create a catastrophe fund to put money aside ahead of time to respond to natural disasters, but not...

House members push alternative farm bill that cuts subsidies

As the House and Senate tackle competing versions of the farm reform bill, two congressmen from Wisconsin are proposing an alternative bill...

Alan Grayson says bill clearing way for Keystone XL pipeline is an earmark

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., called a bill to advance the Keystone XL pipeline an earmark. Is it? Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., recently took...

Florida lawmakers-turned-lobbyists fuel revolving door of politics

Connie Mack took a big gamble running for U.S. Senate last year and lost, surrendering a safe House seat. But unlike many unemployed...

Farm Bill: How to Grow Almost Anything Risk Free

Congress is attempting to pass major farm legislation this year after failing in 2012 amid the hard-fought congressional and presidential...

Congress Poised To Make Crop Insurance Subsidies More Generous

For decades, farmers have been getting checks from the federal government as part of a safety net to help protect against, for instance, the...

Beware of the Beach House Bailout

Six months ago, Hurricane Sandy devastated the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast and, $60 billion dollars later, taxpayers continue to pay...

Senators fight to cut more farm bill spending

Senators critical of the level of spending in the giant $955 billion farm bill are fighting for floor votes after the Memorial Day recess on...

Making a mess of a road project

State taxpayers, including those in Hampton Roads, are on the hook for as much as $300 million for a highway in Charlottesville that does...

Faking farm savings;  It’s a time-honored tradition in Washington to do as little as possible and look good while (not) doing it

Sometimes it appears common sense and reality can't penetrate the Capitol's marble-lined walls. This financially costly phenomenon struck...

Should Emergency Disaster Relief Funding Be Offset With Budget Cuts?

A devastating tornado struck Moore, Okla. and surrounding areas on Monday, killing dozens and leaving little but rubble in its wake....

Delay sought on hike in premiums

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are throwing their support behind a bill to delay steep increases in flood insurance...

Barnum’s beaming: The Greatest bypass on Earth!

Have you ever walked into a store soon after opening hours to find the advertised sale item "all sold out?” Come to the Holiday Inn...

Bid to end crop insurance subsidy for tobacco worries burley growers

Kentucky tobacco growers are up in arms over a new proposal to eliminate federal crop insurance programs for tobacco. On Monday, Sen....

All In With Chris Hayes

Oklahoma senators voted against Sandy relief - but now their state will need aid Chris Hayes talks to Oklahoma State Representative Mark...

The Role Of The Federal Government In Disaster Relief

Following the devastating tornado in Oklahoma, the federal government is stepping in. A look at disaster assistance and the politics of...

Obama Pledges Storm Aid; Some in Congress Talk of Finding Cuts to Offset It

WASHINGTON — President Obama vowed Tuesday to marshal the resources of the federal government to help the victims of Oklahoma’s killer...

Senators target tobacco crop insurance subsidy

Taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance for tobacco production would be eliminated under a farm-bill amendment introduced Monday by U.S. Sens....

The Farm Bill Trough Is Opening Again

Sooey! That old-fashioned farmer's call, meant to summon hogs to the trough, is also an appropriate warning signal for taxpayers and...

Flood Insurance Amendment Could Lead to More Borrowing, Critics Say

An amendment to water resources legislation that would freeze flood insurance premiums for five years could force the Federal Emergency...

Shelby provision in water bill would benefit state docks

WASHINGTON — Ports that move large amounts of energy resources, including the Port of Mobile, would share a new pot of federal money to...

The Truth-O-Meter Says: Will Weatherford says expanding Medicaid would ‘drastically’ expand country’s deficit

The Florida House did the nation a solid by refusing to expand subsidized health insurance to 1 million low-income Floridians, argues...

Bill would stop feared Louisiana levee

WASHINGTON -- The water-projects bill the U.S. Senate passed this week could promote investment in ports and protect the Coast from...

Senate-passed water resources bill includes Mississippi River navigation study

WASHINGTON – A major water resources bill approved Wednesday by the U.S. Senate calls for more public-private partnerships in river and...

The long-term effects of corn ethanol subsidies

On Tuesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a massive five-year farm bill. It would cut spending but also create new subsidies for...

Senate votes to extend federal water projects law

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday put aside its partisan differences to extend the federal government's main water resources law,...

Taxpayers Feel the Pain of Washington Arm-Twisting

Ever wonder why the federal budget is so hard to tame? Sure, there are philosophical differences, with conservatives pushing for reductions...

Louisiana lawmakers vow to fight again for flood insurance measure

WASHINGTON — Louisiana’s two senators vowed Tuesday to continue the battle to delay rate hikes in flood insurance policies after a...

McCaskill tackling ‘ghosts of earmarks past’

WASHINGTON • Leave it to senators to create something called the Infrastructure Deauthorization Commission to do a job that they might...

How Contractors Raked in $385 Billion to Build and Support Bases Abroad since 2001

Outside the United States, the Pentagon controls a collection of military bases unprecedented in history. With U.S. troops gone from Iraq...

Critics taking aim at water resource bill

WASHINGTON — Environmental and fiscal deficit hawk groups teamed up Monday to criticize the water resources infrastructure bill by Sen....

Conservative groups: Sugar program must go

Leading conservative groups, including Americans for Tax Reform and Club for Growth, are calling for an end to the federal government's...

Appropriator background challenges Kingston in Senate primary

WASHINGTON — Jack Kingston’s 20-year career in the U.S. House has been shaped by his work on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where he...

Landlords Double as Energy Brokers

The trophy high-rises on Madison, Park and Fifth Avenues in Manhattan have long commanded the top prices in the country for commercial real...

5 key players in IRS mess

It's not every day that the central figures in a Washington scandal are the people who speak Tax Code jargon for a living. But now that...

Senators Reach Deal for First Votes on Water Bill

Senate negotiators reached an agreement Tuesday to phase out the diversion of money from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to offset other...

More of the Same Wasteful Farm Bill Spending

About a year ago, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a new, five-year farm bill, well in advance of the last bill's expiration date of...

White House Raises Concerns About Water Bill

The White House registered strong opposition Monday to water resources legislation the Senate is set to take up, saying it doesn't...

CCAGW Signs Letter to Hill on Dairy Reform Gone Sour

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Tom Schatz, President of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), issued a letter to the both the...

Water bill could see smooth sailing in Senate, despite critics

Amid sharply partisan exchanges over guns, immigration and the federal budget, the debate that began in the Senate this week over a water...

TCS Participates in Roundtable “The Truth Behind The Farm Bill”

On Wednesday May 8, 2013, Taxpayers for Common Sense Senior Policy Analyst Joshua Sewell participated in the panel discussion: FreedomWorks...

Farm product subsidies are criticized

U.S. taxpayers spent nearly $7 million last year promoting California wine overseas, and millions of dollars more to advertise agricultural...

I-Team 10 investigation: Subsidies a cash crop for farmers

  For years, farmers have been getting taxpayer subsidies in the way of direct payments from the government, even in years when they...

Senate to vote today on bill to fund locks, dams, ports

WASHINGTON -- The Senate is poised to vote today to allow construction on locks, dams, ports and other water resources to move forward after...

Port of Rochester funds in U.S. Senate bill

The U.S. Senate is expected to take up a controversial water resources bill this week that boosts the Port of Rochester. U.S. Sen. Kirsten...

Amid budget cutbacks, U.S. shipping sector seeks more federal funds

WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - As Congress imposes deep spending cuts on everything from national defense to child care, shipping industry...

DOT nominee’s role in contracts could draw questions

Anthony Foxx promotes clean mass transit on two fronts — as the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., and as an in-house lawyer for a company that makes...

Senate considers measure to spend more on dredging and other water projects

The Senate takes up a controversial water resources bill in the coming week that boosters say would prepare East Coast ports for deeper...

Fact check: Sanford-Colbert Busch debate

In a spirited debate between South Carolina congressional candidates Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Mark Sanford, we found a couple of...

Water infrastructure bill could drain taxpayer dollars with little oversight

The Water Resources Development Act of 2013 gives more than $12 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers - with little oversight It could...

New oil shale decision avoids mistakes of the past

Who hasn’t heard the old saying “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it?” That often-quoted adage was written by 19th...

Sequestration and How Not to Govern

Before heading home last week, the Senate and the House passed a sequester work-around to spare us from what had become the most visible...

Stimulus waste trackers now tracking Sandy relief funding

MADISON – After overseeing transparency and accountability of the massive $840 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, tracking...

TCS: FAA budget transfer a “gimmick”

  On Tuesday, President Obama held a wide-ranging White House news conference. He addressed Syria, the Boston Bombings, and Guantanamo...

Facing Dilemma, Oil Industry Stays Neutral On Tax Parity For Renewables

The oil and gas industry is, for now, staying neutral on just-introduced legislation extending favorable tax treatment the fossil fuel...

Washington Notes: U.S. taxpayers footing huge bill for rural airport customers

WASHINGTON - Following another congressional report on waste duplication in the federal government, Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, and Mark...

When Renewable Energy Shoots Itself In The Foot

It isn’t often that a new renewable energy project can be called a bad thing for renewable energy, but such is the case in Ann Arbor, Mich.,...

A Reasonable Food Fight

President Barack Obama wants to revamp Washington’s global food aid system. His 2014 budget request would transfer much of the program from...

Held up by MOX(y)

Sometimes, even in Congress, one can overplay one’s hand protecting turf. Consider the South Carolina delegation’s sharp objection to...

Experts: Coming debate will lay building blocks on energy taxes

A panel of experts expressed pessimism Wednesday that lawmakers can tackle broad-based tax reform this Congress, but they stressed that the...

Pro Deep Dive: The Energy Sector and the Implications of Tax Policy

FOR VIDEO OF THIS EVENT, CLICK HERE Join the POLITICO Pro Energy team for a look at how potential tax policies and the 2014 budget will...

Should Obama Twist Arms?

A burning question in Washington these days is whether President Barack Obama is using all available power to woo lawmakers and advance his...

Medical device makers see nearly invisible excise tax to expand health insurance as an industry threat

WASHINGTON - Say you break your leg, but still need to get around. You'll want crutches, right? Search the Internet and you'll find a...

How to Reform the Tax Code

Washington is a town marked more frequently by disagreement than consensus, but there is one point on which almost all parties agree: The...

Obama’s proposed spending on small modular reactors criticized from 2 sides

A modest increase in spending for the U.S. Department of Energy's program to promote small modular nuclear reactors found in President...

Sens. Feinstein and Boxer keep racking up seniority

WASHINGTON — Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have served longer together than any other pair of California senators — 20 years — and will...

Harris aims to protect MD from government regulations

WASHINGTON — Rep. Andy Harris is more concerned about what federal agencies could do to the 1st Congressional District than what they could...

Can good government gum things up?

LATELY AND ironically, I'm wondering whether good government is bad for governing. I say lately because of that gun vote in Washington...

Political role reversal on the Tennessee Valley Authority

Some Republican lawmakers are criticizing President Obama for suggesting the government consider selling the Tennessee Valley Authority....

Letter: Reasonable ideas for cutting deficit

Reasonable Americans understand that reducing the federal deficit will require a combination of spending cuts and increases in...

Immigration bill may set funding, regulatory gaps in border security

The Senate’s pending immigration bill sets aside $3.5 billion for additional surveillance of the country’s southern border, or roughly $1.79...

U.S. House Clears Bill Obscuring Federal Workers’ Assets

Detailed financial disclosures from senior federal employees and congressional aides wouldn’t be posted in searchable online databases under...

Obama’s 2014 budget has more new taxes than he talked about

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama touted a proposal this week to collect $580 billion in new taxes from the wealthy to reduce the nation’s...

Plenty to love, loathe in Obama’s 2014 budget

Congressional Republicans and Democrats began voicing their displeasure over U.S. President Obama's 2014 budget plan, saying it didn't go...

Monongahela locks and dams would get $2 million from spending plan

President Barack Obama's $3.8 trillion budget proposal calls for imposing annual per-vessel fees on the barge industry to pay for an $8...

Budget scalpel blunted as book detailing program trims is cut

President Obama’s new budget is slimmer in one major way he left out the details of the specific spending cuts he wants Congress to...

Homeowner insurance bill hurts taxpayers

This month, Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.Y.) reintroduced legislation that would create a federal backstop for disaster insurance, replacing...

Westinghouse Electric Co. sets sights on federal funds

Westinghouse Electric Co. plans to apply again for a federal program designed to help fund the development of mini-sized nuclear reactor...

How Zombie Programs Manage to Avoid Budget Cuts

Every year, part of the president's budget request to Congress includes a detailed catalog of programs targeted for the chopping block. It's...

Multiple military camouflage uniforms an example of government waste, GAO finds

Four different branches of the U.S. military are spending millions of dollars to equip troops with combat uniforms in seven different but...

Water bill moving in U.S. Senate ‘like a greased pig’

WASHINGTON • The porcine reference comes from Steve Ellis, of Taxpayers for Common Sense, an advocacy group that pays special attention when...

Morning Transportation

LAST-MINUTE REPRIEVE: Only two days before the FAA was set to end funding for 24 contract towers — the first of three batches that included...

Scientists angry about budget cuts come out of the lab and onto the streets

WASHINGTON -- To the ranks of civil rights and anti-war activists who’ve marched on Washington, get ready to add white-frocked...

TVA, B&W poised to put small modular reactors to the test

TVA is teaming with Babcock & Wilcox on a project that may produce the nation’s first operational small modular reactor. The potential of...

You paid 500G in bonuses

WASHINGTON — New York City and Long Island lawmakers lavished their staffs with more than $500,000 in taxpayer-funded bonus pay at the end...

Price Increases for U.S. Military Gear Dwarf Most Nations’ Defense Budgets

Here’s an example of what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was talking about in his Wednesday speech on reforming the way the Pentagon buys...

A Perfect Storm of Wildlife Habitat Loss—and How to Stop It

Bob Marshall recently described on this blog how the biofuels mandate from the Bush administration has had an unpleasant result: the...

Congressional spending requests less transparent, critics say

In the more than two years since earmarks were banned to make congressional spending more transparent, lawmakers have fallen back on an...

Cutting-edge approach needed to revamp flood insurance, flood risk analysis

WASHINGTON – With the price of flood insurance on the rise and climate change likely to worsen Midwest flooding, a scientific panel wants...

Monsanto Provision Tucked in Spending Bill Draws Critics

A plan to let farmers grow genetically modified crops developed by Monsanto Co. (MON) during legal appeals has drawn criticism from...

West Virginia Republican Files Secret Spending Requests

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-WV) first several terms in Congress could best be described as “free-spending” — obtaining tens of millions...

When Does ‘Appropriator’ Become a Dirty Word? Perhaps in Georgia’s GOP Primary

Candidates in the Georgia Republican Senate primary are jostling for the furthest right starting block in what’s likely to be a crowded...

U.S. deal with Saudis means $253 million for Lockheed training unit

Lockheed Martin Corp. has received a deal worth $253 million to build fighter-jet flight simulators and other training systems for Saudi...

A powerful voice pays off for Maryland during federal budget cuts

(Reuters) - Many members of Congress looked pretty helpless this week as they fought to save cherished programs in their states from...

Tiny US airports refuel annually on federal pork

ARDMORE, Okla. -- Along a country road in southern Oklahoma, there is a place that doesn't make sense. It is an airport without...

10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most

If you watch the budget battles in Washington, it might appear the only discussion about taxes is whether they should be increased, cut, or...

Bypassing Sense

With $16.4 trillion in U.S. debt and the possible sequester as daily topics in America, our state is on the verge of building a $244 million...

Spiraling down: Why the Bypass will wreck Albemarle

The Taxpayers for Common Sense, in an October report subtitled "Two trillion in common sense cuts to avoid the fiscal cliff," calls the...

10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most

If you watch the budget battles in Washington, it might appear the only discussion about taxes is whether they should be increased, cut, or...

The Army Corps of Engineers Excels at Wasting Money

As budget watchdogs, we know that some federal agencies are more wasteful than others in almost every sense. For nearly two centuries, the...

Letter: Crop insurance is not a safety net, but a hammock

ENID, Okla. — A March 26 Enid News & Eagle editorial, “Crop insurance simply is the cost of doing business,” claims that federal crop...

In office spending, local congressmen Owens and Gibson reveal preferences

U.S. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, paid out $31,000 in end-of-the-year bonuses to his congressional office employees, according to House...

Southland ports could see more tax revenue

WASHINGTON — The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are in an unusual position in today's era of Washington austerity: They could soon...

Little-noticed CR provision may block long-anticipated policy change

New guidelines for selecting and designing federal water projects released by the Obama administration on Friday were praised by...

PolitiFact: Of sequestration and duck penises

Sequestration is serious business. Jobs are on the line. Day care for poor kids is under the ax. Yet even in this budget climate, your...

Dredging backlog could clog Michigan ports

WASHINGTON -- For years, billions in surplus funds from a tax collected to maintain commercial ports and harbors has instead been diverted...

Bidens’ European trip costs taxpayers $1 million

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden stuck taxpayers with a hotel bill of more than $1 million from London and Paris on a diplomatic trip...

Lawmakers try to shield Army Corps of Engineers from cuts

As the government prepares for years of austerity, a bipartisan group of senators is aiming to give the agency that maintains ports and...

Menendez Aided Donor in Failed Bid to Prevent Merger

When Spanish Broadcasting System Inc. President Raul Alarcon Jr. wanted to block the merger of two corporate rivals, he found an ally in...

Truth-o-Meter: Harry Reid says deficit has been reduced by $2.5 trillion in past two years

During a recent floor speech, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., touted his chamber’s role in cutting the deficit. "In the last...

Parting bonuses ‘taxpayer-funded wet kiss goodbye’

Area lawmakers in Washington spiked their staffs’ pay at the end of 2012, often by more than $10,000 a person, according to a Dayton Daily...

Michele Bachmann pushes for highway project, but steers clear of ‘earmark’ label

A moratorium on congressional earmarks isn’t stopping Rep. Michele Bachmann from pushing for federal funding for a home-state highway. The...

Senate limits debate on the CR

Congress will be knee deep in the Continuing Resolution this week, as lawmakers work to avert a government shutdown. Steve Ellis, vice...

The saddest bit of legislative text we’ve seen all week

"(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS—It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the existing revenue sources for inland waterways system construction and...

Budget Cutters Should Ferret Out Wasteful Spending In The Tax Code

As Congress prepares to pass a continuing resolution to approve discretionary spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2013—and talks about...

Reed doled out thousands in year-end bonuses to staffers

WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Tom Reed of Corning gave a total $14,750 in year-end bonuses to a dozen members of his congressional staff in...

Deep in debt, USPS spends millions at business forum

SAN FRANCISCO -- The ailing United States Postal Service is cutting Saturday service and shutting down small town offices to stay afloat....

Morning Defense

Biden to welcome Hagel - Senate CR advances - Sequester solutions brewing? - Lawmakers blast AF over sexual assault case - AIA faces...

The Smoke and Mirrors of the Congressional Budget Process

This week budget committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate will be considering budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2014....

Report: Southeast U.S. Ratepayers Will Be Gouged For Billions Of Dollars In Excess Costs If Nuclear Reactor Projects Proceed

New Study Focuses on "Uneconomical" Reactor Projects in FL, SC, and GA Financed by "Advance Cost Recovery" Schemes; Lessons Seen for IA, UT,...

Energy opens second round for small modular reactor funding

The Energy Department on Monday announced a second round of funding for small modular nuclear reactors development through a program that...

Tech giants, private prisons big players on immigration reform

Washington (CNN) -- Big tech firms and private prisons represent two industries vigorously lobbying to influence the scope of legislation...

Obama’s Budget Talks With Ryan Obscure Immediate Needs

Paul Ryan, chief House Republican budget writer, today unveils his 2014 budget. Patty Murray, his Senate Democratic counterpart, will craft...

Despite Talk of Cuts, Members of Congress Push More Spending

Like many House Republicans, Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho supports “drastically reducing discretionary spending” and warns that further growth...

George Shultz Says Climate Change Urgent, Calls for Carbon Tax

WASHINGTON—Former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz called for action on climate change March 8, saying the United States should end...

Sequestration Sets Up a New Business as Usual

So here we are in a post-sequester world: Has the planet stopped spinning? Has anything really changed? And what have we...

New Estimates Question Savings from Farm Bills

Farm bills passed by the full Senate and the House Agriculture Committee in 2012 would cost billions more this year if they were enacted...

Watchdog group upset with nuke reactor funding

A budget watchdog group is criticizing a federal government program that provides federal funds to companies such as Westinghouse Electric...

Schafer portrait among many that draw criticism

FARGO – A portrait of Ed Schafer hung last April in a gallery in the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington is...

The Truth-O-Meter Says: Al Cardenas says of $60B Congress approved after Hurricane Sandy, ‘only 10 percent was for disaster relief’

In the weeks since Congress approved aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy, conservatives have explained their opposition by saying the bill...

Conservatives call for big cut in U.S. crop insurance subsidy

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - A coalition of fiscal conservatives on Tuesday called for a steep cut in federal subsidies for crop...

Energy Department investment in SMRs wins Golden Fleece

One year ago, the Obama administration committed nearly half-a-billion dollars to develop small modular reactors (or SMRs). The goal:...

Feds Continue to Hire Despite Sequestration

The sequester cuts may be in place, but many federal agencies appear to still be hiring. At a time when furloughs are on the table, by...

Obama pick for Interior head faces hearing; agency under fire

Outdoor retail executive Sally Jewell, President Barack Obama's pick to lead the U.S. Interior Department, will face her first big public...

Left and Right Unite in Call for Congress to Cut Defense Spending

One positive thing that the sequestration mess has done is bring liberal and conservative groups together in calling for serious reductions...

Repealing oil industry tax subsidies would be good for taxpayers

Former Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.) served up the usual field-tested oil industry talking points last week. The Hill readers may have been...

Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Official Government Portraits

Long before cameras were invented, our founding fathers kept their images alive with painted portraits. Paintings of George Washington,...

Feds keep hiring with sequesters in place: 400 jobs posted on first day back

The sequester cuts are now officially in place, but many government agencies appear to be hiring freely anyway. The U.S. Forest Service on...

Even without earmarks, Merkley’s Senate Appropriations Committee post is still a plum position

WASHINGTON — Though freshman Sen. Jeff Merkley snagged a spot on the coveted Senate Appropriations Committee, he won’t have a perk that...

EPA Funding Reductions Have Kneecapped Environmental Enforcement

Republicans have spent the past two years on the warpath against the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency. As the EPA...

Defense Cuts May Not be as Bad as the Pentagon Would Have us Believe

Soldiers are not above politics and the dire warnings we’ve been hearing for months about sequester “gutting” the military may have been...

Portman regrets his panel’s role in sequester

WASHINGTON — When the first batch of what will be $1.2 trillion in federal spending cuts over the next decade began Friday, some minimized...

Defense cut damage viewed as overblown

WASHINGTON — The warnings only grew more dire as the deadline approached. Automatic cuts to national defense, Pentagon leaders insisted,...

Portman once had high hopes for deal

WASHINGTON — With all the finger-pointing and name-calling over the so-called sequester, it’s easy to forget there were once high hopes for...

Retired Army Col. Robert L. McDaniel, 88, fought costly helicopter project

Robert L. McDaniel, a retired Army colonel and combat helicopter pilot who later led a campaign against a costly Pentagon helicopter project...

Fed Stress Doesn’t Faze Sequestration Supporters

In the hours before the advent of across-the-board spending cuts, conservative activists and federal employee unions differed starkly on how...

Obama push for modular reactors a ‘ripoff’—taxpayer watchdog

A nonpartisan watchdog group has dubbed the Obama administration's effort to develop small, modular reactors a "taxpayer...

Bipartisan agreement on budget cuts: Scalpel is better than ax

WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much these days, but there's consensus on one major issue: The automatic budget cuts...

Cut federal spending in a smart way: Our view

In certain circles, the fashionable view is the automatic budget cuts that kick in today won't be so bad. The cuts - $85 billion this year...

Sequester would hurt Memphis, Mid-South

WASHINGTON — The Mid-South stands to lose millions in federal payroll dollars and see a decline in overall consumer spending if the...

Did Obama go too far in warnings of sequestration?

 WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Barack Obama has warned Americans about the dire consequences of allowing the automatic across-the-board...

Watchdog group: DOE support for small modular reactors is ‘fleecing’ taxpayers

The U.S. Department of Energy's program to award developers of small modular nuclear reactors with funds to bring this new type of reactor...

Mini Nuclear Reactors Earn Golden Fleece Award For Government Waste

Are mini nuclear reactors the future of high-end energy development — or a wasteful government boondoggle? While it may or may not be...

Small modular reactor program to get ‘Golden Fleece’ award

A watchdog group plans Wednesday to call federal spending on small nuclear reactors a "major ripoff for taxpayers." Taxpayers for Common...

Nuclear program wins ‘Golden Fleece’ award

The federal government's move toward small modular nuclear reactors is getting panned by a taxpayers' group. Taxpayers for Common Sense...

U.S. offering $450M to support fledgling nuclear technology

A federal program intended to kickstart the much-anticipated development of bite-sized nuclear reactors at Westinghouse Electric Co. and...

Group gives ‘Golden Fleece’ award to DOE

The new and smaller nuclear plant design being pursued by the Tennessee Valley Authority was denounced by a taxpayer advocacy group...

Organization Calls Foul on DOE’s Small Reactor Program

The Taxpayers for Common Sense, a non-partisan budget watchdog organization based in Washington, has given its annual "Golden Fleece Award"...

Portable reactor program given ‘Golden Fleece’ award

A national watchdog group Wednesday bestowed its “Golden Fleece Award” for wasted taxpayer funds to the government’s small modular reactor...

Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Win the Golden Fleece Award

As management at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has been pushing the idea that speculative “small modular reactors” (SMRs) will be the...

Bypassing Sense

The Charlottesville Bypass, from just about every angle, is an extraordinary waste of taxpayer funds at a time when the state has no money...

What Congress Could—But Won’t—Do on Sequestration

The automatic across-the-board budget cuts know as sequestration are only three days away and the only thing that appears certain is that...

Waste-Busting “Golden Fleece Award” To Go To Small Modular Reactors

Award to Focus Attention on Federal Tax Dollars Being Lavished on Unproven Nuclear Reactor Technology Developed By Profitable Global...

Closed Campgrounds Not a Scare Tactic in No-Leeway Budget Law

Longer lines at airports. Closed campgrounds at national parks. Fewer meat inspectors. In warning of the consequences of $1.2 trillion in...

Bipartisan coalition calls for reforming sequester’s defense cuts

A diverse collection of 22 interest groups has signed a new letter urging Congress to make cuts to the Defense Department on the scale of...

In Oklahoma, tiny airport attracts federal money, but few planes

ARDMORE, Okla. — Along a country road in southern Oklahoma, there is a place that doesn’t make sense. It is an airport without...

Up with Chris Hayes: Sequestration

Yesterday, TCS Vice President Steve Ellis discussed sequestration on the Up w/ Chris Hayes show on MSNBC with three other...

Bi-state battle brewing over Bootheel floodway levee plan

 WASHINGTON – Critics call it a “dinosaur project,” a threat to the environment and a waste of money. Proponents describe it as a key...

PolitiFact’s guide to sequestration

It’s Washington’s latest case of economic hostage-taking: If Congress and President Barack Obama don’t reach a deal by March 1, the federal...

There’s plenty to cut at the Pentagon

(CNN) -- Over the past few weeks we have been bombarded with tales of woe from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and...

5 Reasons Not to Worry About the ‘Dreaded’ Sequester

With the automatic spending cuts kicking in next week, it’s tough to separate fact from bluster. Both the Obama administration and...

The Truth-O-Meter Says: Barack Obama says sequestration cuts will be indiscriminate

Over the past few years, President Barack Obama and Congress have lurched from one fiscal crisis to another. The latest, known as...

Congress listening more to Renewable Fuel Standard opponents

Thomas Elam has made his voice heard as the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard is in the midst of a 45-day...

The True Source of Our Deficit Woes

Under the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011, across-the-board cuts to federal spending will go into effect if Congress cannot agree on...

TCS: Trim the farm bill and cut oil subsidies

This month, 13 groups sent a letter to Congress identifying budget savings worth $100 billion over the next decade. They would draw from the...

Decision sought on 60-year-old Missouri wetlands plan

WASHINGTON — An engineering project introduced during the Eisenhower administration may be carried out in the Obama administration, but with...

Lautenberg Has Plenty of Fight Left in Him

PATERSON, N.J.—Sen. Frank Lautenberg gladly recounts his uniquely American story: son of an impoverished silk-mill worker; World War II...

Controversial motor fuel with more ethanol raises concerns

Although some motorists might not realize it, the gasoline they’re putting into their vehicles is 10 percent ethanol. Since 2010 Florida...

End of earmarks caused area water projects to dry up

WASHINGTON • For decades, members of Congress used earmarks to direct the Army Corps of Engineers on which water projects to build, and...

How to Make Democrats and Republicans Agree on a Sequester Deal

As we look ahead to the sequestration set to take effect at the end of the month, we are already hearing the voices from all sides offering...

Truth-O-Meter: Marco Rubio says sequester was Obama’s idea

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio delivered the Republicans’ response to the State of the Union address, criticizing President Barack Obama on policy...

Defense cuts a necessary step to control deficit

In a couple of weeks we will have a chance to revisit the holidays and immerse ourselves in all things “sequestration.” The deal brokered...

State Of The Union: Obama Renews Call For Elimination Of Some Corporate Tax Loopholes

Solving the never-ending budget crisis and reducing the deficit will require corporate tax reform, Obama said. Obama called for tax reform...

Congressmen wary of ‘wasteful, unrelated’ hurricane spending

One month after voting in support of a $60 billion relief package for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, some lawmakers in Bucks and Burlington...

Hill Briefing Shreds Renewable Fuel Standard

This morning I attended a briefing on “The Renewable Fuel Standard: Pitfalls, Challenges, and the Need for Congressional Action in 2013.”...

Fiscal reform needs accountability, less agency overlap

Government fiscal reform needs to come in the form of accountability, prioritizing by need and training if long term success is to be seen,...

Claire McCaskill re-introduces Earmark Elimination Act in Senate

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., re-introduced bipartisan legislation that would permanently ban earmark spending in Congress. The Earmark...

USEC under Obama 2.0 - in the race for state guarantees

(Translated from original text) Changes in the top echelons of the U.S. government related to the beginning of the second term of...

NMMA makes case to Congress on fuel standard

The National Marine Manufacturers Association made its case with several other groups Tuesday to federal lawmakers on the negative impact of...

Farmers, environmentalists await seventh analysis of 60-year-old Mississippi levee plan

An engineering project introduced during the Eisenhower administration may be carried out during the Obama administration, but with no more...

Rethinking Our Place In A Post-Hurricane Sandy World

The financial sting from Hurricane Sandy lingers, but it is encouraging to see more businesses and policymakers embracing bold measures to...

Sequestration is still better than the alternatives

Late last year, then-Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said of the impending sequester, “The only thing that’s...

Even Without Earmarks, Tax Breaks And Special Deals Fill Bills

Congress likes to say it no longer does earmarks, the provisions that direct federal dollars to serve local interests or campaign...

Analyst warns of RFS threat to US poultry industry

A US analyst has warned that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is causing the cost of chicken and turkey to rocket, leaving many producers...

Common Sense Ways to Reduce Wasteful Federal Spending

This article is part of a weekly series held by U.S. News and it's Economic Intelligence blog....

CBO: Budget deficit will drop to $845 billion

On Tuesday, President Obama asked Congress for a short-term deficit reduction package. "If Congress can't act immediately on a bigger...

Budget Cutters Eye Nuclear Reprocessing Plant

Given the threat of sequester, supporters of a $4.8 billion mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility worry that the Obama administration may be...

Charlottesville This Week - February 2, 2013

Cost Overruns Plague Energy Department Projects

The Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, known as MOX, isn’t the only high-profile project by the Energy Department’s National Nuclear...

Ag Economist Urges Congress to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

"The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is broken, but Congress can fix the rule by acting now and opening an inclusive, robust debate that leads...

Coalition seeks fuel standard repeal through legislation

A coalition of groups seeking to reform or repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates the use of biofuels such as ethanol, is...

Government is wasteful enough that sequestration is acceptable, witnesses say

 A House hearing exploring ways to curb waste and duplication in government on Tuesday showcased an apparent consensus that there may be...

Congress Urged to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

US - "The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is broken, but Congress can fix the rule by acting now and opening an inclusive, robust debate that...

Strange bedfellows unite for Hill fight over renewable fuels policy

A strange-bedfellow coalition of environmentalists, hunger advocates, oil refiners and boat manufacturers is taking to Capitol Hill to push...

Rep. Earl Blumenauer says cutting direct subsidies to farmers would save $28.4 billion over 10 years

Rep. Earl Blumenauer says ending the direct payment farm subsidy program "could save up to $28.4 billion over ten years that could be used...

At the intersection of politics and road building

Interstate 66, once envisioned as a cross-continent highway from the Potomac to the Pacific, ends in a pile of dirt just past a cloverleaf...

AGRIBUSINESS: RFS opponents launch new Hill campaign

  A coalition of opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard held a telephone news conference today to announce they are launching a new...

Ethanol slowdown not enough, say mandate critics

Never in the history of corn-based ethanol have so many Nebraska ethanol plants been idle. “This would be the largest drop we’ve ever...

House Cmte. Examines Government Spending

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled, "Government Spending: How Can We Best Address the Billions...

OVERNIGHT MONEY: Budget fitness

TUESDAY'S BIG STORY: Fun with budgets: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Tuesday will release its annual budget and economic update...

Ohio nuclear centrifuge project uncertain

WASHINGTON — As the 113th Congress gets under way and President Barack Obama begins a second term, some possible shifts in federal energy...

Strange bedfellows unite to bash RFS

The country’s Renewable Fuel Standard has done something few things in Washington can: bring together a diverse set of interests for a...

Unusual allies fight renewable fuel standard

Humanitarians, environmentalists, farmers’ advocates and refiners on Monday came together to demand changes to a renewable fuel mandate they...

Sen. Murkowski backs calls to reevaluate biofuel mandate

The Senate Energy Committee’s top Republican said Monday that she is “in good company” with congressional calls to reevaluate a...

ACE responds to Big Oil’s ethanol, RFS criticism

The Environmental Working Group joined a variety of other organizations today to call for the reform of the renewable fuel standard (RFS),...

It’s ‘common sense’ – or is it? The politics of Obama’s new favorite phrase.

Washington - In these early days of his second term, President Obama isn’t just promoting legislation on guns and immigration. The president...

Politics and road building intersect in Kentucky

WASHINGTON --Interstate 66, once envisioned as a cross-continent highway from the Potomac to the Pacific, ends in a pile of dirt just past a...

Fate of Piketon plant murky

WASHINGTON — As the 113th Congress gets under way and President Barack Obama begins a second term, some possible shifts in federal energy...

Sen. Mitch McConnell says he didn’t push for fiscal cliff provision aiding donor pharmaceutical company

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell says he didn’t push for a special provision tucked into the fiscal cliff deal — which he negotiated — that...

Cut defense, but cut it the right way

PICAYUNE — Republicans, and many Democrats, are upset by the prospect of so-called sequestration cuts to the nation’s defense budget....

Coalition Pushing for New National Framework for Disasters

A coalition of national interests has introduced a framework intended to shape how the nation responds to natural disasters, or as one...

Stand Up for the RFS; Don’t Forget to Comment

The petroleum industry is continuing its campaign to dismantle and repeal the renewable fuel standard (RFS). The Environmental Working...

SmarterSafer.org to Unveil New Disaster Assistance Framework To Protect American Families, Taxpayers and the Environment

WASHINGTON  - SmarterSafer.org will host a conference call at  11 a.m.  on Thursday, January 31  to introduce its new Disaster Assistance...

Farm Bill’s Corporate Welfare Is Unacceptable

One of the lesser discussed components of the recent fiscal cliff deal was a nine month extension of the farm bill, a trillion dollar piece...

Toomey votes against Sandy relief measure, citing deficit and non-emergency items

WASHINGTON — Deficit spending and non-emergency items like repairing the Smithsonian's roof prompted Sen. Pat Toomey to vote against Sandy...

You pay bill for some legislators’ dry cleaning, art, iPhones

OLYMPIA — A few days after Washington lawmakers approved a budget deal to lower state spending last year, small-government Rep. Gary...

Iowa representatives renew support for congressional salary limits

Two longtime Iowa congressmen from opposing political parties are stepping out to support an old idea with new life — restrictions on...

Approval of Sandy bill sparks new fight over disaster money

Washington - A long-awaited $50.5 billion Hurricane Sandy-relief bill is heading to President Obama for his signature -- and with that comes...

Disaster aid could reach president’s desk today

An hour before Northeast residents celebrate Congress' final approval of Sandy relief funds this evening, senators will be asked to...

Hurricane Sandy Response Stirs Up Capitol Hill Lobbyists

Lobbyists representing interests more than a thousand miles from Hurricane Sandy’s landfall competed with East Coast beach towns and...

Group Says Western Bypass Not Worth the Cost

The Route 29 Western Bypass is not worth taxpayers’ money. That was the message from a group of the road’s opponents A group gathered at...

Opponents of Route 29 Western Bypass Speak Out

NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather The proposed Route 29 Western Bypass has been a heated topic of debate for many...

United States of Crisis Seen Costing Jobs, Wasting Money

With the stroke of his pen the day after New Year’s, President Barack Obama extended a $5 billion farm subsidy program that he opposes and...

What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 1/21

Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about....

More bridges to nowhere

It’s deja vu all over again. Remember the “bridge to nowhere”? That was the proposed span from Ketchikan Alaska to Gravina Island —...

Another Shocker! Sandy Relief Bill Is Loaded With Pork

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, hammered Congress over their failure to pass a Sandy relief package in a timely manner. ...

Watchdogs warn billions in hurricane aid could go elsewhere

Lawmakers in Washington have quibbled over disaster spending in the wake of the largest hurricane ever to roll up the East Coast. Yet...

How Obama has done on fulfilling 1st term promises

WASHINGTON -- Hope and change. That's what Barack Obama promised -- again and again and again -- as he was campaigning for president in...

Puerto Rico Gets Emergency Sandy Money, Despite Being More Than 1000 Miles from Major Damage

Puerto Rico, an island 1500 miles from the major damage along the Atlantic coast inflicted by Hurricane Sandy, is slated to receive millions...

Superstorm destruction was good news for jolly prophet of doom

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- Superstorm Sandy made Orrin Pilkey smile. For more than 40 years, the renowned coastal geologist has preached a...

Start Cutting Government Spending With the Defense Budget

As we look ahead to the many fiscal milestones Congress will face in the coming months, it is worth spending a few minutes thinking about...

Record Taxpayer Cost Is Seen for Crop Insurance

WASHINGTON — The worst drought in 50 years could leave taxpayers with a record bill of nearly $16 billion in crop insurance costs because of...

House Approves $50.7B For Sandy Victims

Update at 7:35 p.m. House Passes Measure The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to approve $50.7 billion in aid for victims of...

Sandy relief package passes with extra spending intact

The House on Tuesday passed a $51 billion disaster relief package intended to aid the victims of October's Superstorm Sandy, but it is also...

Sandy Aid Under Fire in House

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is expected to vote today on its superstorm Sandy aid package, a crucial test that could...

All eyes on Congress over Sandy aid package

Congress should realize that the people of New York and New Jersey and their elected officials are watching closely as they prepare to vote...

Sandy relief bill faces ‘not-so-fast’ criticism

WASHINGTON — Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a ‘‘not-so-fast’’ campaign against a $50.7 billion Hurricane Sandy aid package...

Fear of Earmarks Sparks Split in Sandy Aid Bill

When House Republicans decided to ban earmarks in 2010, they boasted the move would change the way Washington does business. It has, though...

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied to Other Projects

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Sandy aid package that Northeastern...

Watchdog sees pork in Sandy relief bill

As Congress takes up the second slice of relief money for Superstorm Sandy, the influential Club for Growth said Monday it will seek to...

House to vote on Sandy disaster aid today

WASHINGTON — The House was poised Tuesday to begin consideration of a multi-billion-dollar disaster aid bill for victims of superstorm...

Pork must be cut from Sandy aid bill

Today, when the House of Representatives plans to vote on the $51 billion Sandy aid package, it is imperative that all the pork be...

House expected to vote on Sandy aid today

WASHINGTON — The House was poised today to begin consideration of a multibillion-dollar disaster aid bill for victims of Superstorm...

Fiscal cliff solution is served with a side of tax breaks

Washington • There are breaks for movie producers and racetracks, a little gift for Captain Morgan rum and tax credits galore for makers of...

Budget watchdogs see wasteful spending in $51bn Sandy relief bill

As Congress takes up the second slice of relief money for Superstorm Sandy, the influential Club for Growth said Monday it will seek to...

Sandy Pork And The Lesson Of Katrina

Although Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Atlantic Coast more than 2 months ago, the debate over disaster relief is still raging. While more than...

Objections raised over additional projects lumped with Sandy relief

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that...

House to Take Up Storm Relief Bill Amid Battle Over Spending

WASHINGTON — The House will move ahead this week with a multibillion-dollar package to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy, but the...

Billions in Sandy aid package headed elsewhere

WASHINGTON Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that...

Fiscal conservatives, watchdogs mount opposition to House vote on Sandy disaster aid

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that...

Critics hit Sandy storm disaster aid add-ons

A $51 billion GOP-crafted Superstorm Sandy relief package scheduled to hit the House floor Tuesday includes billions of dollars in...

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied to Other Projects

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that...

Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters

Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion...

NOT SO FAST! Campaign by conservatives, watchdog groups aims to trim $30 billion in ‘pork’ from long-delayed Sandy relief package

Not so, um, fast, Sandy victims. Conservatives and watchdog groups are waging a campaign they call Not So Fast aimed at trimming about $30...

Sandy relief bill swells aid for past disasters, House set to vote Tuesday on smaller version

WASHINGTON — Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a “not-so-fast” campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package...

Michigan is among a handful of states that may not get money from SuperStorm Sandy relief bill

It appears Michigan will be left out of a massive federal spending bill intended to primarily help the victims of Superstorm Sandy. The...

New Jersey lawmaker calls for ‘clean’ Sandy bill

WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Rob Andrews of New Jersey is asking colleagues to approve a Hurricane Sandy disaster package that focuses only...

Pork is Not Kosher: N.J. Democratic Rep Andrews Demands Sandy Bill be ‘Stripped of All Pork’

New Jersey’s Democrats are still reeling from Washington’s perennial ‘business as usual’ mentality after the first Sandy Aid bill contained...

Sandy relief votes, politics will continue this week in Congress

WASHINGTON — The aftermath of Superstorm Sandy for Northeastern lawmakers comes down to: Show us the money. Members of the U.S. House of...

Watchdog: $51B Sandy bill larded with extra spending, group says

WASHINGTON — A taxpayer group has found plenty to criticize in legislation that would spend $51 billion helping victims of superstorm...

Strip the pork from aid bill

Come Tuesday, when the House of Representatives plans to vote on the $51 billion Sandy aid package, it is imperative that all the pork be...

Storm in Congress over disaster-aid bill

Washington -- Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package...

Hurricane Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters elsewhere

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Hurricane Sandy aid package that...

Hurricane Sandy Relief Package Swells Aid For Past Disasters

WASHINGTON — Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package...

Sandy relief: $50.7B package swells aid for past disasters, group argues

WASHINGTON (AP) - Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid...

CNN’s GUT CHECK for January 11, 2013

CNN's GUT CHECK | for January 11, 2013 | 5 p.m. - n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news...

New Jersey Democrat wants pork-free Sandy storm aid bill

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rob Andrews is demanding his colleagues strip pork payouts from a massive aid bill intended to help victims of...

Pessimistic DOD Prepares for the Worst

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pessimistically announced Thursday that the DOD has “no other choice but to prepare for the worst,” and plans...

Morning Transportation

GET ‘EM IN THIS WEEK: The House Rules Committee has set a deadline of 4 p.m. Friday for amendments to the Hurricane Sandy storm aid bill...

Roof repairs, FBI salaries, and more—all part of disaster relief bill, group says

Not everything in the disaster relief bill, aimed at helping victims of this fall's Superstorm Sandy, relates to the storm. "The upshot is...

Will HUD, Amtrak, Ohio get in on Hurricane Sandy relief action?

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress don't want to appear insensitive (again) to the post-disaster needs of New Jersey and New York. Their...

Byron York: Defense spending can and should be cut—in the right way

Republicans, and many Democrats, are upset by the prospect of so-called sequestration cuts to the nation's defense budget. Pentagon chief...

House Goes Senate One Better with Pork Laden Sandy Bill

House Republicans last week blasted Senate Democrats for filling the fiscal cliff deal with pet projects and pork barrel spending. That...

Group says Sandy bill would finance unrelated projects

WASHINGTON – A taxpayer group has found plenty to criticize in legislation that would spend $51 billion helping victims of Superstorm...

For a lesson on Washington, examine tax breaks in fiscal cliff law

WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson said his vote was a vote for the average guy. So did Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan of...

Solving the Fiscal Impasse Starts and Ends at the Pentagon

As Afghan President Hamid Karzai returns to the United States this week, he will meet President Barack Obama at a time when the overwhelming...

Aid effort gets fishy

WASHINGTON — The bid to pass Hurricane Sandy aid could hit a snag over the controversial provision to insert $150 million for fisheries as...

How Sandy Aid is Shaping Up as House Prepares for Vote

The Republican-controlled House is expected to vote next week on the remaining $50.7 billion in Sandy aid, after $9.7 billion in flood...

4 Common Sense Ways Congress Should Deal With Our Finances

Last week the 113th Congress was sworn in. While newly elected members of Congress are still finding their way around the House and Senate...

Pentagon sponsors parade float, football games while facing budget cuts

As the nation hung perilously close to the fiscal cliff and the Pentagon faced its steepest budget cuts in history, the military was...

N.C. lawmaker launches legislative debate over sand-pumping projects

A North Carolina lawmaker has fired the opening shot in a bid to extend the federal government's commitment to pumping sand onto beaches to...

Shelby takes top GOP seat on Appropriations

WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Shelby is the new top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he’ll have an even greater say in...

In ‘fiscal cliff’ bill, White House was key to corporate tax breaks

WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - As the U.S. Congress rushed last week to approve a "fiscal cliff" tax bill that raised income taxes on the...

Obama signs porkless Sandy bill, Reid offends Katrina victims

On Sunday, President Obama signed a long-awaited bill to provide emergency federal aid to Hurricane Sandy victims in New York, New Jersey...

Nightly News: Cutting the deficit - or - raising money for projects?

With the nation’s debate at nearly $16.5 trillion, increasing at $140 million an hour, the White House and Congress agreed to increase taxes...

Fiscal Cliff Winner: Tax Breaks for Oil and Gas Industries

The fiscal cliff deal reached in Washington proved to be a winner for the oil and gas industry on two counts. First and foremost, the...

Reid offends Katrina victims, while Obama signs porkless Sandy bill

WASHINGTON - Comparing disasters is probably never a good idea because regardless of the size it's a travesty for those directly affected....

Taxpayers for Common Sense’s Stephen Ellis on Hurricane Sandy Relief

Washington, DC Justin Hyde, Yahoo Autos Senior Editor Topic: An estimated 14.5 million cars were sold in the United States in 2012. ...

Congress OKs $9.7B in Sandy relief, as conservatives question call for more aid

Washington –  Congress approved a $9.7 billion aid bill for victims of Superstorm Sandy on Friday, amid a gusty debate between those who say...

Tax reform more likely after ‘fiscal cliff’ agreement, say House Republicans

GOP tax-writers in the House say the “fiscal cliff” agreement has made them more confident that a tax overhaul can be passed in 2013 that...

Congressional special: Pulled pork with extra sauce

It takes real skill to spot the hidden pork packed into Congressional bills. Some of it is easy to spot, like the $20,000 new car for a...

Some Connecticut companies get breaks in fiscal cliff deal

Washington -- While lawmakers championed the fiscal cliff deal as the mechanism that keep taxes on the middle class from rising, they also,...

Chris Hayes guest: 112th Congress succeeded most at ‘erosion of civil liberties’

On UP with Chris Hayes on Sunday, the host and his group of panelists discussed the fact that the 112th Congress seemed to succeed in...

UP with Chris Hayes: Hurricane Sandy relief, a look back at the 112th congress, Chicago’s homicide rate

On Sunday’s Up w/ Chris Hayes, we’ll discuss the negotiations — and the roadblocks — that have held up the relief bills for Hurricane Sandy...

Congress approves first part of Sandy relief measure

Congress approved a $9.7 billion Sandy aid package last Friday after a two month delay; the delay was caused by  fiscal cliff talks,...

Could Reviving Earmarks Get Congress Moving Again?

"You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours," is an old and cherished maxim of our republic. In politics, that's called an earmark, aka...

Congress approves scaled-back Sandy aid bill

Washington (CNN) -- Congress approved a $9.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package on Friday following delays over fiscal cliff bickering,...

Fiscal Cliff’ Bill Includes Tax Help for Select Industries

The "fiscal cliff" bill that prevented income taxes from rising for most Americans also renewed special tax breaks for a variety of...

Electric Motorcycle Maker Gets Home-State Help in Tax Deal

(Updates with comments by Zero Motorcycle executive starting in 18th paragraph.) Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- The fine print of Congress’s Jan. 1...

Boehner has mixed record on fulfilling promises

House Speaker John A. Boehner’s lofty pledges to break with precedent and run Congress in a more inclusive, transparent manner ended up a...

Broad $60.4B Sandy relief bill criticized as ‘pork’

In more than 100 pages of legislation detailing the $60 billion disaster aid plan Congress considered, there’s almost no mention of specific...

The Austin Chronicle: Headlines

• Austin Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 13-year-old girl who was found unconscious outside a home (not her own) in...

Norm Dicks’ decades in Congress brought a lot of money back to home state

 WASHINGTON — Pentagon chief Leon Panetta strode into the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, surrounded by military officers in dress-green...

Congress Aids Oregon Electric Motorcycle Maker in Budget

The fine print of Congress’s Jan. 1 budget deal includes a tax credit rewritten by Oregon lawmakers to benefit home-state motorcycle...

Super-storm of pork hits Washington

Now that fiscal cliff panic is under control, we can return to panicking over Super Storm Sandy, which flooded the streets of Washington...

‘Fiscal cliff’ bill filled with ‘pork’

The rancorously debated "fiscal cliff" bill approved by Congress this week was supposed to be a straightforward way for the country to avert...

Compromise added billions in special tax breaks

WASHINGTON — In the last-minute dealmaking to stop the nation from tumbling over the so-called fiscal cliff, Congress and the White House...

‘Fiscal cliff’ bill riddled with special tax breaks for select industries

WASHINGTON — The "fiscal cliff" bill that prevented income taxes from rising for most Americans also renewed special tax breaks for a...

Earmarks included in fiscal cliff deal

The VP of Taxpayers for Common Sense discusses tax incentives in the fiscal cliff bill that cater to special interests. Rush...

A fiscal cliff solution, served with a side of tax breaks

WASHINGTON — There are breaks for movie producers and racetracks, a little gift for Captain Morgan rum and tax credits galore for makers of...

Maligned loopholes survive ‘fiscal cliff’ deal to the tune of $1 trillion

Even as Washington says it wants to eliminate the credits and loopholes in the tax code, the “fiscal cliff” deal Congress agreed to this...

How America Can Avoid the Next Fiscal Cliff

Ryan Alexander is the president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. Unbelievably, as I write this on the morning of December 31, there is no...

Some critical of ‘pork’ in Sandy aid bill

 WASHINGTON — With budget watchdog groups charging that a proposed $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy relief package is larded with spending for...

Hurricane Sandy pork

 Many news outlets are reporting that President Obama‘s proposed $60.4 billion federal aid bill for Hurricane Sandy victims is packed with...

USDA agency’s largesse grows crop insurance

Most Americans have never heard of the Risk Management Agency, but the obscure Agriculture Department office spreads good cheer and millions...

Loss of Inouye Means Loss of Clout for Hawaii

HONOLULU — No man is an island. But in Hawaii, Daniel K. Inouye sure seems like one. After he died last week at 88, this state went into a...

Short-term reforms to avert the Fiscal Cliff

All the talk surrounding the fiscal cliff has been about the big numbers of how much revenue raisers and spending cuts would be necessary....

Military Experts Actually Want Twice The Level Of Defense Cuts That Are In The Sequester

If the sequester goes into effect on January 1st, we will see over time a $500 billion reduction in security spending (which includes the...

A Holiday Wish List for Congress

For many of us who give gifts at this time of year, the rituals put in perspective the differences between what we can afford, what we need,...

DC Watch: Farm bill unlikely to be part of fiscal cliff efforts

With the clock ticking down to the end of the year, there is still no agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)...

$60B Sandy Relief Bill Advances in Senate

Senate Democrats said Friday they have enough votes to approve a more than $60 billion Sandy relief bill, overcoming objections that it...

Is Delta Regional Authority on chopping block?

WASHINGTON — The Delta Regional Authority has invested $108 million in 718 projects in eight states, including Arkansas, Mississippi and...

Norm Dicks’ decades in Congress brought a lot of money back to home state

WASHINGTON – Pentagon chief Leon Panetta strode into the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, surrounded by military officers in dress-green...

It’s Time for a Plan “D”

After last night's Republican Plan "B" debacle and failure to find agreement within their own Caucus left them with no pathway forward, it...

US coal export trade raises alarms for Western states

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Western states that rely on receipts from coal sales to help fund their governments are concerned the mining industry...

What the Sandy Bill Teaches Us About Our Spending Problem

Among all the discussion about the outlines of a deal to avert the fiscal cliff, one thing is notably absent: details about spending cuts....

Groups: Sandy Relief Bill Filled with Pork Unrelated to Disaster Relief

Conservatives and taxpayer watchdog groups have examined the Senate's $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill and have discovered it funds...

Agencies paralyzed by fiscal cliff, endless succession of CRs

So far this year, U.S. EPA has frozen hiring, delayed contracts and sharply curtailed travel, all to deal with the uncertainty of its future...

Congress Piles the Pork into Hurricane Sandy Relief

The millions of dollars for projects unrelated to recovery from Hurricane Sandy included in the Sandy relief act is the latest in a long...

The Choice is Between “Guns and Guns”, not “Guns and Butter”

There was a Bipartisan Congressional letter calling for Defense Cuts, ie  Less US Guns Roaming the World. Every single Libertarian leaning...

Editorial: Pass Hurricane Sandy aid at the right size

Even if states devastated by Hurricane Sandy don’t need exactly $60.4 billion in federal aid to fund disaster relief, Congress should not...

Nearly 50 percent of Americans get federal benefits

 Thousands of Idahoans rely on money from the federal government for health, retirement or just to stay out of poverty. That dependence is...

Hawaii loses economic engine with Inouye’s passing

 HONOLULU -- HONOLULU (AP) Saving Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard from threatened closure. Helping Hawaii emerge as a premier location for the...

Isles face own fiscal cliff as many expect sizable drop-off in federal funds

When University of Hawaii engineering professor Panos Pre­ve­douros as­ked his students to examine the impact of various potential disasters...

Sandy’s impact underscores need for national mitigation strategy

One hundred and eleven homes burned to the ground in Queens, flooding in parts of Manhattan forced the financial markets and subways to...

Over $9 Billion in Sandy Bill for Transportation Spending That Won’t Occur for Two Years

Taxpayers for Common Sense vice president Steve Ellis e-mails reporters a list of projects getting funded in the $60.4 billion Sandy relief...

A car for the Justice Department inspector, and more in Sandy relief bill

Writing a bill for disaster relief from Hurricane Sandy surely is fairly straightforward, with aid concentrated say on loans and...

Hurricane Sandy Recovery Package Packed With Extra Spending

WASHINGTON — The Senate has quietly tucked hundreds of millions of dollars to fund parochial needs into a $ 60 billion supplemental spending...

Club For Growth, Heritage: Sandy Bill Packed With Pork

Two conservative groups on Monday said that a $60 billion bill meant to fund Hurricane Sandy relief efforts is filled with pork that is...

Conservative groups complain Sandy aid bill contains unrelated spending

Conservative groups say the Senate’s $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy supplemental bill is loaded with millions of dollars in spending...

K Street gathers strength behind Hurricane Sandy relief bill

Lobbyists for beach and coastal towns have sprung into action on a $60.4 billion relief package for communities damaged by Hurricane...

Why isn’t Obama demanding corporate welfare cuts?

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – If President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner really want to reduce federal deficits, they’re doing a lousy...

Senate debates $60.4 billion Sandy aid package

Washington - Democrats on Monday began trying to push $60.4 billion in emergency spending for Superstorm Sandy victims through Congress by...

Study Says Farm Bills Would Add to, Not Cut, Deficit

 For weeks, leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have lobbied for their stalled farm bills that cut farm and food program...

5 Countries On The Naughty List For Dirty Energy

We’re making a list, we’re checking it twice… No, this list isn’t about whose wish will be fulfilled on December 25th. Instead, it’s a...

Sandy relief bill gets add-ons to lure GOP votes

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate's $60.4 billion superstorm Sandy relief bill contains more than $20 million for Alaska's fisheries and $188...

Coalition urges approval of a farm subsidy

A bipartisan coalition of senators representing almost a third of the chamber is pressing party leaders to include a long-delayed farm...

Porked-up Sandy relief bill storms into Senate

The Senate’s emergency spending bill to cover costs from Hurricane Sandy includes millions of dollars that will never touch the affected...

Report: No Future in Oil Shale, Utah’s “Rock That Burns”

VERNAL, Utah - It isn't working out and it's costing taxpayers money. Those are two reasons a congressional watchdog group opposes oil shale...

AG NEWS 12/13/2012

“Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated Reviewing Contract” At the annual joint meeting of the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated, Jay...

Groups Opposed to Farm Bill Inclusion in Fiscal Cliff Deal Speak Out

Some farm groups and lawmakers would like to see a farm bill included as part of any legislation written to avert the fiscal cliff. But the...

Some Spending in Sandy ‘Emergency’ Bill Doesn’t Start Until 2018

Republican senators like Arizona’s Jon Kyl and Alabama’s Jeff Sessions have objected to the large Hurricane Sandy relief package. President...

150 million reasons it’s hard to cut spending

WASHINGTON -- Don't mess with Big Bird. And don't even think about touching Medicare. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney ran into...

Good case that farm bill would add to deficit

A piece from Ron Nixon in The Washington Post is worth reading because it takes a crack at the conventional wisdom that a farm bill will cut...

Senate unveils Hurricane Sandy bill

 The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday released a bill to pay for damage caused by October's Hurricane Sandy. The bill would...

Amash Among Bipartisan Group Seeking Defense Cuts

The group of 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats sent the letter to President Obama and leadership in the House and Senate. ...

Would Obama Deal on Spending?

President Barack Obama is on his way to bludgeoning Republicans into agreeing to raise taxes. The big question is: Can he reach a deal on...

For Federal Workers, a Fiscal Cliff Deal Carries Dangers

Federal workers know the drill when it comes to big budget questions. With Congress grappling with another fiscal crisis, federal employee...

Group Says Billions of Dollars Risked on Oil Shale Speculation

The nonpartisan budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense reported this week that billions of taxpayer dollars have been risked over...

Sand dunes spare NJ homes from Sandy’s destruction

(CBS News) LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J. - Six weeks after superstorm Sandy, FEMA said more than half a million homeowners want federal help....

Libertarian and environmental groups unite against five-year farm bill

WASHINGTON -- Conservative and taxpayer groups joined the Environmental Working Group (EWG) today to oppose passage of a five-year farm bill...

Right, left call for defense cuts

Fiscal conservatives and liberal Democrats are calling on party leaders to include “substantial defense savings” in a deficit-reduction...

Conservatives, Environmentalists Find Common Cause Against Tying Farm Bill To Fiscal Cliff

WASHINGTON — Although they may be natural enemies in the modern, legislative landscape of Washington, environmentalists and fiscal...

Hall Bill to Create Millions in New Taxpayer Handouts for Oil Shale Just as Taxpayer Report Finds that Billions Already Risked on Failed Experiments

Last month, Representative Ralph Hall (R-TX) introduced a bill (H.R. 6603) to create $50 million in new taxpayer-funded handouts for oil...

Barge Lines Want U.S. to Pay Costs of River Improvements

The threat to barge traffic posed by low water levels on the Mississippi River portends more disruptions if the U.S. government doesn’t pay...

After the Storm, New Questions Arise

To the Editor: Re “Resisted for Blocking the View, Dunes Prove They Blunt Storms” (front page, Dec. 4): Senators Charles E. Schumer and...

Subsidies for Oil Shale Development: Billion-Dollar Boondoggle?

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - As Congress looks to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," opponents of a proposal recently introduced in Congress (H.R....

Will Big Oil Keep Its Subsidies in a Fiscal Cliff Deal?

America's most profitable industry banks billions in subsidies—but there's little talk in Washington of putting these handouts on the chopping block. ...

Watchdog group opposes $50 million oil shale subsidy

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, is protesting a Texas congressman's proposal to...

5-year farm bill could impact fiscal cliff talks

WASHINGTON — Many politicians and experts view the fiscal cliff as a looming economic crisis, but to those backing a new farm bill, it also...

Four Years Out, A Sneak-Peek At 2016 (The Note)

NOTABLES: OBAMA TO TACKLE DEBT CEILING: In remarks at the Business Roundtable today, President Obama for the first time will highlight...

Toss Wasteful Defense Weapons Programs Off the Cliff

Many of us in the Congressional Progressive Caucus recognize that no serious plan to address the deficit can go forward without defense...

White House mounts relentless corporate push on cliff - Dire Wall Street warnings - GOP small business push - New Fed bond purchases next week

WHITE HOUSE MOUNTS RELENTLESS CORPORATE PUSH ON CLIFF — On Tuesday, President Barack Obama gave his first post-election interview to...

About to run aground on EPA rules, coal-fired ferry seeks to rewrite the law

When is an earmark not really an earmark? A fresh bit of Congressional finagling raises that question in regard to yet another...

Taxpayer group outlines ‘fiscal cliff’ punt

Taxpayers for Common Sense is out Wednesday with recommendations to Congress and the White House on how to break the "fiscal cliff"...

Taxpayers for Common Sense Releases Cliff Roadmap

The nonpartisan watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense chimed into the chorus surrounding the fiscal cliff Wednesday, releasing its own...

Taxpayers for Common Sense Releases Cliff Roadmap

The nonpartisan watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense chimed into the chorus surrounding the fiscal cliff Wednesday, releasing its own...

Snake-Oil Deficit Savings

Like things you spot in your side-view mirror, many of the budget numbers flitting around the debt talks are larger than they appear....

Asia coal export boom brings no bonus for U.S. taxpayers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. miners who are booking big profits on coal sales to Asia are enjoying an accounting windfall to boot. By...

Coloradans speak out against subsidizing oil shale

Grand Junction, Colo. (KKCO) – People in Colorado are speaking out at a house science subcommittee meeting in Washington D.C. on...

Worse Than Solyndra!

Remember how the failure of solar-panel manufacturer Solyndra, which had received $535 million in federal loan guarantees, supposedly showed...

White House Appointees Have Portraits Painted at Taxpayer Expense

While members of Congress continue to wrangle over whether the nation can avoid the “fiscal cliff,” taxpayer funds are still being spent on...

Taxpayer group irked by GOP plan to subsidize oil shale research

DENVER — A Texas Republican’s proposal to subsidize research on developing oil from oil shale is prompting objections from taxpayer...

Report calls out oil shale subsidies

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation that will hand out $50 million of increased subsidies...

Study: Taxes Paid for Failed Oil Shale Subsidies

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- A nonpartisan taxpayer group says their new study brings to light just how many failed oil shale experiments were...

Watchdog group opposes oil shale research subsidy

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — A national government watchdog organization wants to put an end to subsidies for research and development of...

Pork Will Find a Way

How Congress can fund its pet projects -- even without earmarks....

Taxpayers group urges Salazar to ditch Bush-era royalty

A new report urges the Interior Department to scrap a George W. Bush administration policy designed to subsidize the development of oil...

Obama, Congress at an impasse on fiscal cliff

In January, Bush-era tax cuts expire and across-the-board spending cuts kick in. The clock is ticking and Congress appears no closer to...

Oil Shale Subsidy Called a Boondoggle by Taxpayer Watchdog

 A federal subsidy that would funnel $50 million to the oil-shale-development industry -- which is still not commercially viable, and may...

Taxpayers for Common Sense slams oil shale subsidies

WASHINGTON — A new report by a nonpartisan taxpayer advocacy group is calling for the end of subsidies for oil shale development, saying...

Oil shale bill rankles taxpayer advocacy group

DENVER—A taxpayer advocacy group is objecting to a Texas Republican's proposal to subsidize research on developing oil from oil...

Fight Over Ferry Prompts Questions on Definition of Earmarks

To its critics, the S.S. Badger is a relic and a menace, a coal-fired car ferry that dumps tons of raw coal ash into Lake Michigan each year...

Implications of States’ Legalization of Marijuana for Recreational and Medical Use

The recent passage of state laws in both Washington and Colorado legalizing small amounts of cannabis sativa for personal use will have profound implications far beyond the borders of those states. ...

Politico Morning Defense 11/28/2012

IS TODAY THE DAY FOR THE NDAA? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said yesterday he plans to bring the defense authorization bill to the...

White House: Consumer Spending Will Decline Unless Congress Averts Fiscal Cliff

It was a blockbuster weekend for retailers, as Americans took advantage of big discounts to ring in the holiday shopping season.  But you...

Columbia River Crossing Bridge knocked by taxpayer group

The watchdog taxpayer group, Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), has included the Columbia River Crossing Bridge in its list of what it terms...

Happy Thanksgiving! How much did your tax dollars underwrite the feast?

Nearly 400 years ago, at the very first Thanksgiving in the Plymouth Colony, Native Americans and pilgrims dined together on a meal of deer,...

In budget talks, Sen. Mitch McConnell has role, but not the lead position

WASHINGTON — While he won’t be the lead negotiator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will occupy a key position in what will likely be...

Congress prepares for bailout of flood insurance program amid Sandy claims

Hurricane Sandy-related claims are pouring into the troubled government-run National Flood Insurance Program — and Congress is girding for...

When to Stay and When to Go

Blanket federal spending after disasters can lead to rebuilding that isn’t in the best interest of the community, the state or the nation....

Budget Watchdog to Congress: Do Bare Minimum, Then Get Out

“Punt and go home.” That’s the message that Taxpayers for Common Sense wants to send to lawmakers. Ryan Alexander, president of the...

What does Wall Street know that Washington lawmakers fail to see?

Wall Street is signaling confidence that lawmakers will strike a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” baffling Washington insiders, who see...

Fiscal Cliff: Solution by Senator Coburn Will Save 68 Billion in Pentagon Spending Cuts

The fiscal cliff is looming, and Washington is scrambling to reach a deal to avoid a Thelma and Louise ending in January. To start, they...

Navajos ban uranium mining

Navajos (Dinés) who have lost family members from radioactive contamination – and those fighting new proposals for uranium development –...

Solution to Fiscal Cliff Should Include Senator Coburn’s $68 Billion in Pentagon Spending Cuts

By Christopher Preble The fiscal cliff is looming and Washington is scrambling to reach a deal to avoid a Thelma and Louise ending in...

How Sandy revealed the follies of federal flood insurance programs

The mess that is now the Jersey Shore is a potent reminder of nature’s fury, but also of misguided government overreach. Driven by Sandy’s...

Let’s stop subsidizing living in harm’s way

Our nation is recovering from a natural disaster. Again. This time it’s Sandy. A few months ago, it was the drought. Last year, there was...

Rebuilding Resilience: We have to stop subsidizing people to live in harm’s way

Our nation is recovering from a natural disaster. Again. This time it's Sandy. A few months ago, it was the drought. Last year, there was...

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority to Pay Sandy Claims

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will likely need to go to Congress for additional borrowing authority to pay claims from...

Flood insurance program serves vital role after storms

WASHINGTON — The most significant source of compensation for many homeowners and businesses hit by Hurricane Sandy will be the National...

Obama Administration Spent $180,000 on “Official Portraits” This Year

Because what would the nation do without an official portrait of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson at a bargain basement $40,000. And it is...

Obama plans Asia trip amid budget fight

With less than two months left for Washington to avoid an impending fiscal crisis that could drive economic recovery into a tailspin,...

Nearly all of ag wants farm bill action

On Tuesday, the day that Congress starts its lame-duck session, 235 groups representing nearly every facet of agriculture sent a letter to...

Schumer, Gillibrand seeks funds for coastline

WASHINGTON -- New York's U.S. senators said Wednesday they will seek $500 million to $1 billion in federal funding for seven Army Corps of...

Eighty-Eight to Congress: ‘Let the Wind PTC Expire!’ (challenging Big Wind, Big Government, and Big Environmentalism)

“The PTC was created in 1992 to get the wind industry off the ground. Yet 20 years later, we have little to show for it.” When it comes to...

Op-Ed: Saks, Ellis: Sandy a Reminder of Need for National Mitigation Strategy

Communities across the country are recovering after the wrath of Hurricane Sandy and, once again, tens of millions of taxpayer dollars will...

Put up or shut up time for Congress, Obama on fiscal cliff

Written By: Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman WASHINGTON — Congress returns to the nation’s capital next week with hopes of a big deal but...

Lame duck Congress, go home

(CNN) -- The lame duck Congress should depart town quietly and leave the governing to President Obama and the newly elected Congress in...

Joint Op-Ed: Pass a fiscally responsible Farm Bill extension

Written By: Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense and Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group It’s too late for Congress to pass a...

Connecticut defense firms first in line to fall over fiscal cliff

Washington -- Among the first to fall over the federal government's looming fiscal cliff will be defense contractors, including those who...

Tax group floats 6-month fiscal deal

Written By: Leigh Munsil This Congress should consider a six-month deal to avert the fiscal cliff and sequestration so the new Congress...

Congress could renew debate on flood reforms, building codes as NFIP seeks funds after Sandy

By Sean P. Carr   Reaching agreement on a five-year reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program took several years. In the...

After Sandy: Reassessing the Nation’s Flood Fund

By Jennifer Scholtes, CQ Staff Until a week ago, it looked as if Congress had acted in the nick of time this summer to save the...

Hawaii, Senate

Written By: Mazie Hirono Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono turned back a strong challenge from Republican Linda Lingle, to whom she lost the...

Sandy might turn the tide for embattled beach-building program

Written By: Annie Snider If a storm that reportedly killed more than 100 people in 10 states and caused untold billions in damage can...

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority Post-Sandy

Written By: Arthur D. Postal The National Flood Insurance Program will likely need to go to Congress for additional borrowing authority...

Sandy to test revamped federal flood insurance program

By: Roberta Rampton Superstorm Sandy is threatening to drag the U.S. government's debt-ridden flood insurance program back into the...

Missing info made for weak points

By: Dennis Roooker In the Oct. 21 Daily Progress, George Will’s column included the following: “America’s bold premise is the possibility...

Costly aftermath? Another battering for homeowners

New Jersey is not Florida North quite yet. But the widespread wreckage left by Sandy, the nor’easter-tropical storm hybrid that...

Costly aftermath? Insurance rates may soar in aftermath of Sandy

New Jersey is not Florida North quite yet. But the widespread wreckage left by Sandy, the nor’easter-tropical storm hybrid that...

Ten sure things on Election Day

Written By: Beth Morrissey & Greg Barber Ten of the city’s members of Congress are asking their constituents to send them back to...

The Cost of Natural Disasters, By the Numbers

By Amy Harder   As Washington approaches the fiscal cliff and looks to save money in every budgetary corner it can find, experts are...

Who will pay to rebuild after Sandy?

How will New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority pay for major damage to aging track, stations and equipment in the flooded...

Hot ETFs for the presidential election

By John Nyaradi Next week’s presidential election will impact sectors and exchange-traded funds regardless of who wins. Here’s your guide...

In Areas Hit By Sandy, Lawmakers Ask U.S. to Pay The Whole Cost

"This was not a New York disaster, or a New Jersey disaster or a Connecticut disaster, but a national disaster, and FEMA and the federal...

OMB claims big cuts in overhead spending but cannot offer details

By: Sean Reilly By the Obama administration’s count, agencies trimmed some $4 billion in overhead spending in the first half of fiscal...

In areas hit by Sandy, lawmakers ask U.S. to pay the whole cost

By Richard Simon WASHINGTON — Uncle Sam is picking up the full cost of providing emergency power and public transportation in areas hard...

The Hill’s 2012 Top Lobbyists

2012 hasn’t been the best year for K Street, but it’s too soon to call it a bust. A divided government and the demands of campaigning have...

Alexander: We Found $2 Trillion in Cuts; Why Can’t Politicians?

Special to Roll Call.   The direction of America won’t be determined just by what happens on Election Day but also by how official...

Western bypass a waste of money

By: Randy Salzman | Charlottesville The Taxpayers for Common Sense, in an October report titled “Sliding Past Sequestration: Two trillion...

Should the NFL, NHL, and PGA benefit from tax loopholes?

By George Jackson This week, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) released 'Wastebook 2012' -- an oversight report that recommends cutting more than...

It’s Back: SmarterSafer.org Leads Effort To Oppose New Federal Beach House Bailout Proposal

It's Back: SmarterSafer.org Leads Effort To Oppose New Federal Beach House Bailout Proposal SmarterSafer.org - a coalition of leading...

ASK JEFF : A highway funding crossroads

ASK JEFF : A highway funding crossroads Jeff Rea Companies continue to find Indiana a good place to do business. Two key reasons are...

Letter: Fixing Existing Roads Real Priority

Letter: Fixing Existing Roads Real Priority By: Frank Newman An excellent article in the Washington Post on Oct. 3 pointed out the need...

Menendez, Kyrillos have stark political differences but shared governing style

Menendez, Kyrillos have stark political differences but shared governing style Published: Sunday, October 14, 2012 By Matt Friedman and...

Group’s goal is to curb harmful, wasteful spending

Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2012 Dear EarthTalk: What is the "Green Scissors" campaign, which I understand can help the environment and has...

Schumer Hints at More Medicare Cuts

Schumer Hints at More Medicare Cuts By Brianna Ehley Pub Date: Oct 10, 2012   As part of a “grand bargain” to avoid the fiscal cliff...

Western Bypass Named Among Eight Most Wasteful Projects In U.S.

By: Rob Graham A recently released report is giving ammunition to opponents of the western bypass. It comes from a group called "Taxpayers...

Managing the Pain of Likely Cuts

With spending cuts looming and lawmakers eyeing major entitlement and tax reform in the coming months and years, no sector--transportation...

$11.4 Billion Cut in Federal Transportation Spending Recommended

$11.4 Billion Cut in Federal Transportation Spending Recommended Pub Date: Oct 09, 2012 Written By: Larry Ehl The fiscal cliff and...

Steve Sink: Obama, Romney lack credible economic plans

Steve Sink: Obama, Romney lack credible economic plans Pub Date: Oct 07, 2012 Written by: Steve Sink TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Hey, there’s...

Current, former athletes’ charities get millions in taxpayer dollars

Current, former athletes' charities get millions in taxpayer dollars By Carl Prine and Rob Rossi Published: Saturday, October 6, 2012,...

Taxpayers against the Bypass

Taxpayers against the Bypass Pub Date: Oct 02, 2012   In a new report, “Sliding Past Sequestration,” Taxpayers for Common Sense have...

Stop Giving the One Percent Tax Breaks on Beachfront Vacation Homes

Stop Giving the One Percent Tax Breaks on Beachfront Vacation Homes Pub Date: Oct 02, 2012 By Christopher Moraff Tomorrow night...

U.S can’t afford giveaways for mining, oil companies

U.S can't afford giveaways for mining, oil companies Written by Ryan Alexander    Thursday, 04 October 2012 14:51 When you're in a...

You can reduce the deficit without touching entitlements. But that won’t make it more popular.

You can reduce the deficit without touching entitlements. But that won’t make it more popular. The Washington Post Posted by Suzy Khimm...

Ryan Alexander, Taxpayers for Common Sense, discusses how the U.S. could avoid the fiscal cliff with cuts almost twice the size of sequestration.

How to Avoid Fiscal Cliff With Less Pain CNBC Mon 01 Oct 12 | 04:50 PM ET Ryan Alexander, Taxpayers for Common Sense, discusses how the...

National budget watchdog group takes aim at Colubia River Crossing project

National budget watchdog group takes aim at Columbia River Crossing project By: Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian Tuesday, October 02,...

Yank CRC funding, federal budget watchdog urges

A federal budget watchdog this week targeted the Columbia River Crossing among a long list of projects and programs it says should be axed...

How to cut $2 trillion, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense

How to cut $2 trillion, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense Washington Business Journal Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 6:20am...

Fiscal Cliff: Candidates Fiddle While America Does a Slow Burn

Fiscal Cliff: Candidates Fiddle While America Does a Slow Burn October 2, 2012   “Continued split government is just one reason to...

Talk Radio News Service

Talk Radio News Service Monday, October 1 By Ed Zuckerman|10/1/2012 2:09 PM Disappearing youth vote The number of young voters...

Large energy cuts can help avoid sequestration

Report: Large energy cuts can help avoid sequestration By Zack Colman - 10/01/12 01:06 PM ET   A spending watchdog group said Monday...

Taxpayer group maps out an escape plan for 2013’s ‘fiscal cliff’

Taxpayer group maps out an escape plan for 2013's 'fiscal cliff' By Erik Wasson - 10/01/12 12:42 PM ET   The nonpartisan Taxpayers for...

More than just a fiscal tiff - Geithner’s replacement - The bell tolls for payroll tax cut - The Rep

More than just a fiscal tiff - Geithner's replacement - The bell tolls for payroll tax cut - The Republican threats to Wall Street With...

Huelskamp leads push to waive some tarriffs

Huelskamp leads push to waive some tariffs By Mary Clarkin - The Hutchinson News - mclarkin@hutchnews.com While tariffs and duties on...

Downsizing the military

Washington's looming defense "sequester" would slash the Pentagon's budget by $55 billion a year. Would that imperil the nation? posted on...

Akin parses stand on pet projects in Mo. Senate bid after getting aid from conservative group

Akin parses stand on pet projects in Mo. Senate bid after getting aid from conservative group JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Rep. Todd...

South Carolina has $15 billion-a-year stake in military