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Most Southwest Idaho Forests Have Burned Since 1985

September 17, 2013 | Idaho Statesman | Natural Resources

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

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

September 17, 2013 | Great Falls Tribune | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Ky. Sen. Mitch McConnell Faces Hard Choices on Spending

September 16, 2013 | USA Today | Budget & Tax

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

River Industry Cites Olmsted Failure in Push for Taxpayer Aid

September 16, 2013 | Saint Louis Post-Dispatch | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

September 16, 2013 | Fort Worth Star Telegram | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Critics Pan LIRR Plan to Spend Sandy Cash on Double Track

September 16, 2013 | Long Island Newsday | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

September 16, 2013 | Bucks County Courier Times | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

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

September 13, 2013 | CNN | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

House Makes Proposal for Waterways Projects

September 13, 2013 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Should Taxpayers Back Reactors?

September 13, 2013 | Orlando Sentinel | Energy

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

Government Fees the Key to a Budget Bargain?

September 11, 2013 | Politico | Budget & Tax

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

Congress’ Massive To-Do List

September 11, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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,... Read More

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

September 11, 2013 | The Tampa Bay Tribune | Energy

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,... Read More

Mitch McConnell’s Close Ties with Humana Founder

September 10, 2013 | Politico | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

House Panel May Unveil CR Today

September 10, 2013 | Federal Times | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Obama and the GOP Hawks

September 10, 2013 | National Review Online | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

House could vote on CR next week

September 09, 2013 | The Federal Times | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

VA Budget Skyrockets Despite Federal Spending Cuts

September 09, 2013 | Dayton Daily News | National Security

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

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

September 09, 2013 | Bloomberg Busineesweek | Agriculture

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

Don’t Bomb Us Back to the Fiscal Stone Age

September 06, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Don’t Use Syria to Pump Up Pentagon Spending

September 04, 2013 | CNN | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

September 04, 2013 | Capital Insider | Budget & Tax , National Security

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... Read More

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

September 03, 2013 | The Washington Post | Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

Letters to the Editor: Learning the Lessons From Hurricane Sandy

September 03, 2013 | The New York Times | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Congress Needs to Clean House

August 29, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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,... Read More

SAVANNAH PORT:  Slowdown Dims Aura of Gaeorgia’s Ports

August 26, 2013 | Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

We Don’t Need Earmarks to Get Congress Working Again

August 22, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

A Call for Tax Reform Transparency

August 22, 2013 | Capital Insider | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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

August 21, 2013 | Arkansas Business | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

4 Examples Of Corporate Welfare In Action

August 21, 2013 | MintPress News | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

August 21, 2013 | Wall St. Cheat Sheet | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Tax Reform Debate Should be Open for All to See

August 20, 2013 | Washington Examiner | Budget & Tax

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

National Flood Insurance Program

August 19, 2013 | Washington Journal (CSPAN) | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Congressional Meddling Floods Over

August 19, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Wal-Mart Air Fleet Gets Taxpayer Support for Controllers

August 14, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Report Calls For Congressional Reform Of River Management Practices

August 14, 2013 | St. Louis Public Radio | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Study: New river law should emphasize restoration

August 14, 2013 | Quad-City Times | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

11 Trillion Reasons

August 12, 2013 | The New York Times | Agriculture

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

Tax chiefs’ training held at luxury resorts

August 12, 2013 | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Five federal secrets that have come out in 2013

August 12, 2013 | GIMBY | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Okla. Sen. Inhofe criticizes military budget cuts

August 08, 2013 | Associated Press | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Congress’ Session Ends With a THUD

August 08, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Antiquated U.S. farm policy fiscally foolish

August 08, 2013 | Lebanon Daily News | Agriculture

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

Congress considers clipping rural Montana air service’s wings

August 08, 2013 | Billings Gazette | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

August 08, 2013 | Associated Press | National Security

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

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... Read More

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

August 07, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax

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

Deficits falling (from way up)

August 06, 2013 | Tucson Sentinel | Budget & Tax

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

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

July 31, 2013 | Bacon's Rebellion | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

July 31, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax

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

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

July 31, 2013 | FOX Business | Energy

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... Read More

Tax Reform Is Too Important For Secrecy and Backroom Deals

July 31, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Budget & Tax

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

Tax reform secrecy plan blasted

July 30, 2013 | CNN | Budget & Tax

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

Stem the wealthy’s sweet flood-insurance deal

July 29, 2013 | The Post and Courier | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

July 29, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax

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

Our Secretive Senate

July 29, 2013 | Tax Analysts | Budget & Tax

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

Rep. Ted Yoho entangled in dispute over farm bill

July 29, 2013 | Gainesville Sun | Agriculture

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

Rising flood insurance rates a growing fear in Lowcountry

July 29, 2013 | The Post and Courier | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

The big insurance gamble for farmers and taxpayers

July 29, 2013 | Ocala Star Banner | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Conservative Groups Urge Open Rule on Defense Appropriations

July 26, 2013 | Congressional Quarterly News | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

Bill would raise flood insurance for some and subsidize others

July 26, 2013 | Orlando Sentinel | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

For Rahall, Representation Means Fighting for Resources

July 25, 2013 | National Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Shhhh. Republicans Are Defending Earmarks.

July 25, 2013 | National Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

July 25, 2013 | The Herald (McClatchy) | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

The Fair Act of 2013

July 24, 2013 | WJLA Capital Insider | Energy , Natural Resources

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

ROMERO: Putting spies on a leash

July 24, 2013 | Washington Times | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

Landrieu disappointed at Obama administration

July 24, 2013 | The Advocate | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Lack of revenue bill support criticized

July 24, 2013 | Shreveport Times (Gannet) | Energy , Natural Resources

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

The FAIR Act Is Bad Fiscal Policy

July 24, 2013 | U.S.News & World Report | Energy , Natural Resources

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

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

July 23, 2013 | MSNBC | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

U.S. House rejects bid to kill Piketon project

July 23, 2013 | The Columbus Dispatch | Earmarks & Appropriations , Energy

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

Farm bill: Divided

July 23, 2013 | North Platte Bulletin | Agriculture

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

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

July 23, 2013 | Los Angeles Times | Agriculture

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

Vogtle reactors mean more clean energy

July 23, 2013 | Calhoun Times | Energy

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

RYAN ALEXANDER: House farm bill worsens government waste

July 23, 2013 | San Angelo Standard Times | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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... Read More

How to Achieve Real Farm Bill Reform

July 17, 2013 | U.S. News & World Report | Agriculture

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... Read More

GOP’s cruel intentions

July 16, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

July 16, 2013 | Associated Press | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Flood Insurance Rates Could Jump for Thousands of Homeowners in Hawaii

July 16, 2013 | Honolulu Civil Beat | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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... Read More

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

July 11, 2013 | PolitiFact | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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,... Read More

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

July 11, 2013 | The Washington Post | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

House OKs farm bill - but leaves out food stamps

July 11, 2013 | San Franscisco Gate | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

House farm bill leaves food stamps in limbo

July 11, 2013 | The Christian Science Monitor | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Stripped-down farm bill passes U.S. House

July 11, 2013 | NewsOK | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Farm bill 2013: House narrowly passes pared-back version

July 11, 2013 | Politico | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

New House farm bill cuts $12.9B, CBO finds

July 11, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

July 11, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture

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... Read More

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

July 10, 2013 | The Washington Post | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

House could vote on Piketon project money as soon as tonight

July 09, 2013 | The Columbus Dispatch | Energy

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... Read More

Congress’ Latest Ridiculous Investment

July 09, 2013 | U.S. News | Energy

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... Read More

Farm bill support frays amid tight money, shifting alliances

July 09, 2013 | Minnesota Public Radio | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Leaders Struggle to Find Votes for Farm Bill Without Food Stamps

July 09, 2013 | Roll Call | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Are drivers of electric cars saints or freeloaders?

July 07, 2013 | Detroit Free Press | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

Federal loan guarantee offer for Vogtle expansion extended again

July 03, 2013 | The Augusta Chronicle | Energy

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

Immigration debate continues for Tennessee senators

July 03, 2013 | Gannett | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Another Toubled Department of Energy Loan Guarantee

July 02, 2013 | Town Hall | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

The Congress That Couldn’t Shoot Straight

July 02, 2013 | US News | Budget & Tax

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

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

July 02, 2013 | Latino Daily News | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Immigration Deal Would Boost Defense Manufacturers

July 01, 2013 | The Washington Post | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

June 30, 2013 | Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Alaska Ear: We win again

June 30, 2013 | Alaska Daily News | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Optimism grows for repairing Western Pennsylvania locks and dams

June 30, 2013 | Pitttsburgh Post-Gazette | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

KABATA announces Government Hill tunnel survey, catches national flak

June 28, 2013 | Alaska Dispatch | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Nearly One in Five Members of Congress Gets Paid Twice

June 28, 2013 | National Journal | Budget & Tax

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

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

June 27, 2013 | Union Daily Times | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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... Read More

How House Tackles WRDA Could Signal Surface Transport Approach

June 26, 2013 | Journal of Commerce | Earmarks & Appropriations , Natural Resources

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

National group targets Knik bridge as waste of taxpayer money

June 26, 2013 | Anchorage Daily News | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

June 25, 2013 | Gannett | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Fight Over Genetically Modified Salmon Looms in Agriculture Spending Bill

June 25, 2013 | Congressional Quarterly News | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Chris Coons named to Senate Appropriations Committee

June 22, 2013 | Gannett | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

June 21, 2013 | The Columbus Dispatch | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Fiscal group enraged by limits on House farm bill amendments

June 20, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

June 20, 2013 | Roll Call | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Farm bill’s subsidy for sugar under pressure

June 20, 2013 | The Columbus Dispatch | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Shocking House leaders, chamber soundly defeats farm bill

June 20, 2013 | Energy and Environment News | Agriculture

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

Politics drives farm bill policy

June 20, 2013 | Walla Walla Union Bulletin | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Fantasy Budgeting Won’t Make Us Safer

June 19, 2013 | Otherwords | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Cotton Amendments Left Out Of Farm Debates

June 19, 2013 | Times Record | Budget & Tax

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

Earmarks 2.0: Plenty of Swag for Hawaii In Defense Bills

June 19, 2013 | Honolulu Civil Beat | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Opposition to House Farm Bill Spans Political Spectrum

June 18, 2013 | The New York Times | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Fraud Used to Frame Farm Bill Debate

June 18, 2013 | The New York Times | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Farm bill cuts judged both too much, not enough

June 17, 2013 | The Washington Times | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Sushi Aid in $1 Trillion Agriculture Bill Angers Watchdogs

June 17, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Nuclear Power, Part 2: Nukenomics

June 14, 2013 | Tech News World | Energy

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... Read More

Boehner decides to support farm bill

June 13, 2013 | POLITICO | Agriculture

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... Read More

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

June 12, 2013 | Capital Insider | Agriculture , National Security

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... Read More

Republican bill would limit environmental reviews of offshore drilling

June 12, 2013 | Fuel Fix | Energy , Natural Resources

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

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

June 11, 2013 | Environment & Energy Publishing | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

June 11, 2013 | The Washington Times | Agriculture

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... Read More

Letter: Redirect tax dollars to those most in need

June 11, 2013 | The Commercial Appeal | Agriculture

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... Read More

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

June 11, 2013 | The Hill | Energy

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

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

June 10, 2013 | The Christian Science Monitor | Agriculture

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

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

June 10, 2013 | The Washington Post | Agriculture

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... Read More

Coachella Valley businesses see benefit in Presidential summit

June 10, 2013 | Marketplace | Budget & Tax

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

Crop insurance push made for conservation requirements

June 10, 2013 | Insurance News Daily | Agriculture

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

Changes to dairy subsidies may take Boston out of equation

June 10, 2013 | The Boston Globe | Agriculture

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... Read More

‘Man cave’ found in EPA warehouse

June 10, 2013 | CBS - 12 KWCH | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Watchdog: Man caves hidden in government warehouse

June 06, 2013 | CNN | Budget & Tax , Natural Resources

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

On way out, Mack issued parting gifts

June 06, 2013 | News-Press | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Lets Wise Up About Defense Spending

June 05, 2013 | US News | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Rep. Mike Thompson wants crop insurance to require conservation

June 05, 2013 | SF Gate | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

After deadly storms, how can costs be controlled?

June 04, 2013 | MSNBC | Budget & Tax , Natural Resources

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

Growing Economy Absorbing Sequestration Cuts

June 04, 2013 | Fox Business | Budget & Tax

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

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

June 03, 2013 | Bloomberg Business Week | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Lawmakers clash over catastrophe fund

June 03, 2013 | MSNBC | Budget & Tax , Natural Resources

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... Read More

House members push alternative farm bill that cuts subsidies

May 31, 2013 | The Daily Caller | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

May 31, 2013 | Politifact | Earmarks & Appropriations , Energy

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... Read More

Florida lawmakers-turned-lobbyists fuel revolving door of politics

May 31, 2013 | Tampa Bay Times | Budget & Tax

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

Farm Bill: How to Grow Almost Anything Risk Free

May 30, 2013 | The Fiscal Times | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Congress Poised To Make Crop Insurance Subsidies More Generous

May 30, 2013 | NPR | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Beware of the Beach House Bailout

May 29, 2013 | Biloxi Sun Herald | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Senators fight to cut more farm bill spending

May 28, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture

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... Read More

Making a mess of a road project

May 28, 2013 | The Virginian-Pilot | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

May 28, 2013 | The Union Daily Times | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Should Emergency Disaster Relief Funding Be Offset With Budget Cuts?

May 24, 2013 | U.S. News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Delay sought on hike in premiums

May 23, 2013 | Newsday | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Barnum’s beaming: The Greatest bypass on Earth!

May 23, 2013 | The Hook | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Bid to end crop insurance subsidy for tobacco worries burley growers

May 22, 2013 | Lexington Herald Leader | Agriculture

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

All In With Chris Hayes

May 22, 2013 | MSNBC | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

The Role Of The Federal Government In Disaster Relief

May 22, 2013 | The Diane Rehm Show | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

May 22, 2013 | The New York Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Senators target tobacco crop insurance subsidy

May 22, 2013 | Political Blotter | Agriculture

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

The Farm Bill Trough Is Opening Again

May 20, 2013 | U.S. News | Agriculture , Energy

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

Flood Insurance Amendment Could Lead to More Borrowing, Critics Say

May 20, 2013 | Congressional Quarterly News | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Shelby provision in water bill would benefit state docks

May 20, 2013 | Gannett News Service | Earmarks & Appropriations , Energy , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

May 17, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax

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

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... Read More

Senate-passed water resources bill includes Mississippi River navigation study

May 16, 2013 | St. Louis Beacon | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

The long-term effects of corn ethanol subsidies

May 15, 2013 | Capital Insider | Agriculture , Energy

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

Senate votes to extend federal water projects law

May 15, 2013 | Associated Press | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Taxpayers Feel the Pain of Washington Arm-Twisting

May 15, 2013 | U.S. News | Energy

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

Louisiana lawmakers vow to fight again for flood insurance measure

May 15, 2013 | Gannett News Service | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

McCaskill tackling ‘ghosts of earmarks past’

May 15, 2013 | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

May 14, 2013 | The Huffington Post | National Security

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

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.... Read More

Conservative groups: Sugar program must go

May 14, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Appropriator background challenges Kingston in Senate primary

May 14, 2013 | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Landlords Double as Energy Brokers

May 14, 2013 | The New York Times | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

5 key players in IRS mess

May 14, 2013 | POLITICO | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Senators Reach Deal for First Votes on Water Bill

May 14, 2013 | Congressional Quarterly News | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

More of the Same Wasteful Farm Bill Spending

May 14, 2013 | U.S. News | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

White House Raises Concerns About Water Bill

May 14, 2013 | Congressional Quarterly News | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

CCAGW Signs Letter to Hill on Dairy Reform Gone Sour

May 14, 2013 | Herald Online | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Water bill could see smooth sailing in Senate, despite critics

May 10, 2013 | McClatchy Washington Bureau | Budget & Tax

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

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

May 08, 2013 | Freedom Works | Agriculture

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

Farm product subsidies are criticized

May 08, 2013 | The Daily Oklahoman | Agriculture

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

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

May 08, 2013 | WHEC-TV | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

May 08, 2013 | Pittsburgh-Post Gazette | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Port of Rochester funds in U.S. Senate bill

May 07, 2013 | Democrat and Chronicle | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

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... Read More

DOT nominee’s role in contracts could draw questions

May 06, 2013 | POLITICO | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

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

May 06, 2013 | Gannett News Service | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Fact check: Sanford-Colbert Busch debate

May 03, 2013 | USA Today | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Water infrastructure bill could drain taxpayer dollars with little oversight

May 03, 2013 | Washington Guardian | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

New oil shale decision avoids mistakes of the past

May 02, 2013 | Standard-Examiner | Energy , Natural Resources

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... Read More

Sequestration and How Not to Govern

May 02, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Stimulus waste trackers now tracking Sandy relief funding

May 02, 2013 | Watchdog.org | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

TCS: FAA budget transfer a “gimmick”

May 01, 2013 | Capital Insider | Budget & Tax , Energy , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

April 30, 2013 | Inside Washington Publishers | Energy

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

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

April 30, 2013 | The Daily Oklahoman | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

When Renewable Energy Shoots Itself In The Foot

April 29, 2013 | Earth Techling | Earmarks & Appropriations , Energy

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.,... Read More

A Reasonable Food Fight

April 29, 2013 | Other Words | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Held up by MOX(y)

April 29, 2013 | The Hill | Energy , National Security

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

Experts: Coming debate will lay building blocks on energy taxes

April 24, 2013 | POLITICO | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

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

April 24, 2013 | POLITICO | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , Energy

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... Read More

Should Obama Twist Arms?

April 24, 2013 | The Wall Street Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

April 24, 2013 | The Commercial Appeal | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

How to Reform the Tax Code

April 24, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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

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

April 23, 2013 | SNL FERC Power Report | Energy

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

Sens. Feinstein and Boxer keep racking up seniority

April 22, 2013 | Los Angeles Times | Budget & Tax

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

Harris aims to protect MD from government regulations

April 22, 2013 | Gannett News Service | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Can good government gum things up?

April 22, 2013 | The Philadelphia Daily News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Political role reversal on the Tennessee Valley Authority

April 17, 2013 | Capital Insider | Budget & Tax , Energy , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Letter: Reasonable ideas for cutting deficit

April 17, 2013 | Times Union | Energy

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

Immigration bill may set funding, regulatory gaps in border security

April 17, 2013 | The Daily Caller | National 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... Read More

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

April 15, 2013 | Bloomberg | Budget & Tax

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

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

April 15, 2013 | McClatchy Washington Bureau | Budget & Tax

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

Plenty to love, loathe in Obama’s 2014 budget

April 15, 2013 | United Press International | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

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

April 12, 2013 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Budget scalpel blunted as book detailing program trims is cut

April 11, 2013 | The Washington Times | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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... Read More

Westinghouse Electric Co. sets sights on federal funds

April 10, 2013 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Energy

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

How Zombie Programs Manage to Avoid Budget Cuts

April 10, 2013 | U.S. News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

April 10, 2013 | NBC News | Budget & Tax

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

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

April 09, 2013 | St. Louis-Post Dispatch | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Morning Transportation

April 08, 2013 | POLITICO | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

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

April 08, 2013 | McClatchy Newspapers | Budget & Tax

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

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

April 08, 2013 | Knoxville News Sentinel | Energy

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

You paid 500G in bonuses

April 08, 2013 | New York Post | Budget & Tax

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

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

April 05, 2013 | WIRED | National Security

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

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

April 04, 2013 | Field and Stream | Agriculture

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

Congressional spending requests less transparent, critics say

April 03, 2013 | Federal Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

April 03, 2013 | STL Beacon | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Monsanto Provision Tucked in Spending Bill Draws Critics

April 02, 2013 | Bloomberg | Budget & Tax

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

West Virginia Republican Files Secret Spending Requests

April 02, 2013 | Think Progress | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

April 01, 2013 | Roll Call | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

April 01, 2013 | Orlando Sentinel | National Security

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

A powerful voice pays off for Maryland during federal budget cuts

April 01, 2013 | Reuters | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Tiny US airports refuel annually on federal pork

April 01, 2013 | The Washington Post | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most

April 01, 2013 | The Fiscal Times | Budget & Tax

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

Bypassing Sense

April 01, 2013 | Style Weekly | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Spiraling down: Why the Bypass will wreck Albemarle

April 01, 2013 | The Hook | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most

March 29, 2013 | The Fiscal Times | Budget & Tax

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

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... Read More

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

March 28, 2013 | Enid News and Eagle | Agriculture

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

In office spending, local congressmen Owens and Gibson reveal preferences

March 28, 2013 | Glens Falls Post-Star | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Southland ports could see more tax revenue

March 27, 2013 | Los Angeles Times | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

March 26, 2013 | Environment and Energy Publishing | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

PolitiFact: Of sequestration and duck penises

March 25, 2013 | Tampa Bay Times | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Dredging backlog could clog Michigan ports

March 25, 2013 | Detroit Free Press | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Bidens’ European trip costs taxpayers $1 million

March 25, 2013 | New York Post | Budget & Tax

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

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... Read More

Menendez Aided Donor in Failed Bid to Prevent Merger

March 22, 2013 | Bloomberg | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 22, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax

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

Parting bonuses ‘taxpayer-funded wet kiss goodbye’

March 22, 2013 | Dayton Daily News | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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... Read More

Senate limits debate on the CR

March 21, 2013 | WJLA Capital Insider | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

March 20, 2013 | The Washington Post | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Budget Cutters Should Ferret Out Wasteful Spending In The Tax Code

March 20, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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

Reed doled out thousands in year-end bonuses to staffers

March 19, 2013 | The Star Gazette | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Deep in debt, USPS spends millions at business forum

March 18, 2013 | FOX News | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Morning Defense

March 15, 2013 | POLITICO | National Security

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

The Smoke and Mirrors of the Congressional Budget Process

March 13, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 13, 2013 | PR Newswire | Energy

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

Energy opens second round for small modular reactor funding

March 12, 2013 | Energy Guardian | Energy

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

Tech giants, private prisons big players on immigration reform

March 12, 2013 | CNN International | Budget & Tax

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

Obama’s Budget Talks With Ryan Obscure Immediate Needs

March 12, 2013 | Bloomberg | Budget & Tax

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

Despite Talk of Cuts, Members of Congress Push More Spending

March 12, 2013 | TIME | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

George Shultz Says Climate Change Urgent, Calls for Carbon Tax

March 11, 2013 | The Epoch Times | Energy

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

Sequestration Sets Up a New Business as Usual

March 08, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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

New Estimates Question Savings from Farm Bills

March 07, 2013 | The New York Times | Agriculture

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

Watchdog group upset with nuke reactor funding

March 07, 2013 | The Cranberry Eagle | Energy

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

Schafer portrait among many that draw criticism

March 07, 2013 | INFORUM | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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

March 07, 2013 | PolitiFact | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

March 07, 2013 | Reuters | Agriculture

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

Energy Department investment in SMRs wins Golden Fleece

March 07, 2013 | Capital Insider | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

Feds Continue to Hire Despite Sequestration

March 07, 2013 | CBN News | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Obama pick for Interior head faces hearing; agency under fire

March 07, 2013 | Reuters | Natural Resources

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

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

March 06, 2013 | ALLGOV | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Repealing oil industry tax subsidies would be good for taxpayers

March 06, 2013 | The Hill | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Official Government Portraits

March 05, 2013 | ABC News | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 05, 2013 | The Washington Times | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 04, 2013 | Statesman Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

EPA Funding Reductions Have Kneecapped Environmental Enforcement

March 04, 2013 | National Journal | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 04, 2013 | PJ Media | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Portman regrets his panel’s role in sequester

March 04, 2013 | The Columbus Dispatch | Budget & Tax

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

Defense cut damage viewed as overblown

March 04, 2013 | The Boston Globe | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Portman once had high hopes for deal

March 04, 2013 | Springfield News-Sun | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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

March 04, 2013 | The Washington Post | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Fed Stress Doesn’t Faze Sequestration Supporters

March 04, 2013 | Government Executive | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 01, 2013 | Environment and Energy Publishing | Energy

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

Bipartisan agreement on budget cuts: Scalpel is better than ax

March 01, 2013 | The Los Angeles Times | Budget & Tax

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

Cut federal spending in a smart way: Our view

March 01, 2013 | USA Today | Budget & Tax , National Security

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... Read More

Sequester would hurt Memphis, Mid-South

March 01, 2013 | The Commercial Appeal (AP) | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Did Obama go too far in warnings of sequestration?

March 01, 2013 | McClatchy Newspapers | Budget & Tax

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

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

March 01, 2013 | SNL Energy | Energy

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... Read More

Mini Nuclear Reactors Earn Golden Fleece Award For Government Waste

February 28, 2013 | CleanTechnica | Energy

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

Small modular reactor program to get ‘Golden Fleece’ award

February 28, 2013 | Energy Guardian | Energy

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

Nuclear program wins ‘Golden Fleece’ award

February 28, 2013 | Pittsburgh Business Times | Energy

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

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

February 28, 2013 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Energy

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

Group gives ‘Golden Fleece’ award to DOE

February 28, 2013 | Times Free Press | Energy

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

Organization Calls Foul on DOE’s Small Reactor Program

February 28, 2013 | Yahoo News | Energy

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

Portable reactor program given ‘Golden Fleece’ award

February 28, 2013 | The Augusta Chronicle | Energy

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

Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Win the Golden Fleece Award

February 28, 2013 | The Aiken Standard | Energy

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

Bypassing Sense

February 28, 2013 | Style Weekly | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

February 27, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

February 27, 2013 | SPi World News | Energy

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

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

February 27, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek | Budget & Tax

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

Bipartisan coalition calls for reforming sequester’s defense cuts

February 27, 2013 | The Washington Post | Budget & Tax , National Security

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... Read More

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

February 26, 2013 | The Washington Post | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Up with Chris Hayes: Sequestration

February 25, 2013 | MSNBC | Budget & Tax

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

Bi-state battle brewing over Bootheel floodway levee plan

February 25, 2013 | St. Louis Beacon | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

PolitiFact’s guide to sequestration

February 25, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

There’s plenty to cut at the Pentagon

February 22, 2013 | CNN | Budget & Tax , National Security

(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... Read More

5 Reasons Not to Worry About the ‘Dreaded’ Sequester

February 22, 2013 | The Fiscal Times | Budget & Tax

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

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

February 22, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Congress listening more to Renewable Fuel Standard opponents

February 21, 2013 | WATTAgNET.com | Agriculture , Energy

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... Read More

The True Source of Our Deficit Woes

February 21, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

TCS: Trim the farm bill and cut oil subsidies

February 21, 2013 | WJLA | Capital Insider | Agriculture , Budget & Tax , Energy

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

Decision sought on 60-year-old Missouri wetlands plan

February 19, 2013 | The Boston Globe | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Lautenberg Has Plenty of Fight Left in Him

February 19, 2013 | The Wall Street Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Controversial motor fuel with more ethanol raises concerns

February 19, 2013 | The Palm Beach Post | Agriculture , Energy

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

End of earmarks caused area water projects to dry up

February 19, 2013 | St. Louis Post | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

How to Make Democrats and Republicans Agree on a Sequester Deal

February 13, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax , National Security

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... Read More

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

February 13, 2013 | PolitiFact | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Defense cuts a necessary step to control deficit

February 13, 2013 | POLITICO | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

February 13, 2013 | Huffington Post | Budget & Tax

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

Congressmen wary of ‘wasteful, unrelated’ hurricane spending

February 13, 2013 | PhillyBurbs.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Hill Briefing Shreds Renewable Fuel Standard

February 11, 2013 | GlobalWarming.com | Agriculture , Energy

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

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,... Read More

Claire McCaskill re-introduces Earmark Elimination Act in Senate

February 11, 2013 | University of Missouri - Maneater | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

USEC under Obama 2.0 - in the race for state guarantees

February 11, 2013 | AtomInfo.ru | Energy

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

NMMA makes case to Congress on fuel standard

February 11, 2013 | Trade Only Today Magazine | Agriculture , Energy

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

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

February 11, 2013 | The Washington Post | Agriculture , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Rethinking Our Place In A Post-Hurricane Sandy World

February 08, 2013 | Forbes | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Sequestration is still better than the alternatives

February 08, 2013 | The Daily Caller | National Security

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

Even Without Earmarks, Tax Breaks And Special Deals Fill Bills

February 08, 2013 | NPR - Morning Edition | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Analyst warns of RFS threat to US poultry industry

February 07, 2013 | Global Meat News | Agriculture

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

Common Sense Ways to Reduce Wasteful Federal Spending

February 06, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax , Energy , National Security

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

CBO: Budget deficit will drop to $845 billion

February 06, 2013 | Capital Insider | Budget & Tax

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

Budget Cutters Eye Nuclear Reprocessing Plant

February 06, 2013 | Roll Call | Energy , National Security

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

Cost Overruns Plague Energy Department Projects

February 06, 2013 | Roll Call | Energy , National Security

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

Ag Economist Urges Congress to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

February 06, 2013 | Michigan Ag Connection | Agriculture , Energy

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

Coalition seeks fuel standard repeal through legislation

February 06, 2013 | Trade Only Today | Agriculture , Energy

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

Government is wasteful enough that sequestration is acceptable, witnesses say

February 06, 2013 | Government Executive | Budget & Tax

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

Congress Urged to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

February 06, 2013 | The Poultry Site | Agriculture , Energy

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

Strange bedfellows unite for Hill fight over renewable fuels policy

February 05, 2013 | Environment and Energy Publishing | Agriculture , Energy

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

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

February 05, 2013 | PolitiFact | Agriculture

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... Read More

At the intersection of politics and road building

February 05, 2013 | MyrtleBeachOnline.com | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

AGRIBUSINESS: RFS opponents launch new Hill campaign

February 05, 2013 | WHOTV | Agriculture , Energy

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

Ethanol slowdown not enough, say mandate critics

February 05, 2013 | Lincoln Journal Star | Agriculture , Energy

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... Read More

House Cmte. Examines Government Spending

February 05, 2013 | C-SPAN | Budget & Tax

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

OVERNIGHT MONEY: Budget fitness

February 05, 2013 | The Hill | Budget & Tax

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

Ohio nuclear centrifuge project uncertain

February 05, 2013 | Cincinnati.com | Energy

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

Strange bedfellows unite to bash RFS

February 05, 2013 | Des Moines Register (AP) | Agriculture , Energy

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

Unusual allies fight renewable fuel standard

February 05, 2013 | Fuel Fix | Agriculture , Energy

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

Sen. Murkowski backs calls to reevaluate biofuel mandate

February 05, 2013 | The Hill | Agriculture , Energy

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

ACE responds to Big Oil’s ethanol, RFS criticism

February 05, 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | Agriculture , Energy

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

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

February 05, 2013 | Christian Science Monitor | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Politics and road building intersect in Kentucky

February 04, 2013 | McClatchy Newspapers | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Fate of Piketon plant murky

February 04, 2013 | The Chillicothe Gazette | Energy

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

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

February 04, 2013 | The Courier-Journal (AP) | Budget & Tax

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

Cut defense, but cut it the right way

February 04, 2013 | Picayune Item | National Security

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

Coalition Pushing for New National Framework for Disasters

February 01, 2013 | Insurance Journal | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

February 01, 2013 | BioMass Magazine | Agriculture , Energy

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

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

January 31, 2013 | Reuters (PR Newswire) | Budget & Tax

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

Farm Bill’s Corporate Welfare Is Unacceptable

January 30, 2013 | U.S. News | Agriculture

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... Read More

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

January 30, 2013 | Morning Call | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 29, 2013 | The Seattle Times (Associated Press) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Iowa representatives renew support for congressional salary limits

January 29, 2013 | The Iowa Gazette | Budget & Tax

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

Approval of Sandy bill sparks new fight over disaster money

January 29, 2013 | The CT Mirror | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Disaster aid could reach president’s desk today

January 28, 2013 | Environment and Energy Publishing | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Hurricane Sandy Response Stirs Up Capitol Hill Lobbyists

January 25, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Group Says Western Bypass Not Worth the Cost

January 24, 2013 | NewsPlex | Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Opponents of Route 29 Western Bypass Speak Out

January 24, 2013 | NBC29 | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

United States of Crisis Seen Costing Jobs, Wasting Money

January 23, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek | Agriculture

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... Read More

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

January 22, 2013 | C-Ville.com | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

More bridges to nowhere

January 22, 2013 | PhillyBurbs.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Another Shocker! Sandy Relief Bill Is Loaded With Pork

January 22, 2013 | PJ Media | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Watchdogs warn billions in hurricane aid could go elsewhere

January 22, 2013 | PhillyBurbs.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

How Obama has done on fulfilling 1st term promises

January 22, 2013 | New Times (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 22, 2013 | NPR Chamber | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Superstorm destruction was good news for jolly prophet of doom

January 18, 2013 | Environment and Energy Publishing | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Start Cutting Government Spending With the Defense Budget

January 17, 2013 | U.S. News | National Security

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... Read More

Record Taxpayer Cost Is Seen for Crop Insurance

January 16, 2013 | The New York Times | Agriculture

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

House Approves $50.7B For Sandy Victims

January 16, 2013 | NPR News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Sandy relief package passes with extra spending intact

January 16, 2013 | The Washington Examiner | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Sandy Aid Under Fire in House

January 16, 2013 | Ivy Exec | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

All eyes on Congress over Sandy aid package

January 16, 2013 | The Examiner | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 15, 2013 | The Boston Globe (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Fear of Earmarks Sparks Split in Sandy Aid Bill

January 15, 2013 | TIME Magazine | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied to Other Projects

January 15, 2013 | NBC News (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Watchdog sees pork in Sandy relief bill

January 15, 2013 | The Washington Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

House to vote on Sandy disaster aid today

January 15, 2013 | MyCentralJersey.com (Gannet) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Pork must be cut from Sandy aid bill

January 15, 2013 | The Daily Journal (Gannet) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

House expected to vote on Sandy aid today

January 15, 2013 | Courier-Post Online (Gannet) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Fiscal cliff solution is served with a side of tax breaks

January 15, 2013 | The Salt Lake Tribune (McClatchy Newspapers) | Budget & Tax

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

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

January 15, 2013 | Press TV | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Sandy Pork And The Lesson Of Katrina

January 15, 2013 | Red State | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Objections raised over additional projects lumped with Sandy relief

January 14, 2013 | The Christian Science Monitor (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

House to Take Up Storm Relief Bill Amid Battle Over Spending

January 14, 2013 | The New York Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Billions in Sandy aid package headed elsewhere

January 14, 2013 | CBS News (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 14, 2013 | Fox News (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Critics hit Sandy storm disaster aid add-ons

January 14, 2013 | The Washington Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied to Other Projects

January 14, 2013 | ABC News (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters

January 14, 2013 | The Guardian (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 14, 2013 | New York Daily News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 14, 2013 | The Washington Post (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 14, 2013 | Michigan Radio (NPR) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

New Jersey lawmaker calls for ‘clean’ Sandy bill

January 13, 2013 | News Channel 10 (Gannet) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 13, 2013 | The New Jersey Newsroom | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Sandy relief votes, politics will continue this week in Congress

January 13, 2013 | The Morning Call (McClatchy Newspapers) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 13, 2013 | MyCentralJersey.com (Gannet) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Strip the pork from aid bill

January 12, 2013 | Asbury Park Press (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Storm in Congress over disaster-aid bill

January 12, 2013 | San Francisco Chronicle (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Hurricane Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters elsewhere

January 12, 2013 | The Times-Picayune (NOLA) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Hurricane Sandy Relief Package Swells Aid For Past Disasters

January 12, 2013 | The Huffington Post (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 12, 2013 | WJLA Channel 7 News (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

CNN’s GUT CHECK for January 11, 2013

January 12, 2013 | CNN | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

New Jersey Democrat wants pork-free Sandy storm aid bill

January 11, 2013 | The Washington Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Pessimistic DOD Prepares for the Worst

January 11, 2013 | The Fiscal Times | Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

Morning Transportation

January 11, 2013 | Politico | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

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

January 11, 2013 | Planet Washington (McClatchy Newspapers) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 11, 2013 | The Plain Dealer | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

January 11, 2013 | The Washington Examiner | National Security

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

House Goes Senate One Better with Pork Laden Sandy Bill

January 11, 2013 | The Fiscal Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Group says Sandy bill would finance unrelated projects

January 11, 2013 | USA Today | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 10, 2013 | Tampa Bay Times (AP) | Budget & Tax

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

Solving the Fiscal Impasse Starts and Ends at the Pentagon

January 10, 2013 | Roll Call | National Security

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

Aid effort gets fishy

January 09, 2013 | New York Post | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

How Sandy Aid is Shaping Up as House Prepares for Vote

January 09, 2013 | WNYC (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

4 Common Sense Ways Congress Should Deal With Our Finances

January 09, 2013 | U.S. News (AP) | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Pentagon sponsors parade float, football games while facing budget cuts

January 08, 2013 | Washington Guardian | National Security

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

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

January 08, 2013 | Environment and Energy Publishing | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Shelby takes top GOP seat on Appropriations

January 08, 2013 | USA Today (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 08, 2013 | Reuters | Budget & Tax , Energy

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... Read More

Obama signs porkless Sandy bill, Reid offends Katrina victims

January 07, 2013 | Examiner | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 07, 2013 | NBC | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Fiscal Cliff Winner: Tax Breaks for Oil and Gas Industries

January 07, 2013 | AllGov.com | Energy

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... Read More

Reid offends Katrina victims, while Obama signs porkless Sandy bill

January 07, 2013 | The Times-Picayune | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 07, 2013 | CSPAN - Washington Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 07, 2013 | Fox News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 07, 2013 | The Hill | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Congressional special: Pulled pork with extra sauce

January 07, 2013 | Aspen Daily News | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Some Connecticut companies get breaks in fiscal cliff deal

January 07, 2013 | The CT Mirror | Budget & Tax

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

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

January 07, 2013 | Raw Story | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

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

January 07, 2013 | MSNBC | Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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... Read More

Congress approves first part of Sandy relief measure

January 07, 2013 | Homeland Security News Wire | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Could Reviving Earmarks Get Congress Moving Again?

January 06, 2013 | NPR | Earmarks & Appropriations

"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... Read More

Congress approves scaled-back Sandy aid bill

January 04, 2013 | CNN | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Fiscal Cliff’ Bill Includes Tax Help for Select Industries

January 04, 2013 | Business Insider | Budget & Tax

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

Electric Motorcycle Maker Gets Home-State Help in Tax Deal

January 04, 2013 | Washington Post - Bloomberg | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Boehner has mixed record on fulfilling promises

January 04, 2013 | The Washington Times 24-7 | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 04, 2013 | NewJersey.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

The Austin Chronicle: Headlines

January 04, 2013 | The Austin Chronicle | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

January 03, 2013 | McClatchy Newspapers | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Congress Aids Oregon Electric Motorcycle Maker in Budget

January 03, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Super-storm of pork hits Washington

January 03, 2013 | Human Events | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

‘Fiscal cliff’ bill filled with ‘pork’

January 03, 2013 | San Francisco Chronicle | Budget & Tax

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

Compromise added billions in special tax breaks

January 03, 2013 | The Republican-American (McClatchy Newspapers) | Budget & Tax

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

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

January 03, 2013 | The Commercial Appeal (Associated Press) | Budget & Tax

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

Earmarks included in fiscal cliff deal

January 03, 2013 | CNN - Anderson Cooper 360 | Budget & Tax

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

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

January 03, 2013 | McClatchy Newspapers (Associated Press) | Budget & Tax

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

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

January 03, 2013 | Washington Times | Budget & Tax

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

How America Can Avoid the Next Fiscal Cliff

January 01, 2013 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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

Some critical of ‘pork’ in Sandy aid bill

December 31, 2012 | NJ Herald | Budget & Tax

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

Hurricane Sandy pork

December 31, 2012 | Tribune-Review (Associated Press) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

USDA agency’s largesse grows crop insurance

December 31, 2012 | Washington Times | Agriculture

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

Loss of Inouye Means Loss of Clout for Hawaii

December 29, 2012 | New York Times (Associated Press) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Short-term reforms to avert the Fiscal Cliff

December 28, 2012 | Washington Examiner | Budget & Tax

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

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

December 28, 2012 | Progressive Change Campaign Committee | National Security

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

A Holiday Wish List for Congress

December 26, 2012 | U.S. News | Budget & Tax

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,... Read More

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

December 24, 2012 | Dairy Herd Network | Agriculture , Earmarks & Appropriations

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)... Read More

$60B Sandy Relief Bill Advances in Senate

December 24, 2012 | WNYC (Associated Press) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Is Delta Regional Authority on chopping block?

December 24, 2012 | The Commercial Appeal (Associated Press) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

December 24, 2012 | The News Tribune (McClatchy Newspapers) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

It’s Time for a Plan “D”

December 22, 2012 | Huffington Post | Budget & Tax

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

US coal export trade raises alarms for Western states

December 20, 2012 | Reuters | Natural Resources

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

What the Sandy Bill Teaches Us About Our Spending Problem

December 19, 2012 | U.S.News & World Report Blogs (AP) | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

December 19, 2012 | Breitbart TV | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Agencies paralyzed by fiscal cliff, endless succession of CRs

December 19, 2012 | Environment & Energy Publishing | Earmarks & Appropriations

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... Read More

Congress Piles the Pork into Hurricane Sandy Relief

December 19, 2012 | Fiscal Times | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

December 19, 2012 | Firedoglake | National Security

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

Editorial: Pass Hurricane Sandy aid at the right size

December 19, 2012 | NJ.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Nearly 50 percent of Americans get federal benefits

December 19, 2012 | McClatchy Newspapers | Agriculture , Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Hawaii loses economic engine with Inouye’s passing

December 19, 2012 | WHLT - CBS 22 / Associated Press |

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

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

December 19, 2012 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser |

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

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... Read More

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

December 18, 2012 | National Review | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

December 18, 2012 | Market Watch | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Hurricane Sandy Recovery Package Packed With Extra Spending

December 18, 2012 | OnyxBook | Budget & Tax

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

Club For Growth, Heritage: Sandy Bill Packed With Pork

December 18, 2012 | News Max | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Conservative groups complain Sandy aid bill contains unrelated spending

December 18, 2012 | The Hill | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

K Street gathers strength behind Hurricane Sandy relief bill

December 18, 2012 | The Hill | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Why isn’t Obama demanding corporate welfare cuts?

December 18, 2012 | Market Watch | Budget & Tax

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

Senate debates $60.4 billion Sandy aid package

December 18, 2012 | Associated Press | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

December 17, 2012 | New York Times | Agriculture

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

5 Countries On The Naughty List For Dirty Energy

December 17, 2012 | Care2 | 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... Read More

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... Read More

Coalition urges approval of a farm subsidy

December 17, 2012 | The Washington Times | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Porked-up Sandy relief bill storms into Senate

December 17, 2012 | The Washington Times | Earmarks & Appropriations , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

December 17, 2012 | Public News Service | Energy , Natural Resources

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

AG NEWS 12/13/2012

December 14, 2012 | All Ag All Day | Agriculture

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

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

December 14, 2012 | KNEB Radio / Associated Press | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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

December 14, 2012 | National Review | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

150 million reasons it’s hard to cut spending

December 14, 2012 | Associated Press | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Good case that farm bill would add to deficit

December 13, 2012 | The Free Press | Agriculture

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... Read More

Senate unveils Hurricane Sandy bill

December 13, 2012 | The Hill | Budget & Tax

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

Amash Among Bipartisan Group Seeking Defense Cuts

December 13, 2012 | Associated Press / WOOD News Radio | Budget & Tax

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

Would Obama Deal on Spending?

December 13, 2012 | Roll Call | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

For Federal Workers, a Fiscal Cliff Deal Carries Dangers

December 12, 2012 | Roll Call | Budget & Tax

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

Group Says Billions of Dollars Risked on Oil Shale Speculation

December 12, 2012 | Yahoo News | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Sand dunes spare NJ homes from Sandy’s destruction

December 12, 2012 | CBS Evening News | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Libertarian and environmental groups unite against five-year farm bill

December 11, 2012 | Agri-Pulse | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Right, left call for defense cuts

December 11, 2012 | The Hill | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

December 11, 2012 | BuzzFeed Politics | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

December 11, 2012 | The Sacramento Bee (PR Newswire) | Energy

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

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

December 10, 2012 | Bloomberg BusinessWeek | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

After the Storm, New Questions Arise

December 10, 2012 | New York Times | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Subsidies for Oil Shale Development: Billion-Dollar Boondoggle?

December 10, 2012 | Sound Bite Services | Energy , Natural Resources

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

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

December 07, 2012 | Mother Jones | Budget & Tax , Energy , Natural Resources

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

Watchdog group opposes $50 million oil shale subsidy

December 07, 2012 | Grand Junction Free Press | Energy , Natural Resources

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

5-year farm bill could impact fiscal cliff talks

December 07, 2012 | Omaha World-Herald | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

December 06, 2012 | ABC News | Budget & Tax

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

Toss Wasteful Defense Weapons Programs Off the Cliff

December 06, 2012 | Huffington Post | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

December 06, 2012 | Politico | Budget & Tax

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

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

December 06, 2012 | MinnPost | Budget & Tax , Energy , Natural Resources

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

Taxpayer group outlines ‘fiscal cliff’ punt

December 06, 2012 | The Hill | Budget & Tax

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

Taxpayers for Common Sense Releases Cliff Roadmap

December 06, 2012 | National Journal | Budget & Tax

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

Taxpayers for Common Sense Releases Cliff Roadmap

December 06, 2012 | National Journal | Budget & Tax

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

Snake-Oil Deficit Savings

December 05, 2012 | Other Words | Agriculture , Budget & Tax , Energy , Natural Resources

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

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

December 04, 2012 | Reuters | Energy

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

Coloradans speak out against subsidizing oil shale

December 03, 2012 | NBC 11 News | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Worse Than Solyndra!

November 30, 2012 | Sierra Daily | Energy , Natural Resources

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

White House Appointees Have Portraits Painted at Taxpayer Expense

November 30, 2012 | Breitbart.com | Budget & Tax

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

Taxpayer group irked by GOP plan to subsidize oil shale research

November 30, 2012 | Associated Press | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Report calls out oil shale subsidies

November 30, 2012 | KJCT8 TV | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Study: Taxes Paid for Failed Oil Shale Subsidies

November 30, 2012 | KREXTV | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Watchdog group opposes oil shale research subsidy

November 30, 2012 | Post Independent | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Pork Will Find a Way

November 30, 2012 | Foreign Policy | Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

Taxpayers group urges Salazar to ditch Bush-era royalty

November 30, 2012 | E&E Articles | Energy

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

Obama, Congress at an impasse on fiscal cliff

November 29, 2012 | WJLA Capital Insider | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Oil Shale Subsidy Called a Boondoggle by Taxpayer Watchdog

November 29, 2012 | Salt Lake City Weekly | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Taxpayers for Common Sense slams oil shale subsidies

November 29, 2012 | Deseret News | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Oil shale bill rankles taxpayer advocacy group

November 29, 2012 | Associated Press | Energy , Natural Resources

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

Fight Over Ferry Prompts Questions on Definition of Earmarks

November 29, 2012 | New York Times | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

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

November 28, 2012 | GoArticles.com | Budget & Tax

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. ... Read More

Politico Morning Defense 11/28/2012

November 28, 2012 | Politico | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

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

November 27, 2012 | Voice of America | Budget & Tax

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

Columbia River Crossing Bridge knocked by taxpayer group

November 27, 2012 | Oregon Business Report | Budget & Tax , Natural Resources , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

November 27, 2012 | Sunlight Foundation | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

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

November 27, 2012 | The Courier-Journal | Budget & Tax

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

Congress prepares for bailout of flood insurance program amid Sandy claims

November 27, 2012 | The Hill | Budget & Tax

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

When to Stay and When to Go

November 26, 2012 | The New York Times | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

November 19, 2012 | Bloomberg.com | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 19, 2012 | The Hill | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 16, 2012 | PolicyMic | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Navajos ban uranium mining

November 16, 2012 | Earth Island Journal | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

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

November 16, 2012 | Before It's News | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

How Sandy revealed the follies of federal flood insurance programs

November 15, 2012 | The Globe and Mail | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Let’s stop subsidizing living in harm’s way

November 15, 2012 | The Albert Lea Tribune | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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

November 15, 2012 | YubaNet.com | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority to Pay Sandy Claims

November 15, 2012 | Property Casualty 360 | Budget & Tax

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

Flood insurance program serves vital role after storms

November 15, 2012 | Associated Press | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 15, 2012 | FrontPageMag.com | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Obama plans Asia trip amid budget fight

November 15, 2012 | The Washington Times | Budget & Tax

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

Nearly all of ag wants farm bill action

November 15, 2012 | Agriculture.com | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Schumer, Gillibrand seeks funds for coastline

November 15, 2012 | Newsday | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

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

November 15, 2012 | Before It's News | Budget & Tax , Energy

“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... Read More

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

November 13, 2012 | Roll Call | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 09, 2012 | McClatchy Newspapers | Budget & Tax

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... Read More

Lame duck Congress, go home

November 09, 2012 | CNN | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 08, 2012 | The Hill | Agriculture , Budget & Tax

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

Connecticut defense firms first in line to fall over fiscal cliff

November 08, 2012 | The Connecticut Mirror | Budget & Tax , National Security

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

Tax group floats 6-month fiscal deal

November 08, 2012 | Politico | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 06, 2012 | SNL | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

After Sandy: Reassessing the Nation’s Flood Fund

November 06, 2012 | CQ Weekly | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

Hawaii, Senate

November 06, 2012 | National Journal | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Sandy might turn the tide for embattled beach-building program

November 06, 2012 | E&E Publishing | Budget & Tax

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

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority Post-Sandy

November 06, 2012 | PropertyCasualy360.com | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Sandy to test revamped federal flood insurance program

November 05, 2012 | International Business Times | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Missing info made for weak points

November 05, 2012 | The Daily Progress | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Costly aftermath? Another battering for homeowners

November 05, 2012 | Ashbury Park Press | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Costly aftermath? Insurance rates may soar in aftermath of Sandy

November 05, 2012 | DailyRecord.com | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Ten sure things on Election Day

November 05, 2012 | The New York World |

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

The Cost of Natural Disasters, By the Numbers

November 02, 2012 | National Journal | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Who will pay to rebuild after Sandy?

November 02, 2012 | The Seattle Times | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Hot ETFs for the presidential election

November 02, 2012 | Market Watch (The Wall Street Journal) | Budget & Tax , Energy

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

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

November 02, 2012 | McClatchy Newspapers | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

"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... Read More

OMB claims big cuts in overhead spending but cannot offer details

November 02, 2012 | Federal Times | Budget & Tax

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

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

November 01, 2012 | Los Angeles Times | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

The Hill’s 2012 Top Lobbyists

October 31, 2012 | The Hill |

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... Read More

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

October 23, 2012 | Roll Call | Budget & Tax

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

Western bypass a waste of money

October 22, 2012 | The Daily Progress | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

October 17, 2012 | ABC 7 | Budget & Tax

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

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

October 17, 2012 | PR-USA.net | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

ASK JEFF : A highway funding crossroads

October 17, 2012 | South Bend Tribune | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Letter: Fixing Existing Roads Real Priority

October 16, 2012 | Times Record | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Menendez, Kyrillos have stark political differences but shared governing style

October 15, 2012 | NJ.com | Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Group’s goal is to curb harmful, wasteful spending

October 15, 2012 | Quad-Cities Online | Budget & Tax , Energy , Natural Resources , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Schumer Hints at More Medicare Cuts

October 11, 2012 | Financial Times | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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... Read More

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

October 11, 2012 | 106.1 The Corner WCNR | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Managing the Pain of Likely Cuts

October 09, 2012 | National Journal | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

$11.4 Billion Cut in Federal Transportation Spending Recommended

October 09, 2012 | Transportaion Issues Daily | Budget & Tax , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Steve Sink: Obama, Romney lack credible economic plans

October 09, 2012 | Democrat and Chronicle | Budget & Tax

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

Current, former athletes’ charities get millions in taxpayer dollars

October 09, 2012 | Tribune Review (AP) | Budget & Tax

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

Taxpayers against the Bypass

October 04, 2012 | Bacon's Rebellion | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Stop Giving the One Percent Tax Breaks on Beachfront Vacation Homes

October 04, 2012 | The Philly Post | Budget & Tax

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

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

October 04, 2012 | Pages of the Press | Agriculture , Budget & Tax , Energy

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... Read More

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... Read More

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... Read More

National budget watchdog group takes aim at Colubia River Crossing project

October 03, 2012 | The Oregonian | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

Yank CRC funding, federal budget watchdog urges

October 03, 2012 | Columbian Publishing Company | Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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

October 02, 2012 | Washington Business Journal | Agriculture , Budget & Tax , Energy , National Security , Natural Resources , Transportation & Infrastructure

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

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... Read More

Talk Radio News Service

October 02, 2012 | Talk Radio News Service | Budget & Tax

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

Large energy cuts can help avoid sequestration

October 02, 2012 | The Hill | Energy

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

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... Read More

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

October 02, 2012 | Politico | Budget & Tax

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

Huelskamp leads push to waive some tarriffs

October 01, 2012 | The Hutchinson News | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

Downsizing the military

October 01, 2012 | The Week | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations , National Security

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

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

October 01, 2012 | Washington Post | Budget & Tax , Earmarks & Appropriations

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

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

October 01, 2012 | Stars and Stripes | Budget & Tax , National Security

South Carolina has $15 billion-a-year stake in military By Andrew Shain The State Published: October 1, 2012   The military could be... Read More

US group urges $2 trillion alternative to fiscal cliff “time bomb”

US  group urges 2 trillion altenative to fiscal cliff "time bomb" By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON | Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:55pm EDT (Reuters)... Read More

Carbon tax would halve deficit in 10 years

September 27, 2012 | Greenwire | Energy , Natural Resources

Carbon tax would halve deficit in 10 years Jean Chemnick, E&E reporter Greenwire: Wednesday, September 26, 2012   A report by the... Read More

The battle to represent Sarasota and Manatee counties in Congress is ramping up

September 26, 2012 | Herald-Tribune | Earmarks & Appropriations

The battle to represent Sarasota and Manatee counties in Congress is ramping up By JEREMY WALLACE H-T Political Writer Published:... Read More

Buchanan-Fitzgerald battle heats up

September 26, 2012 | Herald-Tribune | Earmarks & Appropriations

Buchanan-Fitzgerald battle heats up By Jeremy Wallace, Herald-Tribune Tuesday, September 25, 2012   The battle to represent Sarasota... Read More

4 Reasons Why All Americans Should Worry About Wind Industry Layoffs

September 25, 2012 | TriplePundit.com | Budget & Tax , Natural Resources

4 Reasons Why All Americans Should Worry About Wind Industry Layoffs By Raz Godelnik | September 25th, 2012   Last week the American... Read More

Obama says Romney could take away middle class tax deductions

September 25, 2012 | PolitiFact.com | Budget & Tax

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are in a battle for the trust of the middle class. The group might be hard to define, but most... Read More

Ryan Alexander: Armend with Irony

September 25, 2012 | YubaNet.com | Budget & Tax , National Security

Ryan Alexander: Armed with Irony If lawmakers really want to stop blank checks for spending binges, they should start with the... Read More

‘Fiscal cliff’ plan was leap of faith

September 24, 2012 | Portland Press Herald | National Security

By James Rosen Republicans withdraw previous support for the strong budget controls. Republican congressional leaders are backing away... Read More

Too much info in Chesapeake? No chance of that

September 22, 2012 | Pilot-Online |

By: The Virginian-Pilot Chesapeake - home of an infamous fly-ash golf course, three unusable jail buildings and other attractions suitable... Read More

Fiscal cliff’ plan was leap of faith

September 22, 2012 | Portland Press Herald |

By James Rosen Republicans withdraw previous support for the strong budget controls. Republican congressional leaders are backing away... Read More

GOP reps now oppose budget cuts they supported

September 22, 2012 | Deluth News Tribune |

By: James Rosen WASHINGTON — Republican congressional leaders are backing away from a trigger system of forced spending cuts that they... Read More

Nuclear Attack on Wind Turbines: Energy Wars Begin

September 20, 2012 | Fiscal Times |

By Merrill Goozner The nation’s largest nuclear utility is leading a full court lobbying blitz to eliminate subsidies for the wind energy... Read More

Washington lawmakers - All earmarks considered pork

September 20, 2012 | News-Leader.com |

By: Gene Smith Taxpayers for Common Sense states that in 2011 there were 39,294 earmarks for a total of more than $130 billion. It is... Read More

Bipartisan “Green Scissors” Campaign Aims to Save the Environment—and Taxpayer Dollars

September 20, 2012 | Scientific American | Agriculture , Energy , Natural Resources , Transportation & Infrastructure

By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss Dear EarthTalk: What is the “Green Scissors” campaign, which I understand can help the environment and has... Read More

‘No More Solyndras Act’ Takes a Beating from All Sides (US News)

September 19, 2012 | US News | Energy , Natural Resources

Solyndra has long been a favorite buzzword of Republicans looking to criticize the Obama administration for everything from irresponsible use of taxpayer money to an energy policy that plays favorites.... Read More

Many in GOP voted for forced budget cuts before being against them (Bradenten Herald)

September 18, 2012 |

By James Rosen WASHINGTON — Republican congressional leaders are backing away from a trigger system of forced spending cuts that they hailed... Read More

Mitt Romney and the 47 percent (Capital Insider)

September 18, 2012 |

By George Jackson Republican Nominee Mitt Romney says there's a great divide in America -- between those who want to take wealth and pass it... Read More

US Republicans ‘party’ after House passage of ‘No More Solyndras Act’  (PV Magazine)

September 14, 2012 |

By: Cheryl Kaften U.S. Republicans hailed the bipartisan approval of the "No More Solyndras Act" by the House of Representatives on Friday,... Read More

House passes bill to limit Solyndra-style loan guarantees (Los Angeles Times)

September 14, 2012 |

The bill would limit the Energy Department's power to issue loan guarantees for new green-energy projects, a move stemming from Solyndra's failure.... Read More

No More Solyndras Act’ Takes a Beating from All Sides (US News)

September 13, 2012 |

By Meg Handley Solyndra has long been a favorite buzzword of Republicans looking to criticize the Obama administration for everything from... Read More

House Passes Solyndra Act Aimed at Obama (New York Times)

September 13, 2012 |

The House passed legislation on Friday that would phase out a Department of Energy loan guarantee program for clean and renewable energy projects.... Read More

Nuclear, Fossil Fuel Projects Favored In House “No More Solyndras” Legislation (Bloomberg Government)

September 12, 2012 |

By: Ari Natter Sept. 13 (BNA - World Climate Change Report) -- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Legislation that Republicans say would end an Energy... Read More

Yikes! Zombie Solar Projects Could Rise from the Dead! (Clean Technica)

September 12, 2012 |

The impending Zombie Apocalypse is real and it’s coming to a solar power project near you! At least, that’s what a group of four conservative organizations is saying in a new statement. T... Read More

Groups: Flawed “No More Solyndras Act” Would Still Leave Taxpayers At Risk Of Costly Energy Boondoggle Defaults (PR Newswire)

September 11, 2012 | Energy

Taxpayers for Common Sense, Heritage Foundation, National Taxpayers Union, and Competitive Enterprise Institute Outline Troubled Projects... Read More

Taxpayer, conservative groups: GOP’s ‘No More Solyndras’ bill not enough (The Hill)

September 11, 2012 |

By Ben Geman Four taxpayer and conservative groups say a House GOP bill to curtail the Energy Department’s loan guarantee program doesn’t... Read More

Yet More Solyndras (National Review)

September 11, 2012 | Earmarks & Appropriations

Congress returns this week and plans to kick off their short stint in Washington before heading back to the campaign trail with a bill misleadingly called the “No More Solyndras Act.” ... Read More

Sen. Kay Hagan Responds To Tariff Concerns Of NC Firms (WFMY News)

September 10, 2012 |

By: Paul C. Barton WASHINGTON -- Many of the bills Sen. Kay Hagan has introduced in the 112th Congress read like they belong on the blackboard... Read More

Loan Opponent Ryan Sought Riskier Practices on Electric-Car Aid (Bloomberg Business Week)

September 10, 2012 |

Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan pressed the U.S. Department of Energy in 2008 to write rules for electric-car loans that could... Read More

Nonsensical plan

September 04, 2012 | The Miami Herald |

Although ProtectingAmerica.org’s co-chairs claim in their Aug. 19 Other Views column, Still not prepared 20 years after Hurricane Andrew,... Read More

Budget cutter Ryan opposed bids to slash spending on Ohio uranium facility (E&E Daily)

September 03, 2012 |

By: Hannah Northey GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan aligned himself with the Obama administration earlier this year and voted to... Read More

Nonsensical plan (The Miami Herald)

September 01, 2012 |

By: Stephen Ellis, Vice President, Taxpayers for Common Sense Although ProtectingAmerica.org’s co-chairs claim in their Aug. 19 Other Views... Read More

Record Farm Profit Amid Drought Raises Questions of Aid (Bloomberg News)

August 28, 2012 |

By Alan Bjerga A projection that U.S. farmers will make a record profit amid the worst drought in more than five decades shows that government... Read More

Fight over tax reform would dominate first year of a Romney presidency (The Hill)

August 25, 2012 |

By Erik Wasson Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for vice president made the 2012 election about big domestic policy changes,... Read More

Some deficit hawks fear setback if Romney loses with Ryan (The Hill)

August 25, 2012 |

By Erik Wasson Deficit hawks fear Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) vice presidential run could set back their cause if Mitt Romney fails to win the... Read More

ALDOT to benefit from languishing federal earmarks (AL.com)

August 25, 2012 |

By Mary Orndorff Troyan WASHINGTON -- More than $51 million in old federal earmarks that have gone unused around the state will be confiscated... Read More

Truth-o-Meter: Crossroads GPS says Baldwin voted to spend $800,000 to replace light bulbs (PolitiFact)

August 22, 2012 |

Written by: Dave Umhoefer On Day 1 of Wisconsin’s general election contest for an open U.S. Senate seat, Democrat Tammy Baldwin got a scolding... Read More

GSA’s push to curb spending begins to bear fruit (Federal Computer Week)

August 21, 2012 |

By Camille Tuutti It sounds like the name for a scavenger hunt, but the Great Ideas Hunt at the General Services Administration has a... Read More

TCS: Time to cut subsidies for big oil (Capital Insider)

August 21, 2012 |

By George Jackson This week, Apple became Wall Street's all-time MVP when the company's value topped $624 billion. That's 54 percent more than... Read More

Congress may lift so-called ‘earmark ban’ next year (KTOO News Radio)

August 20, 2012 |

by Peter Granitz There is political chatter in Washington, D.C. that Congress may alter its self-imposed ban on earmarks come January.... Read More

Pols’ tariff tricks cook up more pork (New York Post)

August 19, 2012 |

By Gerry Shields WASHINGTON — It’s Washington’s newest form of pork. Sneaky members of Congress — who only recently banned federal... Read More

Congress doubles tariff-relief bills (UPI)

August 19, 2012 |

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Members of Congress have introduced 1,297 bills this year that allow major companies to dodge import taxes, which... Read More

Closer Look: Dispute blocking sale of Ill. prison (Associated Press)

August 18, 2012 |

The federal government wants to buy a prison. The state of Illinois has one to sell. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Before the federal Bureau... Read More

Paul Ryan has record of pushing for and earmarking federal funds for his district (Washington Post)

August 16, 2012 |

By Jerry Markon and David S. Fallis Five months ago, Rep. Paul Ryan reached out to the Transportation Department, urging that it look... Read More

Ryan sought earmarks, grants for home district (The Seattle Times)

August 16, 2012 |

By David S. Fallis Rep. Paul Ryan's history of seeking federal funds for his Wisconsin district complicates the image he and now the Romney... Read More

Obama OKs old earmarks for highway projects (USA Today)

August 16, 2012 |

By Gregory Korte WASHINGTON – The Obama administration will free up $473 million in unspent "idle earmarks" to allow states to spend the money... Read More

Ryan’s District Gains Despite His Positions (NPR)

August 15, 2012 |

By: Brian Naylor To listen to this story, click here. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, has staked... Read More

Ryan sought stimulus funds while decrying program (The Boston Globe)

August 13, 2012 |

By Bryan Bender and Brian MacQuarrie   JANESVILLE, Wisc. — In 2009, as Rep. Paul D. Ryan was railing against President Obama’s $787 billion... Read More

One-third of Texas’ Congressmembers double-dip with public pensions (The Examiner)

August 13, 2012 |

By: Jennifer Peebles Of Texas' 34-member Congressional delegation, 12 are taking a pension from a public retirement plan, according to... Read More

In Paul Ryan’s home state, he supported US energy funds while decrying stimulus program (Boston.com)

August 12, 2012 |

By Bryan Bender and Brian MacQuarrie JANESVILLE, Wisc. — In 2009, as Rep. Paul D. Ryan was railing against President Obama’s $787 billion... Read More

Obama falsely claims Paul Ryan blocked farm bill (Examiner.com)

August 12, 2012 |

By: Joe Newby On Monday, Barack Obama claimed that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) blocked a bill giving aid to farmers and ranchers hurt by the severe... Read More

Pass ‘clean’ military spending bills (Politifact)

August 12, 2012 |

GOP Pledge-O-Meter: Troop funding bills "will not be held up by unrelated policy changes, or extraneous domestic spending and pork-barrel... Read More

Defunding Mass Transit is Not Good for the Tea Party, Whatever They May Think (History News Network)

August 12, 2012 |

By Tammy Ingram The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s July 31st headline, “Tea Party notches a big win in T-SPLOST loss,” credits the... Read More

Was the bugdet deficit increase in 2008 Rob Portman’s fault? (Cleveland.com)

August 10, 2012 |

By Stephen Koff WASHINGTON --Quick, name the White House budget chief. Few Americans know his identity (the post is filled right now by an... Read More

Nonpartisan Groups Defend Neutrality in Harsh Climate

August 10, 2012 | Boston Globe | Budget & Tax

When the Tax Policy Center published a study critical of Mitt Romney’s tax plan last week, the Romney campaign’s first attack was not on the... Read More

Rush’s Ruse in Missouri (FactCheck)

August 09, 2012 |

By Ben Finley In a campaign-funded radio ad to Missouri voters, Rush Limbaugh claimed the state’s lieutenant governor “banned taxpayer-funded... Read More

Texas Members of Congress Dip Once, Twice, Three Times at the Public Trough (Texas Watchdog)

August 09, 2012 |

By Steve Miller Of the state’s 34-member U.S. congressional delegation, 12 are taking a pension from a public retirement plan, according to... Read More

Nonpartisan Groups Defend Neutrality in Harsh Climate (Boston Globe)

August 09, 2012 |

By Callum Borchers When the Tax Policy Center published a study critical of Mitt Romney’s tax plan last week, the Romney campaign’s first... Read More

No More Solyndras? Not Quite (United Liberty)

August 08, 2012 |

By Tad DeHaven Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the “No More Solyndras Act.” As Taxpayers for Common Sense notes,... Read More

Senators Nibble At Tax Breaks, but Special Interests Bite Back (Press Herald)

August 07, 2012 |

By Lori Montgomery WASHINGTON - It was supposed to be a first step toward tax reform. But as lawmakers tackled a list of 75 special-interest... Read More

Sen. Mary Landrieu Ranks 25th in Taxpayer Money Spent on Travel

August 06, 2012 | Shreveport Times | Budget & Tax

WASHINGTON — Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu spent $16,748 in taxpayer money on chartered plane flights around the state for her and... Read More

Obama Exempts Military Personnel From Cuts; Civilian Workers, Weapons At Bigger Risk (US News)

August 05, 2012 |

By John T. Bennett President Barack Obama will protect all accounts used to pay for military personnel from deep spending cuts that would... Read More

Romney Tilting Against Wind Tax Credit (Denver Post)

August 05, 2012 |

By Curtis Hubbard Is Mitt Romney trying to blow it? That's the question that came to mind last week as his campaign repeatedly asserted his... Read More

Sen. Mary Landrieu Ranks 25th in Taxpayer Money Spent on Travel (Shreveport Times)

August 05, 2012 |

By Elizabeth Bewley WASHINGTON — Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu spent $16,748 in taxpayer money on chartered plane flights around... Read More

Senate Panel OKs Less ‘Perk’-y Tax Reform (Equities)

August 05, 2012 |

United Press International The Senate Finance Committee's foray into changing the U.S. Tax Code started with either a bang or a whimper,... Read More

Fred Upton’s Solyndra Subterfuge (Red State)

August 02, 2012 |

  On Tuesday, Fred Upton, the Republican godfather of green energy social engineering, spearheaded passage of the “No More Solyndras Act”... Read More

No Drought Aid for Farmers, Ranchers as Congress Breaks for Summer

August 02, 2012 |

  Congress adjourned for the summer on Thursday without passing a relief package for farmers and ranchers suffering through the most... Read More

Bipartisan House Defense Panel Erupts in Shouting Match

August 02, 2012 | US News | National Security

 The House Armed Services Committee has long taken pride in a spirit of cross-party cooperation. But when Jeffrey Zients, the White House\'s... Read More

DepSecDef Carter Warns Of Training Shortfalls If Sequester Happens; HASC Hearing Marked By Shouting, Silliness (AOL Defense)

July 31, 2012 | AOL Defense | National Security

CAPITOL HILL: Congress and the Obama administration should thank their lucky stars that hardly anyone watched this morning's House Armed... Read More

Bipartisan House Defense Panel Erupts in Shouting Match (US News)

July 31, 2012 |

 There was screaming. There were allegations. There was partisan bickering. For nearly three hours Wednesday, one of the last-remaining... Read More

John McCain Criticizes Looming Defense Cuts in Tampa (Tampa Bay Times)

July 30, 2012 |

  U.S. Sen. John McCain estimates that if proposed defense spending cuts go into effect Jan. 1, the state of Florida will lose about 42,000... Read More

GOP Scrambles for Farm Bill Votes (The Hill)

July 29, 2012 |

  House Republican leaders might not have the votes to pass a stopgap farm bill this week. The scramble for votes has sparked speculation that... Read More

Conservatives Urge Caution on Farm Bill (Breitbart.com)

July 29, 2012 |

  On Friday, The Hill reported that the House Rules Committee would consider a rule for the farm bill, which was passed on Tuesday by the... Read More

Save the Earth! Shrink The State! (Huffington Post)

July 29, 2012 |

  America has some good things to show for its more than 40 years of intense environmental activism: the air and water are cleaner than they... Read More

Farming for Food Stamps (Bennington Banner)

July 28, 2012 |

  Can a piece of legislation be a "farm bill" if nearly 80 percent of its spending goes to food stamps? According the United States Congress... Read More

Funding Medical Research With Defense Dollars (CQ)

July 27, 2012 |

  In 1992, Congress used an earmark to direct some Pentagon appropriations for breast cancer research. Today, that single spending item has... Read More

Jolley: 5 Minutes Worth of Federal Chatter about the Farm Bill (Drovers Cattle Network)

July 26, 2012 |

  Listening to five minutes worth of federal chatter is like buying five dollars worth of gas. You don’t get much for your money. No big... Read More

Earmark Ban Fails to Stop Lawmaker Requests for Spending (Bloomberg)

July 26, 2012 |

By Roxana Tiron The House last week more than tripled funding for an updated version of a Cold War-era tank the U.S. Army says it doesn’t... Read More

Defense Industry’s Worst-Case Scenario: Congress Punts Budget Decisions to ‘14 (National Defense Magazine)

July 24, 2012 |

By Sandra Erwin As the August congressional recess looms, the future is looking cloudier for defense industry. The draconian budget cuts... Read More

Investigation Exposes Outrageous Waste of Taxpayer Dollars for Empty Flights (ABC Newsnet)

July 24, 2012 |

By Jim Osman and Kristin Volk WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to a report by the Scripps National Investigative Team about the Essential... Read More

Rivals Mica, Adams Both Sought ‘Earmarks’ for Local Projects (Orlando Sentinal)

July 24, 2012 |

By Mark K. Matthews and Jason Garcia WASHINGTON — It's been a couple of years since Congress banned lawmakers from "earmarking" federal money... Read More

Green Scissors for Congress

When you’re in a hole, you stop digging. And when you’ve got a $1.3-trillion deficit and $15.7 trillion in debt, you’ve got to start... Read More

Three Ploys the Department of Defense Uses When Their Budget Is at Risk (Truthout)

July 22, 2012 |

By Dina Rasor I have been at this for too long. Since I first started looking at the Department of Defense (DoD) and its budget in 1979, I... Read More

Spotlight Shifts to How Tariffs Get Waived (Omaha World-Herald)

July 22, 2012 |

By Joseph Morton WASHINGTON — The longstanding practice of suspending import tariffs on some products used by U.S. manufacturers is under... Read More

Congress Plays War Games with Defense Budget

July 19, 2012 | Fiscal Times | National Security

As the defense industry and its allies in the Pentagon and Congress stepped up their drum beat Wednesday about the dangers that scheduled... Read More

National Guard Urged to Prove Value of Sponsorships (USA Today)

July 18, 2012 |

  The National Guard Association's president says the Guard must do a better job of proving the value of its sports sponsorships, including... Read More

If D.C. Is Serious About a Carbon Tax, It Could Seriously Save the World (Take Part)

July 17, 2012 |

     The Energy Collective reported earlier today that, “It might only apply to industry emissions and nary a Republican would dare admit to... Read More

Congress Should Make Hard Choices before Raising Taxes (Journal Times)

July 16, 2012 |

Here we go again. Last week, President Barack Obama signed a highway and transit spending bill, sent to his desk by Congress, that is not... Read More

All Sides Agree a Carbon Tax Could be Included in Expected Tax Code Overhaul (E&E Publishing)

July 16, 2012 |

  The idea of a carbon tax has crept back onto the policy landscape in the past few weeks after years in the wilderness, and while specifics... Read More

GOP Leaders Slam the Door on Carbon Taxes (The Hill)

July 15, 2012 |

  Capitol Hill's most powerful Republicans say advocates who have been discussing a carbon tax behind closed doors are wasting their... Read More

Cutting Tariffs for Political Donors: Pork or Constituent Service? (Newsworks)

July 15, 2012 |

  Four Philadelphia-area Congressional representatives have submitted bills making obscure changes in U.S. tariff regulations to benefit... Read More

Taken for a Ride…Again? (ABC News)

July 15, 2012 |

  WASHINGTON - In response to a report by the Scripps National Investigative Team about the Essential Air Service, one California congressman... Read More

Sen. Bob Corker’s Travel Tab 9th-Highest in Senate (The Tennessean)

July 15, 2012 |

  WASHINGTON — Judging from his taxpayer-funded travel tab, you might guess that Republican Sen. Bob Corker represents one of the biggest... Read More

Making Bad Government a Little Better (HotAir.com)

July 15, 2012 |

  For proponents of a more responsible government, this week offered both good and bad news. The good news: on Wednesday, a Detroit Free Press... Read More

Low-Key Carbon Tax Talks Fuel Conservative Outcry (Politico)

July 14, 2012 |

  Nobody expects the idea to be enacted anytime soon, but some liberal and conservative thinkers are having a quiet, informal dialogue about... Read More

Oil and Gas Reaping Benefit of Subsidies, Tax Breaks (SantaFeNewMexican.com)

July 13, 2012 |

  There is a song, “The Times They Are A Changin’,” in which Bob Dylan sings about the old and stodgy needing to get out of the way, if... Read More

Federal Farm-Bill Fight Affects Big Portion of State’s Economy (Poughkeepsie Journal)

July 13, 2012 |

  WASHINGTON — The percentage of New Yorkers who own or operate a farm is pretty small, yet agriculture is a big part of the state’s... Read More

Predictions Realized: With Taxpayers on the Hook, Cost of US Nuclear Plants Soar (Common Dreams)

July 12, 2012 |

Delays and overruns at three nuclear projects could cost $2 billion - Common Dreams staff Despite assurances from the nuclear industry... Read More

Secret Congressional Reports May Be Made Public (Policymike)

July 12, 2012 |

  A bipartisan resolution was introduced in the House this week to make Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports available to the public... Read More

Transportation Bill Jammed with Budget Gimmickry (Dallas News)

July 12, 2012 |

President Barack Obama’s signing ceremony for the federal transportation bill was like the graduation ceremony for a school’s most unruly,... Read More

Split Among House Republicans Over How Deeply to Cut May Delay Farm Bill (New York Times)

July 12, 2012 | Agriculture

By Ron Nixon WASHINGTON — The first major overhaul of the nation’s nutrition and farm program is in jeopardy because of a split in the ranks... Read More

R Street, Taxpayer Groups Seek Real Reform in $1 Trillion Farm Bill (R Street)

July 10, 2012 |

  WASHINGTON (July 11, 2012) – Ahead of today’s House Agriculture Committee mark-up of the $957 billion Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk... Read More

N.J. Will See No Gain in Federal Transportation Aid (NorthJersey.com)

July 10, 2012 |

By Herb Jackson The state Department of Transportation will get nearly $1 billion to spend on projects such as eliminating the Little Ferry... Read More

House Farm Bill Favors Arkansas Rice Growers (Arkansas News)

July 10, 2012 |

By Peter Urban WASHINGTON — The House Agriculture Committee takes up a 557-page farm bill this week that offers greater protection to Southern... Read More

Number of Georgians on Food Stamps Balloons (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

July 10, 2012 |

By Daniel Malloy and Katie Leslie Nearly one in five Georgians now gets federal assistance to put dinner on the table. As Congress debates... Read More

Tariff Waivers Open Floodgates of Dollars for Sponsors (Washington Examiner)

July 10, 2012 |

By Mark Flatten When 65 Republican freshmen pressed House leaders to jumpstart the When 65 Republican freshmen pressed House leaders to... Read More

A Special Interest Carve Out (Heritage Action)

July 09, 2012 |

  In his second State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to veto any bill containing earmarks: And because the American people... Read More

Energy Issues Electrify Ohio Senate Race (Chillicothe Gazette)

July 08, 2012 |

Energy Issues Electrify Ohio Senate Race By Deidre Shesgreen WASHINGTON -- When it comes to energy issues, Democrat Sherrod Brown and... Read More

House Committee Unveils Draft of Farm Bill with $35 Billion in Cuts (The Hill)

July 05, 2012 |

  The leaders of the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday released a draft 2012 farm bill that cuts direct spending by $35 billion, about... Read More

Congress Keeps Free Mail While Pushing U.S. Postal Cuts (Bloomberg)

July 04, 2012 |

  Lawmakers intent on dictating how the U.S. Postal Service cuts billions from its spending are among those helping themselves to a favorite... Read More

Under New Bill, America’s Transpo Loan Program Ignores National Goals (DCStreetsBlog.org)

July 02, 2012 |

In the highly polarized and antagonistic transportation bill negotiations, dragged out over the course of almost a year, there was one thing... Read More

Changes Free up Money for Roads (The Statehouse File)

July 02, 2012 |

  INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana transportation officials said they are pleased Indiana will get extra flexibility to spend nearly $1 billion per year... Read More

Energy And Environment Update (JDSUPRA)

July 02, 2012 |

In This Issue: Energy and Climate Debate; Congress; Administration; Department of Defense; Department of Energy; Department of Interior;... Read More

Federal Highway Fund is Running on Fumes (Kansas City Star)

July 02, 2012 |

WASHINGTON -- Last week, lawmakers in Congress approved a bill that keeps highway and transit spending at current levels for the next... Read More

Congress Passes Transportation Bill, Halts Student Loan Rate Increase (BostonHerald.com)

July 01, 2012 |

WASHINGTON — Congress, in a rare display of bipartisanship, on Friday sent to President Barack Obama a roughly $105 billion transportation... Read More

Crony Baloney, Doggy Glitter Edition: USDA’s Market Access Program is Corporate Welfare (Crony Chronicles)

July 01, 2012 |

Susan Ferrechio at the Washington Examiner writes about the the massive farm bill making its way through congress, and how there are lots of... Read More

The $80B Food Stamp Program: Where’s the Money Going? (Rand Paul Review)

July 01, 2012 |

American taxpayers dole out $80 billion every year to subsidize food stamps for the poor, but are unsure of where and how their hard-earned... Read More

Lobbyists Face Crunch Time ahead of House Farm Bill’s Release (The Hill)

July 01, 2012 |

Lobbyists on the farm bill are facing crunch time this week, even with lawmakers in both chambers out of town. Staff for the House Agriculture... Read More

Transit Bill “Kicks Can Down the Road” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

July 01, 2012 |

In a TV ad, several owners of hybrid cars boast about how rarely they need to stop for gas. While doing a good turn for the environment and... Read More

Road funding, interest break for 160,000 Missouri students finally approved (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

July 01, 2012 |

June 29–WASHINGTON — As usual, Congress waited until the eleventh hour to tackle big issues. But as result of legislation escaping today, an... Read More

Op-Ed: Congress Remembers the Taxpayer (Hudson Valley Insider)

July 01, 2012 |

The challenges facing our country should push the U.S. Congress to work together for a fiscally-responsible future. The country is facing a... Read More

Congress Passes Student Loans, Highways, Flood Aid, Deficit Impact Disputed (Examiner.com)

July 01, 2012 |

What does the Highway Trust Fund, flood insurance, the Keystone Pipeline and student loan interest have in common? Nothing really, but they... Read More

Infrastructure (Council on Foreign Relations)

July 01, 2012 |

 Congress Approves Two-Year Transportation Bill On Friday Congress passed a transportation bill that secures $120 billion in federal funding... Read More

Transportation deal could be reached in Washington (America Public Media)

June 28, 2012 |

by John Dimsdale Jeremy Hobson: Lawmakers in Washington are poised today to approve a bill that provides billions for transportation projects... Read More

Congress Approves a $127 Billion Transportation and Student Loan Package (New York Times)

June 28, 2012 |

Congress gave final approval on Friday to legislation that combines a two-year transportation measure with bills to extend subsidized student... Read More

Congress Passes Transportation Bill, Halts Student Loan Rate Hike (LA Times)

June 28, 2012 |

WASHINGTON — Congress, in a rare display of bipartisanship, on Friday sent to President Obama a roughly $105-billion transportation bill that... Read More

Pryor, Boozman win on Flood Insurance (Arkansas News)

June 28, 2012 |

WASHINGTON — Congress today approved a five-year reauthorization of the nation’s flood insurance program after removing a requirement that... Read More

Congress Can Save $700 Billion by Ending Environmentally Destructive Programs (Living Green)

June 28, 2012 |

Congress could move a long way toward solving the nation’s twin problems of spiraling budget costs and environmental degradation simply by... Read More

Greening the Federal Budget - and Saving a Bundle

June 26, 2012 | The Fiscal Times | Agriculture , Energy , Natural Resources , Transportation & Infrastructure

June 27, 2012 -- A leading environmental group, a centrist taxpayer watchdog and a libertarian small-government think tank on Tuesday... Read More

Transportation folks nationwide cheer highway bill breakthrough in Congress; As for me? Not so much (Dallas News)

June 26, 2012 |

By Michael Lindenberger My inbox has been full all day long with triumphant news from the transportation advocacy groups — and not a few... Read More

New ‘Green Scissors’ Report Eyes Reclamation Spending Cuts (E&E News)

June 25, 2012 |

Elana Schor An unlikely alliance of environmentalists, fiscal watchdogs and conservatives today put Bureau of Reclamation spending in their... Read More

Can the Government Save the Environment and $700M Too? (Fox Business)

June 25, 2012 |

Taxpayers for Common Sense V.P. Steve Ellis on how the government can reduce spending while helping the environment as well. (Video at... Read More

Congress Needs to Act this Week on Two Bills (JS Online)

June 25, 2012 |

Like a college kid nearing the end of the semester, Congress has irresponsibly delayed until the last second action on two bills it should... Read More

Where Did the Senate Get the Extra Money to Pay For Its Bill? (DC Streets Blog)

June 25, 2012 |

By Tanya Snyder Congressional leaders announced opaquely last week that they’d "moved forward" on a deal on the highway section of the... Read More

Congress Needs to Act This Week on Two Bills (Journal Sentinal)

June 25, 2012 |

Congress should approve the Senate's version of a national transportation bill and an extension of the current interest rate for student... Read More

Senate Played a Shell Game with New Farm Bill (Fiscal Times)

June 24, 2012 |

By Eric Painin   There was quite a bit of backslapping and self-congratulations on the Senate floor Thursday following the overwhelming... Read More

House GOP Seen Blocking Farm Measure (Washington Times)

June 24, 2012 |

By Paige Winfield Cunningham The five-year farm bill, which cleared the Senate last week, could be headed for rough waters in the House with... Read More

House Boosts Rural Air Services Subsidies (AP)

June 18, 2012 |

By Andrew Taylor WASHINGTON (AP) — Tea party lawmakers from rural areas were among those fighting the hardest to preserve taxpayer subsidies... Read More

Florida’s Beach-House Boondoggle (Providence Journal)

June 16, 2012 |

WASHINGTON The start of the 2012 hurricane season has provoked the annual pleas from Florida to create a national catastrophe fund to bail out... Read More

Doggy Glitter Gets a Share of Farm Bill Billions (Washington Examiner)

June 16, 2012 |

By Susan Ferrechio What does sparkly styling spray for dogs have to do with the 2012 farm bill? It's among the thousands of products U.S.... Read More

Sen Conrad’s Farm Bill Compromise Draws Fire (The Hill)

June 14, 2012 |

By Erik Wasson A new farm bill compromise floated by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) on Thursday could be what is needed to get the bill through the... Read More

Ports to Spend Big for Global Bounty (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

June 13, 2012 |

By Dan Chapman U.S. ports, including Savannah and Brunswick, plan to spend more than $46 billion over the next five years in anticipation of... Read More

Earmark-Free Bills Push Senators to Get Creative (Bloomberg)

June 12, 2012 |

By Kathleen Hunter Democrat Debbie Stabenow helped secure $744.2 million in targeted spending for her home state of Michigan in the first... Read More

Energy OKs $280M for ailing USEC centrifuge project in Ohio (USA Today)

June 12, 2012 |

By Gregory Korte WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy will invest $280 million — in a company worth less than half that — to research... Read More

With ban on earmarks in Congress, Jacksonville’s politicians get creative (Florida Times-Union)

June 07, 2012 |

Faced with a congressional freeze on earmarks, two U.S. representatives from Jacksonville found a novel path to House approval for a $35... Read More

New Farm Bill Focuses On Reaping, Not Sowing (NPR)

June 07, 2012 |

by Tamara Keith The Senate will spend the next several weeks hashing through the farm bill. The legislation deals with everything from crop... Read More

Crop Insurance Proposal Could Cost U.S. Billions (The New York Times)

June 06, 2012 |

By Ron Nixon WASHINGTON — At the same time that high crop prices are prompting farmers to expand into millions of acres of land once... Read More

House Adopts Polis Amendment Cutting Unproven Oil Shale Research (Senator Jared Polis’ Office)

June 05, 2012 |

Press Release by Senator Polis' Office Washington, Jun 6 - Continuing his efforts to cut wasteful spending, the House today adopted an... Read More

Oil shale research subsidy stripped in House vote (The Daily Sentinel)

June 05, 2012 |

By Dennis Webb A Democratic Colorado congressman Wednesday succeeded in convincing the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to... Read More

Polis jumps into congressional fight over oil shale subsidies (Colorado Independant)

June 04, 2012 |

It is a common refrain in this Republican House of Representatives that Congress should not “pick winners and losers” in the energy... Read More

New proposal exchanges centrifuges for USEC grant (USA Today)

May 21, 2012 |

By Gregory Korte, USA TODAY WASHINGTON – Taxpayers could support a risky uranium-processing project in southern Ohio through a transaction... Read More

Lockheed Used Internal Marine Documents (National Journal)

May 16, 2012 |

By Kevin Baron Hoping to fight off cancellation of the Marine Corps version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, lobbyists for Lockheed Martin... Read More

Nuclear weapons: A bad security investment (The Hill)

May 16, 2012 |

By Major General Rogere R. Blunt (Ret.), Civil and nuclear engineer - Most debates in Washington have battle lines that are predictable and... Read More

Fitzpatrick saves $160,000 on office expenses (Philly Courier Times)

May 16, 2012 |

By Gary Weckselblatt Mike Fitzpatrick’s spending habits may not solve the country’s debt problem, but the 8th District Republican saved... Read More

House freshmen spent millions of tax dollars on mailings (USA Today)

May 15, 2012 |

By Ledyard King and Elizabeth Bewely WASHINGTON – Republican freshmen who came to Congress last year promising to transform Washington's... Read More

Earmarks still have friends in high places (Politico)

May 15, 2012 |

by Jonathan Allen A provision for a uranium-enrichment plant in Ohio keeps cropping up all over Capitol Hill: $150 million in the Senate’s... Read More

Betting on the Cronies (San Francisco Examiner)

May 14, 2012 |

by Catherine Tripp Investment Advice from the trenches The economic disaster caused by Wall Street's self styled experts has brought to the... Read More

Earmarks haunt Nelson’s re-election campaign (Washington Examiner)

May 13, 2012 |

by Yael Ossowski MIAMI — As a powerful member of the Senate Commerce, Finance and Intelligence committees and the former state treasurer of... Read More

Earmark recipients filled Akin campaign coffers (Washington Examiner)

May 13, 2012 |

by Mark Tapscott and Jennifer Peebles People for whom U.S. Rep. Todd Akin helped secure $31 million in earmarks have paid him back handsomely:... Read More

Rothman, Pascrell spar over who brings more federal dollars home (New Jersey Record)

May 12, 2012 |

by Herb Jackson The 33-page list describes more than 1,000 grants and projects, ranging from $1,100 for a domestic violence shelter in... Read More

House shifts pending budget cuts from defense to entitlements (Washington Times)

May 10, 2012 |

By Stephen Dinan Six months after the congressional supercommittee failed to come to a long-term deal on federal spending, House... Read More

Bernie Sanders, Keith Ellison Unveil Bill To End Fossil Fuel Subsidies (Huffington Post)

May 10, 2012 |

by Lucia Graves WASHINGTON -- Progressive lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) teamed up on Thursday to... Read More

New bill takes aims at oil tax breaks (MSN Money)

May 10, 2012 |

By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hoping to build on voter anger about high gasoline prices, two U.S. lawmakers launched a new attack... Read More

End Polluter Welfare Bill Would Stop Coal, Oil, Gas Subsidies (Environmental News Service)

May 10, 2012 |

WASHINGTON, DC, May 10, 2012 (ENS) - Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, and Congressmen Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, today... Read More

Mckibben: Activists should be ‘willfully naive’ in oil subsidy, climate battle (The Hill)

May 09, 2012 |

by Ben Geman A prominent environmentalist is suggesting an outside-the-box political strategy for climate advocates seeking to end oil... Read More

Accessible Latham flies under the radar (Des Moines Register)

May 09, 2012 |

by JENNIFER JACOBS He’s not the most aggressive congressman, nor is he as visible as some lawmakers, but because of the power he’s able to... Read More

Debate over continued incentives for energy companies (Arizona Republic)

May 04, 2012 |

by Ryan Randazzo Public money supports the development of nearly every form of energy -- a point not lost on a budget-conscious public after... Read More

It’s time for Republicans to stand up for the free market, including agriculture (Fox News)

May 03, 2012 |

By Phil Kerpen I once saw a very conservative member of Congress, someone I respect and with whom I have worked on many issues, tell a... Read More

U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble supports tariffs break some see as breach of earmarks ban (Appleton Post Crescent)

May 03, 2012 |

by Larry Bivins WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble has waded into some murky waters that could weigh on his re-election campaign with his... Read More

Bill Johnson says subsidies for the oil companies that Barack Obama has attacked don’t exist (PolitiFact)

May 02, 2012 |

In addition to straining household budgets across the country, rising gas prices are causing America’s politicians to make statements that... Read More

NOAA sought magician, now wants plans to disappear (Associated Press)

May 02, 2012 |

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal agency needs illusionist David Copperfield to help escape from criticism... Read More

DCCC says Allen West wants to bring earmarks back (PolitiFact)

May 01, 2012 |

You’ve probably heard of the earmark to build the bridge to nowhere in Alaska. But what about tariff breaks for those who make snow globes? Or... Read More

Chapter Twelve (Huffington Post)

April 28, 2012 |

by David Isenberg After ten years of operation by private military and security (PMSC) contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq, what ethical... Read More

Just the ten extensions: How not to fund infrastructure (The Economist)

April 27, 2012 |

IT IS over two-and-a-half years since the law governing spending on America’s motorways expired. Instead of passing a replacement, as might... Read More

Watchdogs criticize plan for locks, dams (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

April 26, 2012 |

By Len Boselovic The Kentucky lawmaker proposing major changes in how improvements to the nation's deteriorating locks and dams are funded has... Read More

Politics stands between nuclear plant’s future (USA Today)

April 25, 2012 |

By Gregory Korte PIKETON, Ohio – Three dozen 43-foot-tall centrifuges swirl quietly in a cavernous building in southern Ohio, ready to turn... Read More

John Boehner says Senate Dems haven’t passed a budget in more than 1,000 days (PolitiFact)

April 25, 2012 |

As the House prepared to begin floor consideration of several contending budget resolutions for fiscal 2013, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner... Read More

Congress should exercise the power of the purse (Syracuse Post-Standard)

April 25, 2012 |

by Jim Walsh To the Editor: Imagine my surprise, now three years since my retirement from Congress, when I read several articles in The... Read More

NM Radio Campaign Targets Tax Breaks for Oil and Gas Industry (Public News Service)

April 25, 2012 |

by Beth Blakeman LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Topping off the tank is getting more expensive, critics say, as drivers pay for their fuel in two... Read More

ENQUIRER IN-DEPTH: Earmarks end, but Cincinnati’s lobbying continues (Cincinnati Enquirer)

April 24, 2012 |

WASHINGTON — Since Mayor Mark Mallory took office in 2005, city taxpayers have paid a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm $853,000 to help it... Read More

Congressman’s ‘Golden Goose’ Aims to Stand Proxmire’s Award on Its Head (Chronicle of Higher Education)

April 24, 2012 |

By Paul Basken For decades, Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee fumed as a fellow Democrat, Sen. William Proxmire, grabbed headlines with his... Read More

Critics see hypocrisy in GOP freshmen’s stance on tariff breaks (The Tennessean)

April 24, 2012 |

by Elizabeth Bewley WASHINGTON — Rep. Stephen Fincher and other freshman Republicans have touted the ban on congressional earmarks that passed... Read More

The Fight Over Food Stamps and Farm Subsidies (The Fiscal Times)

April 24, 2012 |

By ERIC PIANIN (This is the second in a two-part report analyzing the Senate House farm bills. Read the first part here.) Congress appears... Read More

Their View: Answer to high gas prices isn’t more drilling, it’s ending tax breaks (Silver City Sun-News)

April 23, 2012 |

By Joe Riley It's hard to turn on a TV or open a newspaper these days and not see a story on how gas prices are pinching Americans'... Read More

Buffett Gets a Break on Fee (The Wall Street Journal)

April 23, 2012 |

By BRODY MULLINS Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has argued that wealthier Americans should pay more to Washington, a rallying cry that... Read More

Working Around Earmark Ban (Roll Call)

April 23, 2012 |

By Meredith Shiner Though the Congressional earmark might be dead — or at least in a tea-party-induced coma — lawmaker boasting about funds... Read More

Election-year spending battles will test Speaker Boehner and Republicans (The Hill)

April 20, 2012 |

By Erik Wasson House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is all but certain to face a divisive spending vote that splits his party right before the... Read More

Senate Ag leaders come together on farm bill (The Hill)

April 19, 2012 |

by Erik Wasson The Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee have come together to agree on a draft 2012 farm... Read More

On bikes and obesity (The Daily Caller)

April 19, 2012 |

By Jim Huffman If Senator William Proxmire were alive and still representing Wisconsin in the United States Senate, there is little doubt the... Read More

GOP freshmen defend tariff bill (The Hill)

April 19, 2012 |

By Alexander Bolton Sixty-five House Republican freshmen have come to the defense of a tariff bill that some conservatives say would violate... Read More

Trade bill raises fight over earmarks for GOP (The Hill)

April 18, 2012 |

By Alexander Bolton Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) plans to move forward with controversial legislation suspending... Read More

GSA spending-spree scandal heads to Hill (NBC’s The Todayd Show)

April 15, 2012 |

A congressional hearing is set to get under way Monday to look into the General Services Administration’s spending practices. The hearing... Read More

Stop the Nuclear Industry Welfare Program (Huffington Post)

April 15, 2012 |

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander This nation is facing a $15 trillion national debt, and... Read More

Learn truth of advocacy groups’ U.S. Senate race ads (Standard-Examiner)

April 13, 2012 |

By Josh Loftin, Kevin Freking Associated Press WASHINGTON — Interest groups spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to influence Utah’s U.S.... Read More

Barge industry pushes back on criticism of its Whitfield-sponsored waterways bill (E&E News - Greenwire)

April 12, 2012 |

by Paul Quinlan The barge shipping industry today pushed back against a taxpayer watchdog group that labeled its bill to rebuild U.S. locks,... Read More

Taxpayer watchdog group dubs Whitfield’s inland waterways bill a ‘ripoff’ (E&E News - Greenwire)

April 11, 2012 |

by Paul Quinlan A prominent, nonpartisan spending watchdog group dubbed Rep. Ed Whitfield's (R-Ky.) bill to overhaul the nation's system of... Read More

GSA Bash Topped by Justice Gathering in Istanbul: BGOV Barometer (Bloomberg)

April 08, 2012 |

By Nick Taborek and Danielle Ivory They hired a clown and a mind reader and shelled out almost four times as much as allowed for... Read More

Morning Transportation (Politico)

April 08, 2012 |

by Adam Snider ARE EXTENSIONS THE NEW NORM? MT polled a number of plugged-in sources and industry players on transportation policy extensions:... Read More

In General Election Ads, It’s Game On Over Gas Prices (NPR - All Things Considered)

April 05, 2012 |

by BRIAN NAYLOR The Republican presidential primaries may not officially be over, but political ads on both sides have moved on to the general... Read More

Mitt Romney pledged to protect oil companies’ tax breaks, ad says (PolitiFact)

April 05, 2012 |

An ad from a pro-Obama super PAC portrays Mitt Romney and the oil industry as cozy pals pledging big bucks to help each other out. It's a... Read More

President Barack Obama says GOP budget cuts financial aid to college students (PoiltiFact)

April 05, 2012 |

Welcome to the Budget Games. The strategy: Offer a proposal with broad outlines and as little detail as possible. When opponents attack,... Read More

Romney says Obama failed to pass a budget (PolitiFact)

April 05, 2012 |

In a speech that looked beyond the primary to the general election, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, hit... Read More

GSA head out after lavish spending by agency (CBS News)

April 02, 2012 |

By Bill Plante (CBS News) The General Services Administration is the government's landlord and procurement manager. It's supposed to set the... Read More

The second life of an earmark: Years later, Destiny USA finds a new use for Washington’s $1.7 million handout (Syracuse Post-Standard)

March 31, 2012 |

By Mark Weiner Washington -- In February 2003, former U.S. Rep. James Walsh used his influence as a senior congressman to secure $1.7 million... Read More

House Republicans discuss resuscitating earmarks (Reuters)

March 29, 2012 |

By Richard Cowan (Reuters) - The huge federal transportation bill was in tatters in early March when U.S. Representative Mike Rogers posed a... Read More

Paul Ryan on Defense budget: Generals aren’t giving us their “true advice” (CBS News)

March 28, 2012 |

By Stephanie Condon Military leaders have told Congress that their proposed 2013 budget strikes the right balance between reining in costs and... Read More

Our View: Congress must act now on federal transportation bill (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

March 26, 2012 |

Congress and President Barack Obama have four days to approve and sign a federal transportation measure to beat a Saturday midnight deadline,... Read More

William Hartung: Pentagon Spending: Ryan’s Express, Romney’s Train Wreck (Huffington Post)

March 25, 2012 |

House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's new budget plan has received far more respect than it deserves. The myth of Ryan as the one who is... Read More

Legislation proposed to fund deteriorating locks and dams (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

March 24, 2012 |

By Len Boselovic WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Legislation that would more than double the money available each year to fix the nation's crumbling... Read More

Slow moving water supply project nears completion in south Minn. (Minnesota Public Radio)

March 14, 2012 |

by Mark Steil WORTHINGTON, MInn. — A shortfall in federal funding has slowed construction of a massive water supply system for southwest... Read More

U.S. Senate highway bill would boost money for New York (Elmira Star Gazette)

March 13, 2012 |

by Brian Tumulty WASHINGTON -- New York would receive $3.165 billion for highways and mass transit in fiscal 2013 under a transportation bill... Read More

Senate approves $109 billion transportation bill (The Washington Post)

March 13, 2012 |

By Ashley Halsey III The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a two-year blueprint for transportation that gives states greater spending... Read More

Senate Passes 2-Year Transportation Bill (New York Times)

March 13, 2012 |

By JONATHAN WEISMAN WASHINGTON — The Senate easily approved a two-year, $109 billion transportation and infrastructure bill on Wednesday,... Read More

Natural-gas vehicles plan sputters in Senate (The Hill)

March 12, 2012 |

By Ben Geman Plans to spur the conversion of heavy trucking fleets to natural gas with billions of dollars in tax credits fell short in the... Read More

USA TODAY review uncovers support for energy loans (USA Today)

March 08, 2012 |

By Gregory Korte WASHINGTON – Republican members of Congress investigating federal loan guarantees to now-bankrupt energy companies told... Read More

Green and Wasteful: The High Cost of Clean Energy (The Fiscal Times)

March 08, 2012 |

By MICHELLE HIRSCH When it comes to investing in clean energy, the federal government is all over the case. Eleven government departments... Read More

Despite ban, earmark legacy alive in Senate bill (Reuters)

March 06, 2012 |

By John Crawley WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Pet projects known as earmarks are no longer stuffed into legislation considered by U.S.... Read More

Washington Digest: Birth control mandate vote fuels debate (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

March 04, 2012 |

BY PETER URBAN STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- In a debate viewed largely as fodder for November's general elections, the Senate last... Read More

Kucinich faces war over earmarks in Ohio 9 (Washington Examiner)

March 02, 2012 |

by Steve Miller Sandusky, Ohio - Talk about earmarks, war funding and political contributions have been front and center between the... Read More

Fiscal hawks support St. Croix bridge plan (Green Bay Press Gazette)

March 01, 2012 |

by Larry Bivens WASHINGTON — Since taking their seats in Congress, Rep. Sean Duffy and Sen. Ron Johnson have distinguished themselves as... Read More

House Passes Bridge Bill After an Earmark Debate (New York Times)

March 01, 2012 |

by Ron Nixon WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Thursday to allow construction of a new $700 million bridge between... Read More

Loss of Lewis and Dreier could impact region (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

March 01, 2012 |

by Sandra Emerson The Inland Empire's loss of two longtime members of Congress may mean a slowdown in federal funding and projects for the... Read More

St. Croix River Crossing Debated in the House of Representatives (Stillwater Patch)

February 29, 2012 |

By Shawn Hogendorf The St. Croix River Crossing Project was debated on the House floor Wednesday night. A suspension vote on the bill to... Read More

Duffy, Johnson support controversial bridge measure (Appleton Post Crescent)

February 29, 2012 |

Written by Larry Bivins WASHINGTON — Since taking their seats in Congress, Rep. Sean Duffy and Sen. Ron Johnson have distinguished themselves... Read More

Minnesota lawmakers lobby colleagues ahead of St. Croix bridge vote (MinnPost)

February 29, 2012 |

 By Devin Henry WASHINGTON — One day before the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to debate on a bill authorizing the construction of... Read More

St. Croix River Crossing Debate Today, Vote Expected on Thursday (Hudson, WI Patch)

February 29, 2012 |

 By Shawn Hogendorf And it all comes down to this… Legislation to exempt the $690 million St. Croix River Crossing Project from the Wild and... Read More

Will U.S. House part waters for St. Croix bridge? (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

February 28, 2012 |

by: KEVIN DIAZ WASHINGTON - After decades of legal wrangling and legislative maneuvering, the battle over the St. Croix River crossing is... Read More

Tuesday State News Briefs (Pierce County Herald)

February 28, 2012 |

The U.S. House of Representatives could vote as early as tomorrow on the proposed four-lane bridge over the Saint Croix River near Hudson. But... Read More

Mica still pressing for five-year bill…(Politico Morning Transportation)

February 28, 2012 |

By BURGESS EVERETT A BRIDGE TOO BIG: An MT source hears the House could vote Wednesday on a Senate-passed bill to get environmental clearance... Read More

Earmark ban facing a fight over definition (The Washington Times)

February 26, 2012 |

By Stephen Dinan The Senate this week could face a showdown over exactly what is an earmark, after one senator vowed to challenge money set... Read More

Marcy Kaptur claims Dennis Kucinich voted ‘no’ on new manufacturing jobs (PolitiFact)

February 24, 2012 |

Congressional redistricting in Ohio has left two veteran incumbents, Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur, facing each other in an increasingly... Read More

House to rework transpo bill…(Politico Morning Transportation)

February 24, 2012 |

By BURGESS EVERETT DOUBLING DOWN: Taxpayers for Common Sense’s Erich Zimmermann writes in to remind MT that Rick Santorum, who was attacked... Read More

Slaloming Through Olympic Facts (FactCheck.org)

February 22, 2012 |

With Rick Santorum attacking Mitt Romney for “hypocrisy” regarding his requests for Olympic earmarks, competing claims about taxpayer support... Read More

Republicans rebel against an oily transportation bill (Salon)

February 21, 2012 |

BY BRIAN MERCHANT There are over four million miles of road in the United States, six hundred thousand bridges, and more than one hundred... Read More

Connecticut lawmakers hope for new era of earmarks (Connecticut Mirror)

February 20, 2012 |

By Ana Radelat Washington -- Hoping to stir public outrage against a rival, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are brawling over who is... Read More

John Boehner Struggles to Secure Support for Transportation Bill (Roll Call)

February 16, 2012 |

By John Stanton and Humberto Sanchez Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday struggled to salvage his plan to remake the nation’s transportation... Read More

Making Earmarks Pay: Lawmakers Help Themselves to Congressional Pork (Money Morning)

February 16, 2012 |

BY DAVID ZEILER For members of Congress, the only thing better than getting "pork" for the folks back home is getting a slice of that pork for... Read More

House Republicans push new oil drilling to fund road projects (Los Angeles Times)

February 15, 2012 |

by Richard Simon A measure that would allow new oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife... Read More

Lacking Support, Boehner Plans Long Debate on Highway Bill (Roll Call)

February 15, 2012 |

By John Stanton With the prospects of a grand bargain on transportation and energy legislation dashed and his bill broken into pieces, Speaker... Read More

Obama’s Budget Nixes New Money For Program That Funded Solyndra (Huffington Post)

February 14, 2012 |

by Jennifer Bendry WASHINGTON -- In a quiet shift from the past two years, President Barack Obama's 2013 budget includes no new money for the... Read More

Obama’s budget proposal draws fire, praise in Congress (USA Today)

February 14, 2012 |

WASHINGTON – Although President Obama's $3.8 trillion budget was dead even before it was delivered Monday to Congress, it drew plenty of... Read More

Five-Figure Campaign to Oppose Transportation Bill (National Journal)

February 14, 2012 |

By Andrew Joseph Concerned that lawmakers are trying to pay for a transportation bill with speculative oil and gas revenues, Taxpayers for... Read More

Why do tea partiers flock to Santorum, given his voting record? (McClatchy)

February 14, 2012 |

By David Lightman and William Douglas WASHINGTON -- Supporters of the tea party movement, the grass-roots conservatives who've been relentless... Read More

White House threatens to veto House bill… (Politico Morning Transportation)

February 14, 2012 |

By Burgess Everett & Adam Snider ...WAY ACROSS THE AISLE: It’s not just the White House campaigning against the House transportation bill;... Read More

GOP breaks up transportation bill (Politico)

February 14, 2012 | Earmarks & Appropriations

By Adam Snider House Republicans are splitting up their mammoth transportation and energy bill in an effort to overcome rising GOP and... Read More

Highway Bill Generates Bipartisan Backlash (Talk Radio News Service)

February 14, 2012 |

By Geoff Holtzman A series of interest groups rarely mentioned in the same breath have come together to oppose a massive transportation... Read More

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum fight over each’s record getting earmarks from Washington (The Boston Globe)

February 13, 2012 |

By Shira Schoenberg In a fight to be seen as the most fiscally conservative presidential candidate, Republicans Mitt Romney and Rick... Read More

With An Uninterested Private Sector, Federal Loans May Be Only Option For DKRW (Wyoming Public Radio)

February 13, 2012 | Energy

By Tristan Ahtone Listen to the story DKRW’s proposal to build a coal-to-liquids plant in Medicine Bow may provide jobs and tax revenue... Read More

North Jersey could see more transportation funding under proposed Obama budget (North Jersey News)

February 13, 2012 |

BY HERB JACKSON North Jersey roads and transit systems would get more money in President Obama’s proposed 2013 budget, but one analyst said he... Read More

House Republicans drop key demand in election-year payroll tax battle (Alaska Dispatch)

February 13, 2012 |

by Gail Russell Chaddock In a surprise move, House Republican leaders on Monday backed off their demands in the battle over extending a... Read More

White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew says budget requires 60 votes in Senate (PolitiFact)

February 13, 2012 |

With President Barack Obama a day away from offering his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal, Jack Lew -- now the White House Chief of Staff and... Read More

House transportation bill: Traffic is heavy—against it (Los Angeles Times)

February 13, 2012 |

by Richard Simon A highway and mass transit bill headed to the House this week has drawn opposition from an eclectic array of... Read More

Obama Budget Proves Unique With No Other Source for $3 Trillion (Bloomberg)

February 13, 2012 |

By Frank Bass and Sharon L. Lynch Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama’s budget today will outline his ideas for how the government... Read More

End of Earmark Ban Is Unlikely (Roll Call)

February 13, 2012 |

By Humberto Sanchez Most Senate Republican leaders are hoping earmarks make a comeback, but after bowing to pressure from House Republicans... Read More

LAMBRO: Beauty contest wins don’t put Santorum on top (Washington Times)

February 10, 2012 |

By Donald Lambro Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is the GOP’s latest presidential flavor of the month, propelled in large part... Read More

Our View: Santorum’s Achilles’ ear (Joplin Globe)

February 10, 2012 |

Rick Santorum knocked everyone for a loop this week, not just with his victory in Missouri but with the landslide size of the thing. Although... Read More

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes’ campaign ad a mixed bag on the facts (El Paso Times)

February 09, 2012 |

By Chris Roberts The El Paso Times will be fact-checking campaign advertisements and other claims made by candidates running for the District... Read More

GOP proposes changing federal worker pensions (Associated Press)

February 09, 2012 |

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal employees would pay more toward their pensions and new employees would receive less... Read More

Lawmakers Set Aside Money for Construction (New York Times)

February 09, 2012 |

By RON NIXON WASHINGTON — Dozens of local and regional construction projects, which the Obama administration did not include in this year’s... Read More

Corps forges ahead on Delaware River deepening (Delaware News Journal)

February 09, 2012 |

by JEFF MONTGOMERY The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Wednesday it will sink about $16.9 million this year into the deepening of the... Read More

Capitol Assets: Some legislators send millions to groups connected to their relatives (Washington Post)

February 08, 2012 |

By Scott Higham, Kimberly Kindy and David S. Fallis Some members of Congress send tax dollars to companies, colleges and community groups... Read More

House transportation bill doesn’t deserve passage (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

February 07, 2012 |

A transportation bill in the House is moving forward despite waves of criticism from both left and right. It shouldn't, and the Senate should... Read More

Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers’ properties (Washington Post)

February 07, 2012 |

A U.S. senator from Alabama directed more than $100 million in federal earmarks to renovate downtown Tuscaloosa near his own commercial office... Read More

Senate seeks new avenues for U.S. highway funding (Reuters)

February 07, 2012 |

Feb 7 (Reuters) - As Washington struggles to find ways to pay for highway and road repairs, the U.S. Senate is considering relying on a wide... Read More

McCollum and Alexander: Proposed Bridge Is Monument to Waste (Roll Call)

February 07, 2012 |

By Rep. Betty McCollum and Ryan Alexander The Senate recently passed S. 1134 without debate. This legislation grants approval for construction... Read More

Corps to spend $16.9 million to deepen the Delaware (Philadelphia Inquirer)

February 07, 2012 |

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will allocate $16.9 million this year to deepening, by five feet, the Delaware River's main shipping... Read More

Congress approves long-term FAA funding bill (Washington Times)

February 07, 2012 |

After more than four years of delays and almost two-dozen stopgap extensions, Congress on Monday approved a long-term Federal Aviation... Read More

Congress Appears to Be Trying to Get Around Earmark Ban (New York Times)

February 05, 2012 |

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress may no longer be able to direct federal money to projects back home because of a moratorium on legislative... Read More

U.S. House digs into transportation issues (Minnesota Public Radio)

February 03, 2012 |

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives spent its first full week of work in 2012 focused on transportation issues. On Tuesday, House... Read More

In Post-Earmark Era, Small Cities Step Up Lobbying to Fight for Federal Grants (New York Times)

February 03, 2012 |

In Pueblo, Colo., major work on an interstate highway and several projects to fix the city’s aging infrastructure may be delayed. In... Read More

In the House, a transportation train wreck (Los Angeles Times)

February 03, 2012 |

After Congress pushed the nation to the verge of catastrophe last year by delaying a deal to raise the debt ceiling until the eleventh hour,... Read More

Organic Farmers’ Crop-Insurance Costs Spoil Growth of $27 Billion Market (Bloomberg)

February 02, 2012 |

Consumer demand for organic foods has helped Uncle Matt’s Organic Inc. grow from 5 acres of oranges in 1999 to become Florida’s biggest... Read More

Watchdog: Cut to rural airport subsidy is a mirage (The Hill)

February 02, 2012 |

The funding cut for a rural airport subsidy in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill is a mirage, according to a... Read More

Defense Buoys State Campaign of McKeon’s Wife (National Journal)

February 01, 2012 |

Defense contractors and federal lobbyists don’t typically follow obscure statehouse contests 3,000 miles from the nation’s capital. But then,... Read More

Opposition to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling takes right turn (Politico)

February 01, 2012 |

A long-term “jobs bill” funded by oil drilling: For a conservative, what’s not to love? Plenty, it turns out. Opening the Arctic National... Read More

SELC lists Charlottesville among Southeast’s most endangered places (The Daily Progress)

January 27, 2012 |

RICHMOND — The planned Western Bypass has put the Charlottesville area on a locally based environmental group’s list of most endangered places... Read More

Newt Gingrich revises claim on balanced budgets, improves Truth-O-Meter rating (PolitiFact)

January 27, 2012 |

During the Republican presidential debate in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 26, 2012, Newt Gingrich reiterated a talking point we several times... Read More

Newt and the Earmark Era (National Review Online)

January 27, 2012 |

As a congressman in the House, Newt Gingrich didn’t just request earmarks: He also fundamentally changed and expanded their use. Gingrich’s... Read More

McCain blasts Gingrich on earmarks and leadership (CNN)

January 25, 2012 |

Washington (CNN) – Sen. John McCain tore into Newt Gingrich Wednesday, accusing the former House Speaker of encouraging an explosion of... Read More

Congress’s gift shops losing money (The Hill)

January 18, 2012 |

Both of the gift shops at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) are losing money, despite the 2 million people who visit the U.S. Capitol every... Read More

Dredging doubts grow deeper (Philadelphia Inquirer)

January 18, 2012 |

By Maya K. van Rossum and Ryan Alexander Congress declared a moratorium on earmarks to help ensure that funding decisions would be made on the... Read More

Organic Crop Insurance Cost Spoils Growth of $27 Billion Market (Bloomberg Business Week)

January 18, 2012 |

Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Consumer demand for organic foods has helped Uncle Matt’s Organic Inc. grow from 5 acres of oranges in 1999 to become... Read More

Paul’s flights fly in face of cut-spending theme (Associated Press)

January 17, 2012 |

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has been spending large amounts on airfare as a congressman, flying first class... Read More

Donors Gave as Santorum Won Earmarks (New York Times)

January 17, 2012 |

The announcements flowed out of Rick Santorum’s Senate office: a $3.5 million federal grant to Piasecki Aircraft to help it test a new... Read More

Rick Brought Home $1B in Pork - and Big Donations (Newser)

January 16, 2012 |

(NEWSER) – In Rick Santorum's days in the Senate, lawmakers didn't have to disclose their earmarks—but a New York Times analysis shows that... Read More

Rick Santorum: Washington Insider (The Atlantic Wire)

January 16, 2012 |

Politician earmarks budget items, gets campaign contributions from recipients: It's not exactly a groundbreaking scoop, but the news in this... Read More

And Then There Were Five: GOP Presidential Field Narrows (The Note) (ABC News)

January 16, 2012 |

CHARLESTON, S.C. — With one more obstacle out of his way, Mitt Romney appears to be another step closer to securing the Republican... Read More

Kinzinger, Manzullo dispute over voting records (La Salle News Tribune)

January 16, 2012 |

PRINCETON — Locked into a March 20 battle with fellow Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger spoke in a “town... Read More

Report: Santorum contributors won earmarks (UPI)

January 16, 2012 |

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A watchdog group says earmarks Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum pegged for Pennsylvania while a... Read More

Santorum the Reformer Was a Master of Earmarks (Keystone Politics)

January 16, 2012 |

A politician changing his tune? Big surprise… But an examination of Mr. Santorum’s earmark record sheds light on another aspect of his... Read More

Analysis: Tax breaks on autopilot with little debate (Reuters)

January 15, 2012 |

(Reuters) - UK-based Diageo, the world's biggest liquor company that sells Captain Morgan's rum, is enjoying a $2.7 billion subsidy from the... Read More

Rep. Jerry Lewis to Retire, Trend Set (Fox News)

January 12, 2012 |

Rep. Jerry Lewis announced Thursday he will retire at the end of this term after 34 years in the House of Representatives. Lewis is the third... Read More

Barack Obama campaign says Romney, Perry, Gingrich would cut aid to Israel to zero (PolitiFact)

January 11, 2012 |

On an outreach page on its website, the Barack Obama-Joe Biden re-election campaign takes aim at three Republican presidential candidates for... Read More

David Goodfriend, Dem Strategist, Says Defense Cuts Would Be Good For Economy (Huffington Post)

January 11, 2012 |

Democratic strategist David Goodfriend appeared on "The Dylan Ratigan Show" on Tuesday to talk about how the large budget cuts facing the... Read More

Santorum’s rise renews earmark debate (USA Today)

January 10, 2012 |

GREENVILLE, S.C. – With Rick Santorum's rise in the GOP race comes a renewed debate over earmarks — putting South Carolina's U.S. senators... Read More

2012’s biggest budget losers: State and HUD (Federal Times)

January 09, 2012 |

The good news: Unlike last year, agencies won't have to operate through a half-year of budget uncertainty. The bad news: Budgets are lean and... Read More

Obama defends auto tax break despite skepticism (Reuters)

January 09, 2012 |

(Reuters) - The Obama administration on Monday defended a tax break under scrutiny that is aimed at boosting consumer interest in electric... Read More

Group Issues New Independent Analysis on Delaware River Dredging (Dredging Today)

January 09, 2012 |

Responding to renewed economic claims for Deepening the Delaware River, a coalition of taxpayer, community, and environmental organizations... Read More

What a difference 40 years makes - or not (The Boston Globe)

January 08, 2012 |

 IN THE spirit of the political season, I recently watched Robert Redford’s movie “The Candidate,’’ first released in 1972. The film is a... Read More

Riverkeeper accuses Army Corps of errors in deepening project (PhillyBurbs)

January 08, 2012 |

Environmental and taxpayer groups are sounding off against a government economic study that supports deepening of the Delaware River. The... Read More

Opponents say corps using ‘unlikely’ economic forecasts (The News Journal)

January 07, 2012 |

Citing an independent review by a former Army Corps of Engineers official, opponents of the Delaware River main channel deepening on Friday... Read More

Groups critical of Army Corps reports on dredge cost effectiveness (Gloucester County Times)

January 07, 2012 |

Environmental and taxpayer advocacy groups struck back against the ongoing Delaware River deepening project on Friday, releasing a report... Read More

Obama’s Defense Cuts Fall Far Short of Budget Goals (The Fiscal Times)

January 06, 2012 |

The broad shift in U.S. strategic thinking unveiled Thursday by President Obama and his top military advisers will be accompanied by $489... Read More

Romney camp rips Santorum on spending (CNN)

January 06, 2012 |

(CNN) -- GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney's campaign stepped up its criticism of conservative challenger Rick Santorum Friday, continuing to hit... Read More

Earmarks Carry Risk for Santorum (The Wall Street Journal)

January 06, 2012 |

On the campaign trail, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum talks up his role in overhauling welfare laws and curbing abortion rights. Less... Read More

... & politics as usual (Pittsburgh Tribune)

January 04, 2012 |

From an investigation that dug through thousands of memos, company records and internal e-mails, The Washington Post confirms what's already... Read More

Santorum Pro-Labor Votes Lurk as Rivals Attack Early on Earmarks (Bloomberg)

January 04, 2012 |

Rick Santorum’s second-place finish in the Iowa Republican caucuses means he’s now a leading alternative to Mitt Romney -- and a prime attack... Read More

Santorum defends votes for ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ and other political earmarks (Des Moines Register)

December 29, 2011 |

Muscatine, Ia. – Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum is defending his votes to spend federal money on politically earmarked projects, including... Read More

George Allen claims he was one of a dozen senators to vote against the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ (Politifact)

December 27, 2011 |

Republican Senate candidate George Allen says he gave a thumbs down to a project that became a symbol of federal waste. "I was one of about a... Read More

Expiration of ethanol subsidy nears (Feedstuffs)

December 27, 2011 |

At the end of the year the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) which gives blenders 45 cents to blend ethanol into the gasoline... Read More

Solyndra: Politics infused Obama energy programs (Washington Post)

December 25, 2011 |

Linda Sterio remembers the excitement when President Obama arrived at Solyndra last year and described how his administration’s financial... Read More

Congress struggles to escape omnibus (The Hill)

December 25, 2011 |

For Congress, a year-end, catch-all spending bill is like a black hole. Massive and opaque, an omnibus like the 1,200-page, $1 trillion... Read More

$40 Billion in Contracts Tied to Republican Security Advisers (Bloomberg)

December 23, 2011 |

National security advisers to the Republican presidential candidates have links to defense, homeland security and energy companies that have... Read More

Opponents of FutureGen 2.0 meet, discuss project (Jacksonville Journal Courier)

December 20, 2011 |

For farmer Dave Davenport, the FutureGen 2.0 experiment is too big of a risk. Davenport and his father, Andy Davenport, farm in northeastern... Read More

Group calls for pulling the plug on FutureGen (The State Journal-Register)

December 20, 2011 |

With Ameren’s decision to back out of FutureGen 2.0, critics of the project Monday said it is time to pull the plug on it. Representatives of... Read More

In Senate bid, Connie Mack no longer boasts of getting budget pork (Miami Herald)

December 19, 2011 |

There was a time in Rep. Connie Mack’s career when his website proudly highlighted a hometown paper article praising him for “bringing home... Read More

Blunt vs. Johnson, big K Street stakes - Super PAC forms to back Gingrich - Lobbyist to turn table on congressional fundraisers (Politico)

December 15, 2011 |

BLUNT VS. JOHNSON, BIG K ST STAKES: The Senate GOP lunches are worth watching this afternoon, where we’ll find out the outcome of the race... Read More

Top 10 lobbying victories of 2011 (The Hill)

December 14, 2011 |

K Street played defense in 2011 as conflict between the new Republican House and the Obama administration brought gridlock to Washington. With... Read More

Earmark ban a strain on higher ed (The Hill)

December 13, 2011 |

More than a year after earmarks were driven out of Congress, colleges and universities are feeling the strain of lost federal funding and... Read More

Democratic Sen. McCaskill finds House defense bill riddled with earmarks (McClatchy)

December 12, 2011 |

WASHINGTON — House Republicans banned earmarks, a top symbol of congressional profligacy, after they won control of the chamber last fall in a... Read More

Letter to the Editor: Congress should cut obsolete programs (Gazette Maryland Community News)

December 09, 2011 |

Last month, Rep. Van Hollen and his fellow supercommittee members failed in their task to deliver more than $1.2 trillion in deficit... Read More

It’s not an earmark, but Tipton withholds support of $24 million bus project because of $15k worth of WiFi (Denver Post)

December 08, 2011 |

WASHINGTON — Rep. Scott Tipton declined to sign a letter in support of a $24 million project to improve the Roaring Fork Valley transit... Read More

Will supercommittee release its secrets? (Politico)

December 05, 2011 |

The deficit supercommittee was notorious for its secrecy, and now that the panel is defunct, good-government advocates are calling for the... Read More

Deficit groups demand supercommittee secrets (The Hill)

December 05, 2011 |

A coalition of good government groups on Monday demanded that the president and congressional leaders reveal all the details of the various... Read More

Barge Companies Follow Trains and Toot Their Horn (Nashville Public Radio)

December 05, 2011 |

The railroad industry has been tooting its own horn over the last three years, letting the world know how efficiently cargo can move by rail.... Read More

Lawmakers shrug at Pentagon chief’s weekend flights home to California (The Hill)

December 03, 2011 |

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s weekend trips to his California home on government planes are not a major concern to many... Read More

Congress still passes earmarks to build bridges to nowhere (Washington Examiner)

December 03, 2011 |

If you thought the furor a few years ago over the "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska prompted Congress to kill earmarks, think again. The 2010... Read More

The High Price of Nukes: Weapons We Don’t Need at a Cost We Can’t Afford (Huffington Post)

December 02, 2011 |

Your government is slated to spend hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade to purchase, maintain and operate our massive nuclear... Read More

Another Delay: Will There Ever Be a New Reauthorization? (DC Streets Blog)

December 02, 2011 |

SAFETEA-LU has been extended eight times over more than two years. Legislators on both sides are tired of delays and see the need for a new... Read More

Toomey bill on fleecing is overdue (Allentown Morning Call)

December 02, 2011 |

If the late U.S. Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis., could find a way to communicate with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., he'd probably say: "What... Read More

Online soap opera cleans up with stimulus broadband cash (Washington Times)

December 02, 2011 |

You may not have seen the show “Diary of a Single Mom” co-starring Billy Dee Williams, but your tax dollars helped pay for it. Through the... Read More

Despite earmark ban, lawmakers try to give money to hundreds of pet projects (Washington Post)

December 01, 2011 |

Members of the House and the Senate attempted to pack hundreds of special spending provisions into at least 10 bills in the summer and fall,... Read More

Sens. Toomey, McCaskill stir pot with proposal for permanent earmarks ban (The Hill)

November 30, 2011 |

Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) will team up on Wednesday to unveil legislation that would permanently ban earmarks in... Read More

Toomey: Ban earmarks forever (Allentown Morning Call)

November 30, 2011 |

WASHINGTON — The week after Pat Toomey's 2010 Senate victory, he co-authored an essay with a Democratic senator in a national newspaper... Read More

Green Scissors 2011 finds common ground for reducing debt (Helena Independent Record)

November 30, 2011 |

Just before the supercommittee on Deficit Reduction resigned itself to failure, Sen. Max Baucus told Montanans he believed we have two choices... Read More

Spending bill passes - now the hard part (The Federal Times)

November 29, 2011 |

A handful of agencies have a sliver of good news: They now have a full year's appropriation from Congress relatively early in the fiscal year... Read More

The Precarious State of the Highway Trust Fund (Cascadia Prospectus)

November 29, 2011 |

On November 18, President Obama signed into law a bundle of appropriation bills for FY 2012 including appropriations for the U.S. Department... Read More

Barney Frank Took on Banks, Bigots and Bloated Pentagon Budgets (The Nation)

November 29, 2011 |

 Barney Frank came to Congress as a liberal and will leave as such—not a perfect progressive on every issue but a steady liberal who served a... Read More

LABRADOR & POMPEO: Era of energy subsidies is over (The Washington Times)

November 29, 2011 |

Bill Clinton famously said, “The era of big government is over.” Well, it didn’t work out that way. But something truly remarkable is... Read More

If the States Can Cut, the Feds Can Too (Sunshine State News)

November 29, 2011 |

How come 47 beat-up states can pare their budgets in bad times, but the bloated federal government can't? All the supercommittee had to do is... Read More

Debt failure likely to punt decisions to ‘12 lame-duck Congress (The Hill)

November 23, 2011 |

The supercommittee’s failure is widely expected to punt critical decisions on taxes and spending to the lame-duck Congress in December 2012,... Read More

Navy Blue Angels fly into era of budget questions (Huffington Post)

November 23, 2011 |

PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. — The Navy's Blue Angels have been thrilling audiences for more than six decades with their acrobatic flying... Read More

Research at NDSU facing changes (InForum)

November 23, 2011 |

FARGO – A loss of federal earmark funding is prompting changes for applied research at North Dakota State University. Among the possibilities:... Read More

Conservatives use Solyndra to bash Reid gas plan (The Hill)

November 21, 2011 |

Conservative groups are using the Solyndra controversy as a weapon against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) new legislation that... Read More

Taxpayer Group: GOP Drill Bill “Not a Responsible Budget Approach” (DC Streets Blog)

November 21, 2011 |

From an environmental perspective, the House GOP proposal to fund infrastructure with fees on fossil fuel extraction is clearly a disaster.... Read More

US debt committee won’t confront energy subsidies - experts (Environmental Finance)

November 16, 2011 |

The so-called ‘Super Committee’ tasked with reducing the massive US deficit is unlikely to tackle subsidies for either renewable energy or... Read More

Anti-Tax Crusader Grover Norquist’s Grip is Slipping (The Fiscal Times)

November 16, 2011 |

With just eight days left before the congressional Super Committee has to produce a $1.2 trillion deficit-reduction package and with talks... Read More

Cotton producers defend farm bill changes (The Hill)

November 16, 2011 |

The National Cotton Council on Wednesday defended its farm bill reform ideas, which may be presented to the supercommittee this week by the... Read More

Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe shun bill to boost natural gas vehicles (The Oklahoman)

November 16, 2011 |

  WASHINGTON — Key senators introduced legislation Tuesday to boost natural gas vehicles — an effort backed by energy investor T. Boone... Read More

Industry spent millions as Congress weighed fate of subsidies—report (E&E Publishing)

November 15, 2011 |

The biofuels industry has poured millions of dollars into lobbying as Congress debates whether to end a key ethanol tax credit, according to a... Read More

Commander-in-Chief Hopefuls Conveniently Ignore Debt Elephant in the Room (National Defense Magazine)

November 14, 2011 |

Near the end of last night’s Republican presidential debate, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, asked the... Read More

Green Scissors advocate an end to government spending that also damages environment (The Reporter)

November 14, 2011 |

NORRISTOWN – A coalition of environmental and government reform advocates was in Norristown on Thursday to urge Congress to save $380 billion... Read More

Congress could approve FY12 funds for several agencies by next week (Federal Times)

November 14, 2011 |

The continuing resolution that is keeping government running at close to last year's spending levels expires Nov. 18. But Congress is angling... Read More

Danny Tyree: Lobbyists: Boon or menace? (Baxter Bulletin)

November 14, 2011 |

 If "lobbyist" is a dirty word to you, your mayor might think differently. We generally think of lobbyists as wining and dining on behalf of... Read More

Green Scissors’ coalition wants federal subsidies to end (Great Falls Tribune)

November 10, 2011 |

HELENA — A diverse coalition of public interest groups not typically known for working together are calling on Montana Sen. Max Baucus and... Read More

A turning point for debt super committee? Tax revenues on the table. (Christian Science Monitor)

November 10, 2011 |

For the first time in 10 months, Republicans have offered a plan for Congress's super committee that includes tax hikes. But it's not the last... Read More

Groups to Sen. Baucus: Use Subsidy Scissors (Public News Service)

November 10, 2011 |

MISSOULA, Mont. - Sen. Max Baucus is being asked to sharpen the subsidy scissors. Taxpayers for Common Sense, along with local groups and... Read More

Obama administration draft memo could shed light on ‘lettermarking’ (The Hill)

November 09, 2011 |

 Lobbyists already hamstrung by the earmark bans in Congress could be marginalized even more if the Obama administration approves a draft... Read More

Nuclear loan guarantees targeted by taxpayer group (The Boston Globe)

November 09, 2011 |

WASHINGTON — The controversy over the Obama administration’s handling of solar energy subsidies is bringing new attention to the value and... Read More

Supercommittee members face pressure over energy subsidies (The Michigan Messenger)

November 09, 2011 |

The Congressional deficit reduction “supercommittee” that has been charged with finding $1.5 trillion in budget savings by Thanksgiving could... Read More

Gas-tax aversion is tying Congress in knots (The Washington Post)

November 09, 2011 |

Right now, the House and Senate are trying to extend federal transportation funding — the money that goes to build and rebuild roads and... Read More

Opinion: Solar: Smart policies, not trade war (Politico)

November 09, 2011 |

The German company SolarWorld recently filed a trade complaint against China. The claim: China’s government has unfairly supported its... Read More

If jobs are top priority, why can’t Congress pass a jobs bill? (Christian Science Monitor)

November 07, 2011 |

The Senate rejected (again) two bills to create jobs by building roads and bridges on near party-line votes (again). Yes, both parties want... Read More

Political Notebook: Counting down to supercommittee deadline (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

November 07, 2011 |

The so-called supercommittee has more than two weeks to come up with a plan to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the deficit. In a conference... Read More

St. Croix bridge has $8 million obstacle (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

November 07, 2011 |

The six-year-old authorization presents a problem for the $690 million project because it draws it into the debate over earmarks. WASHINGTON -... Read More

Coming Soon: Super-Partisan ‘Oil-For-Infrastructure’ Transpo Bill (DC Streets Blog)

November 03, 2011 |

“In the coming weeks, House Republicans will formally introduce an energy & infrastructure jobs bill, and hope to move the legislation... Read More

Pentagon scrambling to protect its spending habits (San Antonio Express)

November 02, 2011 |

By Ryan Alexander, President, Taxpayers for Common Sense The Association of the United States Army packed hundreds of exhibitors into two... Read More

Memo to Congress: No Secret Farm Bill (The Nation)

November 02, 2011 |

Providing yet another reason for its 9 percent approval rating, Congress is attempting to write the nation’s next farm bill in... Read More

Another Solyndra (National Review)

November 01, 2011 |

HENRY SOKOLSKI & AUTUMN HANNA After weeks of outrage over an ill-fated $535 million federal loan guarantee to Solyndra — a bankrupt,... Read More

Detailing the Koch brothers’ influence on environmental politics (Colorado Independent)

October 30, 2011 |

Koch Industries Inc. isn’t just in Kansas anymore, Toto. The nation’s second largest private company and its subsidiaries are also in... Read More

Another Solyndra already? Some worry even worse is coming. (Christian Science Monitor)

October 30, 2011 |

Beacon Power, like Solyndra a recipient of a federal loan guarantee under the DOE's renewable energy program, has declared bankruptcy, leaving... Read More

Supercommittee co-chair Jeb Hensarling cites huge spending increases in four agencies (PolitiFact)

October 30, 2011 |

 Editor’s note: We originally published a ruling on this claim on Oct. 27, 2011, rating it False. After the story came out, Hensarling’s... Read More

Radio spots take on Tipton’s ties to oil and gas (Real Aspen)

October 27, 2011 |

 A nonpartisan watchdog group is blowing the whistle on U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton and others in Congress who consistently advocate for tax... Read More

Building bridges to safety and prosperity (Twin Cities Daily Planet)

October 27, 2011 |

More ubiquitous than McDonald's, structurally deficient bridges are found across Minnesota and the rest of the United States.While not every... Read More

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Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All

September 13, 2013

Syria: Excuse 535 To Not Cut the Deficit

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