In the News

Ky. Sen. Mitch McConnell Faces Hard Choices on Spending

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

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

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

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

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

Government Fees the Key to a Budget Bargain?

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

House Panel May Unveil CR Today

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

Obama and the GOP Hawks

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

House could vote on CR next week

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

Don’t Bomb Us Back to the Fiscal Stone Age

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

Don’t Use Syria to Pump Up Pentagon Spending

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

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

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

Congress Needs to Clean House

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

A Call for Tax Reform Transparency

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

Tax Reform Debate Should be Open for All to See

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

National Flood Insurance Program

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

Congressional Meddling Floods Over

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

Tax chiefs’ training held at luxury resorts

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

Five federal secrets that have come out in 2013

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

Okla. Sen. Inhofe criticizes military budget cuts

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

Transportation bill yields a THUD in the House

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

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

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

Deficits falling (from way up)

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

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

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

Tax Reform Is Too Important For Secrecy and Backroom Deals

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

Tax reform secrecy plan blasted

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

Stem the wealthy’s sweet flood-insurance deal

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

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

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

Our Secretive Senate

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

Rising flood insurance rates a growing fear in Lowcountry

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

The big insurance gamble for farmers and taxpayers

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

Conservative Groups Urge Open Rule on Defense Appropriations

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

Bill would raise flood insurance for some and subsidize others

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

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

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

ROMERO: Putting spies on a leash

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

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

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

RYAN ALEXANDER: House farm bill worsens government waste

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

Conservative groups push Republican leaders to open up Defense bill

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

GOP’s cruel intentions

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

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

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

Flood Insurance Rates Could Jump for Thousands of Homeowners in Hawaii

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

Landrieu inserts controversial flood insurance provision into spending bill

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

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

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

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

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

House OKs farm bill - but leaves out food stamps

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

House farm bill leaves food stamps in limbo

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

Stripped-down farm bill passes U.S. House

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

Farm bill 2013: House narrowly passes pared-back version

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

New House farm bill cuts $12.9B, CBO finds

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

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

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

Farm bill support frays amid tight money, shifting alliances

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

Leaders Struggle to Find Votes for Farm Bill Without Food Stamps

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

Are drivers of electric cars saints or freeloaders?

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

Immigration debate continues for Tennessee senators

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

Another Toubled Department of Energy Loan Guarantee

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

The Congress That Couldn’t Shoot Straight

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

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

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

Immigration Deal Would Boost Defense Manufacturers

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

KABATA announces Government Hill tunnel survey, catches national flak

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

Nearly One in Five Members of Congress Gets Paid Twice

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

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

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

Knik Arm Bridge Under Fire From Taxpayer Advocacy Group

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

National group targets Knik bridge as waste of taxpayer money

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

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

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

Fight Over Genetically Modified Salmon Looms in Agriculture Spending Bill

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

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

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

Farm bill’s subsidy for sugar under pressure

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

Politics drives farm bill policy

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

Fantasy Budgeting Won’t Make Us Safer

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

Cotton Amendments Left Out Of Farm Debates

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

Earmarks 2.0: Plenty of Swag for Hawaii In Defense Bills

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

Opposition to House Farm Bill Spans Political Spectrum

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

Fraud Used to Frame Farm Bill Debate

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

Sushi Aid in $1 Trillion Agriculture Bill Angers Watchdogs

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

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

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

Coachella Valley businesses see benefit in Presidential summit

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

‘Man cave’ found in EPA warehouse

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

Watchdog: Man caves hidden in government warehouse

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

On way out, Mack issued parting gifts

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

Lets Wise Up About Defense Spending

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

Rep. Mike Thompson wants crop insurance to require conservation

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

After deadly storms, how can costs be controlled?

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

Growing Economy Absorbing Sequestration Cuts

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

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

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

Lawmakers clash over catastrophe fund

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

House members push alternative farm bill that cuts subsidies

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

Florida lawmakers-turned-lobbyists fuel revolving door of politics

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

Farm Bill: How to Grow Almost Anything Risk Free

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

Congress Poised To Make Crop Insurance Subsidies More Generous

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

Beware of the Beach House Bailout

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

Making a mess of a road project

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

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

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

Delay sought on hike in premiums

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

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

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

Louisiana lawmakers vow to fight again for flood insurance measure

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

Landlords Double as Energy Brokers

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

5 key players in IRS mess

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

Water bill could see smooth sailing in Senate, despite critics

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

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

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

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...

Sequestration and How Not to Govern

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

TCS: FAA budget transfer a “gimmick”

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

A Reasonable Food Fight

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

Experts: Coming debate will lay building blocks on energy taxes

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

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

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

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

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

How to Reform the Tax Code

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

Sens. Feinstein and Boxer keep racking up seniority

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

Political role reversal on the Tennessee Valley Authority

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

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

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

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

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

Plenty to love, loathe in Obama’s 2014 budget

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

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

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

Budget scalpel blunted as book detailing program trims is cut

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

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

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

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

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

You paid 500G in bonuses

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

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

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

Monsanto Provision Tucked in Spending Bill Draws Critics

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

10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most

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

10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most

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

In office spending, local congressmen Owens and Gibson reveal preferences

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

PolitiFact: Of sequestration and duck penises

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

Dredging backlog could clog Michigan ports

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

Bidens’ European trip costs taxpayers $1 million

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

Lawmakers try to shield Army Corps of Engineers from cuts

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

Menendez Aided Donor in Failed Bid to Prevent Merger

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

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

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

Parting bonuses ‘taxpayer-funded wet kiss goodbye’

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

Senate limits debate on the CR

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

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

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

Budget Cutters Should Ferret Out Wasteful Spending In The Tax Code

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

Reed doled out thousands in year-end bonuses to staffers

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

The Smoke and Mirrors of the Congressional Budget Process

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

Tech giants, private prisons big players on immigration reform

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

Obama’s Budget Talks With Ryan Obscure Immediate Needs

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

Despite Talk of Cuts, Members of Congress Push More Spending

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

Sequestration Sets Up a New Business as Usual

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

Schafer portrait among many that draw criticism

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

Energy Department investment in SMRs wins Golden Fleece

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

Feds Continue to Hire Despite Sequestration

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

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

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

Repealing oil industry tax subsidies would be good for taxpayers

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

Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Official Government Portraits

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

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

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

EPA Funding Reductions Have Kneecapped Environmental Enforcement

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

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

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

Portman regrets his panel’s role in sequester

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

Defense cut damage viewed as overblown

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

Portman once had high hopes for deal

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

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

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

Fed Stress Doesn’t Faze Sequestration Supporters

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

Bipartisan agreement on budget cuts: Scalpel is better than ax

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

Cut federal spending in a smart way: Our view

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

Sequester would hurt Memphis, Mid-South

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

Did Obama go too far in warnings of sequestration?

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

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

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

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

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

Bipartisan coalition calls for reforming sequester’s defense cuts

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

Up with Chris Hayes: Sequestration

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

PolitiFact’s guide to sequestration

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

There’s plenty to cut at the Pentagon

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

5 Reasons Not to Worry About the ‘Dreaded’ Sequester

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

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

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

The True Source of Our Deficit Woes

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

TCS: Trim the farm bill and cut oil subsidies

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

How to Make Democrats and Republicans Agree on a Sequester Deal

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

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

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

Defense cuts a necessary step to control deficit

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

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

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

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,...

Common Sense Ways to Reduce Wasteful Federal Spending

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

CBO: Budget deficit will drop to $845 billion

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

Government is wasteful enough that sequestration is acceptable, witnesses say

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

House Cmte. Examines Government Spending

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

OVERNIGHT MONEY: Budget fitness

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

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

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

Coalition Pushing for New National Framework for Disasters

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

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

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

Iowa representatives renew support for congressional salary limits

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

Fiscal cliff solution is served with a side of tax breaks

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

CNN’s GUT CHECK for January 11, 2013

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

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

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

4 Common Sense Ways Congress Should Deal With Our Finances

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some Connecticut companies get breaks in fiscal cliff deal

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

Fiscal Cliff’ Bill Includes Tax Help for Select Industries

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

Congress Aids Oregon Electric Motorcycle Maker in Budget

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

‘Fiscal cliff’ bill filled with ‘pork’

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

Compromise added billions in special tax breaks

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

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

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

Earmarks included in fiscal cliff deal

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

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

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

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

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

How America Can Avoid the Next Fiscal Cliff

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

Some critical of ‘pork’ in Sandy aid bill

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

Short-term reforms to avert the Fiscal Cliff

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

A Holiday Wish List for Congress

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

It’s Time for a Plan “D”

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

Nearly 50 percent of Americans get federal benefits

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

Hurricane Sandy Recovery Package Packed With Extra Spending

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

Why isn’t Obama demanding corporate welfare cuts?

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

Coalition urges approval of a farm subsidy

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

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

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

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

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

150 million reasons it’s hard to cut spending

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

Senate unveils Hurricane Sandy bill

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

Amash Among Bipartisan Group Seeking Defense Cuts

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

Would Obama Deal on Spending?

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

For Federal Workers, a Fiscal Cliff Deal Carries Dangers

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

Sand dunes spare NJ homes from Sandy’s destruction

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

Libertarian and environmental groups unite against five-year farm bill

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

Right, left call for defense cuts

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

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

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

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

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

After the Storm, New Questions Arise

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

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

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

5-year farm bill could impact fiscal cliff talks

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

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

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

Toss Wasteful Defense Weapons Programs Off the Cliff

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

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

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

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

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

Taxpayer group outlines ‘fiscal cliff’ punt

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

Taxpayers for Common Sense Releases Cliff Roadmap

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

Taxpayers for Common Sense Releases Cliff Roadmap

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

Snake-Oil Deficit Savings

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

White House Appointees Have Portraits Painted at Taxpayer Expense

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

Obama, Congress at an impasse on fiscal cliff

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

Fight Over Ferry Prompts Questions on Definition of Earmarks

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

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

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

Politico Morning Defense 11/28/2012

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

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

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

Columbia River Crossing Bridge knocked by taxpayer group

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

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

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

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

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

Congress prepares for bailout of flood insurance program amid Sandy claims

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

When to Stay and When to Go

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Navajos ban uranium mining

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

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

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

How Sandy revealed the follies of federal flood insurance programs

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

Let’s stop subsidizing living in harm’s way

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

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

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

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority to Pay Sandy Claims

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

Flood insurance program serves vital role after storms

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

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

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

Obama plans Asia trip amid budget fight

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

Nearly all of ag wants farm bill action

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

Schumer, Gillibrand seeks funds for coastline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lame duck Congress, go home

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

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

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

Connecticut defense firms first in line to fall over fiscal cliff

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

Tax group floats 6-month fiscal deal

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

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

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

After Sandy: Reassessing the Nation’s Flood Fund

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

Sandy might turn the tide for embattled beach-building program

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

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority Post-Sandy

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

Sandy to test revamped federal flood insurance program

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

Missing info made for weak points

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

Costly aftermath? Another battering for homeowners

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

Costly aftermath? Insurance rates may soar in aftermath of Sandy

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

The Cost of Natural Disasters, By the Numbers

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

Hot ETFs for the presidential election

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

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

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

OMB claims big cuts in overhead spending but cannot offer details

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

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

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

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

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

Western bypass a waste of money

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

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

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

Letter: Fixing Existing Roads Real Priority

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

Group’s goal is to curb harmful, wasteful spending

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

Schumer Hints at More Medicare Cuts

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

Managing the Pain of Likely Cuts

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

$11.4 Billion Cut in Federal Transportation Spending Recommended

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

Steve Sink: Obama, Romney lack credible economic plans

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

Current, former athletes’ charities get millions in taxpayer dollars

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

Stop Giving the One Percent Tax Breaks on Beachfront Vacation Homes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fiscal Cliff: Candidates Fiddle While America Does a Slow Burn

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

Talk Radio News Service

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

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

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

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

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

Huelskamp leads push to waive some tarriffs

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

Downsizing the military

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

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

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

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

South Carolina has $15 billion-a-year stake in military By Andrew Shain The State Published: October 1, 2012   The military could be...

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)...

4 Reasons Why All Americans Should Worry About Wind Industry Layoffs

4 Reasons Why All Americans Should Worry About Wind Industry Layoffs By Raz Godelnik | September 25th, 2012   Last week the American...

Obama says Romney could take away middle class tax deductions

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...

Ryan Alexander: Armend with Irony

Ryan Alexander: Armed with Irony If lawmakers really want to stop blank checks for spending binges, they should start with the...

Nonpartisan Groups Defend Neutrality in Harsh Climate

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...

Sen. Mary Landrieu Ranks 25th in Taxpayer Money Spent on Travel

WASHINGTON — Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu spent $16,748 in taxpayer money on chartered plane flights around the state for her and...

Draft Transparency Database

It’s Time for Tax Reform Transparency Powered by Socrata

Editorial: Republicans say they have the will to cut federal spending, but, if so, they should start by getting rid of so-called ‘earmarks.’

Already, a battle in Congress is brewing, and this time it's not between Democrats and Republicans. Instead, this one is over what's known...

Inland lawmaker blasts spending, eyes return to committee helm (The Press-Enterprise)

 Facing the threat of a possible government shutdown, Democrats on Tuesday ceded to GOP demands that billions of dollars in extra funding...

Lobbyists and watchdog groups form coalition to push for earmark reforms (The Hill)

 A coalition of lobbyists and public-interest advocates on Tuesday presented five principles for reforming the earmarking process. The...

Lobbyists, Government Watchdogs Team Up For Earmark Reform (Legal Times)

 Who says lobbyists and government watchdog groups can’t work together? In a conference call this morning, a group of lobbyists and the...

Fiorina unveils plan to cut spending (San Francisco Chronicle)

 Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina on Monday proposed a wide-ranging plan to rein in Washington's spending — ranging from a...

Republican Party’s ‘Pledge to America’ is a big disappointment (Kansas City Star)

 Maybe it was appropriate that leaders of the Republican Party gathered at a Virginia hardware store to unveil their “Pledge to America.”...

Unique Mashup of Earmarks, Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Expenditures Updated for Fiscal Year 2010 (Center For Responsive Politics)

 Two of Washington, D.C.'s most reliable and respected nonpartisan watchdogs have once again joined forces, updating their one-of-a-kind,...

The Porkers Fight Back (Center for Defense Information)

Yesterday, I was interviewed by Ward Carroll, editor of Military.com for a podcast. We discussed the congressional actions on the Defense...

Despite absence, Senate giants deliver (Politico)

Illnesses may have put Sens. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd on the sidelines, but the two men still wield enormous clout when it comes to...

Federal Agencies Diverted Earmark Money (New York Times)

WASHINGTON — Thirteen federal agencies took nearly half a billion dollars off the top of Congressional earmarks for administrative expenses in...

Rep. Jerry Lewis backs defense bill’s Inland earmarks as worthwhile (Press-Enterprise)

By BEN GOAD Washington Bureau  WASHINGTON - A $636 billion military spending bill passed Thursday by the House contains more than $70...

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz defends earmark (Miami Herald)

A critic of pork-barrel spending set a Broward-based project backed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in his sights. WASHINGTON -- A military...

Taxpayers for Common Sense (Southside Times)

Earmarks in the latest federal spending bill: $1.5 million for “alternate fuel for cement processing” at Auburn University courtesy of...

Critic says change priorities;  Budget watchdog calls on Corps of Engineers to refocus efforts

When the New Orleans levees breached in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and flooded 80 percent of the city, eyes in Washington turned to Steve...

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...