In the News

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...

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

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

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

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

Lautenberg Has Plenty of Fight Left in Him

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

End of earmarks caused area water projects to dry up

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

Congressmen wary of ‘wasteful, unrelated’ hurricane spending

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

Fiscal reform needs accountability, less agency overlap

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

Claire McCaskill re-introduces Earmark Elimination Act in Senate

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

Rethinking Our Place In A Post-Hurricane Sandy World

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

Even Without Earmarks, Tax Breaks And Special Deals Fill Bills

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

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...