In the News

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...

The Fair Act of 2013

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

Landrieu disappointed at Obama administration

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

Lack of revenue bill support criticized

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

The FAIR Act Is Bad Fiscal Policy

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

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,...

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...

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...

How House Tackles WRDA Could Signal Surface Transport Approach

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

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

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

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...

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...

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,...

Republican bill would limit environmental reviews of offshore drilling

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

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

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

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

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

Senators fight to cut more farm bill spending

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

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...

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...

DOT nominee’s role in contracts could draw questions

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

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...

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

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

Obama pick for Interior head faces hearing; agency under fire

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

Charlottesville This Week - February 2, 2013

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...

Group Says Western Bypass Not Worth the Cost

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

Opponents of Route 29 Western Bypass Speak Out

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

US coal export trade raises alarms for Western states

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

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

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

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

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

Taxpayers group urges Salazar to ditch Bush-era royalty

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

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. ...

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...

Yet More Solyndras (National Review)

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.” ...

Energy Issues Electrify Ohio Senate Race (Chillicothe Gazette)

Energy Issues Electrify Ohio Senate Race By Deidre Shesgreen WASHINGTON -- When it comes to energy issues, Democrat Sherrod Brown and...

Energy And Environment Update (JDSUPRA)

In This Issue: Energy and Climate Debate; Congress; Administration; Department of Defense; Department of Energy; Department of Interior;...

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...

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...