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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘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

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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