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...

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...

Congress’ Massive To-Do List

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,...

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...

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...

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...

Wal-Mart Air Fleet Gets Taxpayer Support for Controllers

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...

Report Calls For Congressional Reform Of River Management Practices

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

Study: New river law should emphasize restoration

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

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...

Antiquated U.S. farm policy fiscally foolish

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

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...

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...

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....

Rep. Ted Yoho entangled in dispute over farm bill

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

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...

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...

U.S. House rejects bid to kill Piketon project

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

Farm bill: Divided

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

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

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

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...

How to Achieve Real Farm Bill Reform

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Farm bill cuts judged both too much, not enough

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...

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...

Growing Economy Absorbing Sequestration Cuts

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

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...

Should Emergency Disaster Relief Funding Be Offset With Budget Cuts?

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

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...

Barnum’s beaming: The Greatest bypass on Earth!

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...

Bid to end crop insurance subsidy for tobacco worries burley growers

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

Senators target tobacco crop insurance subsidy

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

The Farm Bill Trough Is Opening Again

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

Flood Insurance Amendment Could Lead to More Borrowing, Critics Say

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

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...

Senate-passed water resources bill includes Mississippi River navigation study

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

Senate votes to extend federal water projects law

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

Taxpayers Feel the Pain of Washington Arm-Twisting

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

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...

McCaskill tackling ‘ghosts of earmarks past’

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

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

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

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...

Senators Reach Deal for First Votes on Water Bill

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

More of the Same Wasteful Farm Bill Spending

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...

White House Raises Concerns About Water Bill

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

Farm product subsidies are criticized

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

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...

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

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

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...

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

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

When Renewable Energy Shoots Itself In The Foot

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.,...

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...

Held up by MOX(y)

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

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...

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

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

Harris aims to protect MD from government regulations

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

Can good government gum things up?

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

Letter: Reasonable ideas for cutting deficit

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

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...

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...

Westinghouse Electric Co. sets sights on federal funds

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

How Zombie Programs Manage to Avoid Budget Cuts

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

Morning Transportation

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...

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

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

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...

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...

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...

Deep in debt, USPS spends millions at business forum

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

Morning Defense

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

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....

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

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

Energy opens second round for small modular reactor funding

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

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...

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...

New Estimates Question Savings from Farm Bills

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

Watchdog group upset with nuke reactor funding

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

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

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

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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...

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

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...

Mini Nuclear Reactors Earn Golden Fleece Award For Government Waste

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

Small modular reactor program to get ‘Golden Fleece’ award

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

Nuclear program wins ‘Golden Fleece’ award

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

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

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

Group gives ‘Golden Fleece’ award to DOE

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

Organization Calls Foul on DOE’s Small Reactor Program

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

Portable reactor program given ‘Golden Fleece’ award

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

Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Win the Golden Fleece Award

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

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...

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

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

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...

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...

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...

Controversial motor fuel with more ethanol raises concerns

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

Politics and road building intersect in Kentucky

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...

Fate of Piketon plant murky

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

Farm Bill’s Corporate Welfare Is Unacceptable

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...

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

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

Approval of Sandy bill sparks new fight over disaster money

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

Disaster aid could reach president’s desk today

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

Hurricane Sandy Response Stirs Up Capitol Hill Lobbyists

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

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...

More bridges to nowhere

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

Another Shocker! Sandy Relief Bill Is Loaded With Pork

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

Watchdogs warn billions in hurricane aid could go elsewhere

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

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

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

Superstorm destruction was good news for jolly prophet of doom

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

Start Cutting Government Spending With the Defense Budget

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...

House Approves $50.7B For Sandy Victims

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...

Sandy relief package passes with extra spending intact

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...

Sandy Aid Under Fire in House

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

All eyes on Congress over Sandy aid package

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

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

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

Fear of Earmarks Sparks Split in Sandy Aid Bill

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

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied to Other Projects

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

Watchdog sees pork in Sandy relief bill

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

House to vote on Sandy disaster aid today

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

Pork must be cut from Sandy aid bill

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

House expected to vote on Sandy aid today

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

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...

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

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

Sandy Pork And The Lesson Of Katrina

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

Objections raised over additional projects lumped with Sandy relief

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

House to Take Up Storm Relief Bill Amid Battle Over Spending

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

Billions in Sandy aid package headed elsewhere

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

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

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

Critics hit Sandy storm disaster aid add-ons

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

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied to Other Projects

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

Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Jersey lawmaker calls for ‘clean’ Sandy bill

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

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

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

Sandy relief votes, politics will continue this week in Congress

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

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

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

Strip the pork from aid bill

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...

Storm in Congress over disaster-aid bill

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

Hurricane Sandy relief package swells aid for past disasters elsewhere

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

Hurricane Sandy Relief Package Swells Aid For Past Disasters

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

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

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

New Jersey Democrat wants pork-free Sandy storm aid bill

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

Pessimistic DOD Prepares for the Worst

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

Morning Transportation

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

House Goes Senate One Better with Pork Laden Sandy Bill

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

Group says Sandy bill would finance unrelated projects

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

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...

Solving the Fiscal Impasse Starts and Ends at the Pentagon

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

Aid effort gets fishy

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

How Sandy Aid is Shaping Up as House Prepares for Vote

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...

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...

Pentagon sponsors parade float, football games while facing budget cuts

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

Shelby takes top GOP seat on Appropriations

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

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...

Obama signs porkless Sandy bill, Reid offends Katrina victims

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

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...

Fiscal Cliff Winner: Tax Breaks for Oil and Gas Industries

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...

Reid offends Katrina victims, while Obama signs porkless Sandy bill

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Congressional special: Pulled pork with extra sauce

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...

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,...

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

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...

Congress approves first part of Sandy relief measure

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

Could Reviving Earmarks Get Congress Moving Again?

"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...

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

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

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...

Super-storm of pork hits Washington

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

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...

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,...

$60B Sandy Relief Bill Advances in Senate

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

Is Delta Regional Authority on chopping block?

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

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

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

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...

What the Sandy Bill Teaches Us About Our Spending Problem

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

Agencies paralyzed by fiscal cliff, endless succession of CRs

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...

Congress Piles the Pork into Hurricane Sandy Relief

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

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

There was a Bipartisan Congressional letter calling for Defense Cuts, ie  Less US Guns Roaming the World. Every single Libertarian leaning...

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...

Study Says Farm Bills Would Add to, Not Cut, Deficit

 For weeks, leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have lobbied for their stalled farm bills that cut farm and food program...

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...

Good case that farm bill would add to deficit

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...

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...

Group Says Billions of Dollars Risked on Oil Shale Speculation

The nonpartisan budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense reported this week that billions of taxpayer dollars have been risked over...

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...

Subsidies for Oil Shale Development: Billion-Dollar Boondoggle?

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - As Congress looks to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," opponents of a proposal recently introduced in Congress (H.R....

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. ...

Watchdog group opposes $50 million oil shale subsidy

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, is protesting a Texas congressman's proposal to...

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...

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....

Coloradans speak out against subsidizing oil shale

Grand Junction, Colo. (KKCO) – People in Colorado are speaking out at a house science subcommittee meeting in Washington D.C. on...

Worse Than Solyndra!

Remember how the failure of solar-panel manufacturer Solyndra, which had received $535 million in federal loan guarantees, supposedly showed...

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...

Taxpayer group irked by GOP plan to subsidize oil shale research

DENVER — A Texas Republican’s proposal to subsidize research on developing oil from oil shale is prompting objections from taxpayer...

Report calls out oil shale subsidies

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation that will hand out $50 million of increased subsidies...

Study: Taxes Paid for Failed Oil Shale Subsidies

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- A nonpartisan taxpayer group says their new study brings to light just how many failed oil shale experiments were...

Watchdog group opposes oil shale research subsidy

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — A national government watchdog organization wants to put an end to subsidies for research and development of...

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...

Oil Shale Subsidy Called a Boondoggle by Taxpayer Watchdog

 A federal subsidy that would funnel $50 million to the oil-shale-development industry -- which is still not commercially viable, and may...

Taxpayers for Common Sense slams oil shale subsidies

WASHINGTON — A new report by a nonpartisan taxpayer advocacy group is calling for the end of subsidies for oil shale development, saying...

Oil shale bill rankles taxpayer advocacy group

DENVER—A taxpayer advocacy group is objecting to a Texas Republican's proposal to subsidize research on developing oil from oil...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)...

Carbon tax would halve deficit in 10 years

Carbon tax would halve deficit in 10 years Jean Chemnick, E&E reporter Greenwire: Wednesday, September 26, 2012   A report by the...

Transportation Bill Jammed with Budget Gimmickry (Dallas News)

President Barack Obama’s signing ceremony for the federal transportation bill was like the graduation ceremony for a school’s most unruly,...

Greening the Federal Budget - and Saving a Bundle

June 27, 2012 -- A leading environmental group, a centrist taxpayer watchdog and a libertarian small-government think tank on Tuesday...

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...