In the News

Most Southwest Idaho Forests Have Burned Since 1985

Wildfires since 1985 have burned 69 percent of the Payette National Forest and more than 50 percent of the Boise National Forest, a new...

Analysis: Clipped wings: How essential is Essential Air Service?

The program is called Essential Air Service, and its stated intent is to ensure that small communities distant from regional airport hubs...

Trinity Uptown Bridges in Fort Worth Will Initially Span Dirt, Not Water

FORT WORTH — They’re not exactly bridges to nowhere, but when three new bridges in Fort Worth’s massive Trinity Uptown project are complete...

Critics Pan LIRR Plan to Spend Sandy Cash on Double Track

The Long Island Rail Road wants to spend $300 million in federal Sandy money to complete its Double Track effort between Farmingdale and...

House Makes Proposal for Waterways Projects

A bipartisan group of congressional members has introduced legislation that would change the way billions of dollars of water infrastructure...

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,...

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...

VA Budget Skyrockets Despite Federal Spending Cuts

DAYTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs spends more today in inflation adjusted dollars than it did after World War II and the Vietnam...

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...

Letter to the Editor: Congess Adds to the Pentagon’s Budget Bloat

Walter Pincus hit the nail on the head with his Aug. 27 Fine Print column, “The defense appropriations shuffle.” There are still billions of...

Letters to the Editor: Learning the Lessons From Hurricane Sandy

To the Editor: Your editorial about the report from the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force hit the nail on the head: better preparation...

SAVANNAH PORT:  Slowdown Dims Aura of Gaeorgia’s Ports

BRUNSWICK --- More than 635,000 Kias, Toyotas and Caterpillar tractors moved in and out of this brawny port last year. Wood pellets from...

We Don’t Need Earmarks to Get Congress Working Again

As long time political observers lament the failure of Congress to get anything done, every once in a while you hear a call for the return...

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...

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...

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...

Oklahoma GOP US Sen. Inhofe to run for 4th term

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe said Wednesday that he will seek a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, telling...

For Rahall, Representation Means Fighting for Resources

Nick Rahall knew exactly what he wanted to do when West Virginia sent him to Washington in 1976, and almost four decades later he is still...

Shhhh. Republicans Are Defending Earmarks.

Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are starting to quietly defend earmarks, three years after Congress...

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...

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...

House to vote on farm bill in big test for Boehner, Republican leaders

The House will vote Thursday on a new farm bill in a major test for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the rest of the House GOP leadership...

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...

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...

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...

D.C. group blasts KABATA as geotech work for bridge begins

This week the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority announced the start of geotechnical work in Anchorage and a national watchdog group gave...

Alaska Ear: We win again

WE WIN AGAIN ... Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan national watchdog organization, has awarded our apparently eternal Knik Arm...

Optimism grows for repairing Western Pennsylvania locks and dams

River industry officials are confident Congress will approve legislation this year that would boost funding for much-needed repairs to...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Boehner decides to support farm bill

Speaker of the House John Boehner on Wednesday pledged his support for the farm bill scheduled to come to the House floor next week — a...

The farm bill, food stamps, and the future of crop subsidies

This week, the Senate passed a five-year, half-trillion dollar farm bill on a bi-partisan 66-27 vote. Now, it's on to the House of...

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...

John Boehner: Time is right to bring latest farm bill to House floor

After punting last year on a farm bill, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Monday he will bring his chamber’s 2013 version to the floor this...

Senate’s new farm bill will waste billions on subsidies, critics say

To deficit hawks and critics of American farm policy, they are a clear example of wasteful government spending, lavishly rewarding farmers...

The Senate is voting on a $955 billion farm bill. Here’s what’s in it.

On Monday evening, the Senate will vote on a massive farm bill that will set the course of U.S. food policy for the next decade. The old...

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...

Crop insurance push made for conservation requirements

Rep. Mike Thompson wants the subsidized coverage to require compliance for eligibility. Among the differences between the current...

‘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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

All In With Chris Hayes

Oklahoma senators voted against Sandy relief - but now their state will need aid Chris Hayes talks to Oklahoma State Representative Mark...

The Role Of The Federal Government In Disaster Relief

Following the devastating tornado in Oklahoma, the federal government is stepping in. A look at disaster assistance and the politics of...

Obama Pledges Storm Aid; Some in Congress Talk of Finding Cuts to Offset It

WASHINGTON — President Obama vowed Tuesday to marshal the resources of the federal government to help the victims of Oklahoma’s killer...

Shelby provision in water bill would benefit state docks

WASHINGTON — Ports that move large amounts of energy resources, including the Port of Mobile, would share a new pot of federal money to...

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...

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...

Appropriator background challenges Kingston in Senate primary

WASHINGTON — Jack Kingston’s 20-year career in the U.S. House has been shaped by his work on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where he...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Senate considers measure to spend more on dredging and other water projects

The Senate takes up a controversial water resources bill in the coming week that boosters say would prepare East Coast ports for deeper...

Fact check: Sanford-Colbert Busch debate

In a spirited debate between South Carolina congressional candidates Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Mark Sanford, we found a couple of...

New oil shale decision avoids mistakes of the past

Who hasn’t heard the old saying “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it?” That often-quoted adage was written by 19th...

Stimulus waste trackers now tracking Sandy relief funding

MADISON – After overseeing transparency and accountability of the massive $840 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, tracking...

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...

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.,...

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...

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...

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...

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....

Letter: Reasonable ideas for cutting deficit

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

Immigration bill may set funding, regulatory gaps in border security

The Senate’s pending immigration bill sets aside $3.5 billion for additional surveillance of the country’s southern border, or roughly $1.79...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Water bill moving in U.S. Senate ‘like a greased pig’

WASHINGTON • The porcine reference comes from Steve Ellis, of Taxpayers for Common Sense, an advocacy group that pays special attention when...

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...

Price Increases for U.S. Military Gear Dwarf Most Nations’ Defense Budgets

Here’s an example of what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was talking about in his Wednesday speech on reforming the way the Pentagon buys...

Congressional spending requests less transparent, critics say

In the more than two years since earmarks were banned to make congressional spending more transparent, lawmakers have fallen back on an...

West Virginia Republican Files Secret Spending Requests

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-WV) first several terms in Congress could best be described as “free-spending” — obtaining tens of millions...

When Does ‘Appropriator’ Become a Dirty Word? Perhaps in Georgia’s GOP Primary

Candidates in the Georgia Republican Senate primary are jostling for the furthest right starting block in what’s likely to be a crowded...

A powerful voice pays off for Maryland during federal budget cuts

(Reuters) - Many members of Congress looked pretty helpless this week as they fought to save cherished programs in their states from...

Tiny US airports refuel annually on federal pork

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

Bypassing Sense

With $16.4 trillion in U.S. debt and the possible sequester as daily topics in America, our state is on the verge of building a $244 million...

Spiraling down: Why the Bypass will wreck Albemarle

The Taxpayers for Common Sense, in an October report subtitled "Two trillion in common sense cuts to avoid the fiscal cliff," calls the...

The Army Corps of Engineers Excels at Wasting Money

As budget watchdogs, we know that some federal agencies are more wasteful than others in almost every sense. For nearly two centuries, the...

Southland ports could see more tax revenue

WASHINGTON — The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are in an unusual position in today's era of Washington austerity: They could soon...

Little-noticed CR provision may block long-anticipated policy change

New guidelines for selecting and designing federal water projects released by the Obama administration on Friday were praised by...

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...

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...

Michele Bachmann pushes for highway project, but steers clear of ‘earmark’ label

A moratorium on congressional earmarks isn’t stopping Rep. Michele Bachmann from pushing for federal funding for a home-state highway. The...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

Bypassing Sense

The Charlottesville Bypass, from just about every angle, is an extraordinary waste of taxpayer funds at a time when the state has no money...

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...

Bi-state battle brewing over Bootheel floodway levee plan

 WASHINGTON – Critics call it a “dinosaur project,” a threat to the environment and a waste of money. Proponents describe it as a key...

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...

Decision sought on 60-year-old Missouri wetlands plan

WASHINGTON — An engineering project introduced during the Eisenhower administration may be carried out in the Obama administration, but with...

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...

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...

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...

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...

USEC under Obama 2.0 - in the race for state guarantees

(Translated from original text) Changes in the top echelons of the U.S. government related to the beginning of the second term of...

Farmers, environmentalists await seventh analysis of 60-year-old Mississippi levee plan

An engineering project introduced during the Eisenhower administration may be carried out during the Obama administration, but with no more...

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...

Sequestration is still better than the alternatives

Late last year, then-Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said of the impending sequester, “The only thing that’s...

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...

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....

Budget Cutters Eye Nuclear Reprocessing Plant

Given the threat of sequester, supporters of a $4.8 billion mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility worry that the Obama administration may be...

Charlottesville This Week - February 2, 2013

Cost Overruns Plague Energy Department Projects

The Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, known as MOX, isn’t the only high-profile project by the Energy Department’s National Nuclear...

Ag Economist Urges Congress to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

"The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is broken, but Congress can fix the rule by acting now and opening an inclusive, robust debate that leads...

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...

At the intersection of politics and road building

Interstate 66, once envisioned as a cross-continent highway from the Potomac to the Pacific, ends in a pile of dirt just past a cloverleaf...

AGRIBUSINESS: RFS opponents launch new Hill campaign

  A coalition of opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard held a telephone news conference today to announce they are launching a new...

Ethanol slowdown not enough, say mandate critics

Never in the history of corn-based ethanol have so many Nebraska ethanol plants been idle. “This would be the largest drop we’ve ever...

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...

Stand Up for the RFS; Don’t Forget to Comment

The petroleum industry is continuing its campaign to dismantle and repeal the renewable fuel standard (RFS). The Environmental Working...

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...

You pay bill for some legislators’ dry cleaning, art, iPhones

OLYMPIA — A few days after Washington lawmakers approved a budget deal to lower state spending last year, small-government Rep. Gary...

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...

What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 1/21

Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about....

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...

N.C. lawmaker launches legislative debate over sand-pumping projects

A North Carolina lawmaker has fired the opening shot in a bid to extend the federal government's commitment to pumping sand onto beaches to...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Congress approves scaled-back Sandy aid bill

Washington (CNN) -- Congress approved a $9.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package on Friday following delays over fiscal cliff bickering,...

Boehner has mixed record on fulfilling promises

House Speaker John A. Boehner’s lofty pledges to break with precedent and run Congress in a more inclusive, transparent manner ended up a...

Broad $60.4B Sandy relief bill criticized as ‘pork’

In more than 100 pages of legislation detailing the $60 billion disaster aid plan Congress considered, there’s almost no mention of specific...

The Austin Chronicle: Headlines

• Austin Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 13-year-old girl who was found unconscious outside a home (not her own) in...

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...

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...

‘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...

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...

Hurricane Sandy pork

 Many news outlets are reporting that President Obama‘s proposed $60.4 billion federal aid bill for Hurricane Sandy victims is packed with...

USDA agency’s largesse grows crop insurance

Most Americans have never heard of the Risk Management Agency, but the obscure Agriculture Department office spreads good cheer and millions...

Loss of Inouye Means Loss of Clout for Hawaii

HONOLULU — No man is an island. But in Hawaii, Daniel K. Inouye sure seems like one. After he died last week at 88, this state went into a...

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....

Military Experts Actually Want Twice The Level Of Defense Cuts That Are In The Sequester

If the sequester goes into effect on January 1st, we will see over time a $500 billion reduction in security spending (which includes the...

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,...

DC Watch: Farm bill unlikely to be part of fiscal cliff efforts

With the clock ticking down to the end of the year, there is still no agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)...

$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...

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...

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....

Groups: Sandy Relief Bill Filled with Pork Unrelated to Disaster Relief

Conservatives and taxpayer watchdog groups have examined the Senate's $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill and have discovered it funds...

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...

Editorial: Pass Hurricane Sandy aid at the right size

Even if states devastated by Hurricane Sandy don’t need exactly $60.4 billion in federal aid to fund disaster relief, Congress should not...

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...

Isles face own fiscal cliff as many expect sizable drop-off in federal funds

When University of Hawaii engineering professor Panos Pre­ve­douros as­ked his students to examine the impact of various potential disasters...

Over $9 Billion in Sandy Bill for Transportation Spending That Won’t Occur for Two Years

Taxpayers for Common Sense vice president Steve Ellis e-mails reporters a list of projects getting funded in the $60.4 billion Sandy relief...

A car for the Justice Department inspector, and more in Sandy relief bill

Writing a bill for disaster relief from Hurricane Sandy surely is fairly straightforward, with aid concentrated say on loans and...

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...

Club For Growth, Heritage: Sandy Bill Packed With Pork

Two conservative groups on Monday said that a $60 billion bill meant to fund Hurricane Sandy relief efforts is filled with pork that is...

Conservative groups complain Sandy aid bill contains unrelated spending

Conservative groups say the Senate’s $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy supplemental bill is loaded with millions of dollars in spending...

K Street gathers strength behind Hurricane Sandy relief bill

Lobbyists for beach and coastal towns have sprung into action on a $60.4 billion relief package for communities damaged by Hurricane...

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...

Senate debates $60.4 billion Sandy aid package

Washington - Democrats on Monday began trying to push $60.4 billion in emergency spending for Superstorm Sandy victims through Congress by...

Sandy relief bill gets add-ons to lure GOP votes

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate's $60.4 billion superstorm Sandy relief bill contains more than $20 million for Alaska's fisheries and $188...

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...

AG NEWS 12/13/2012

“Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated Reviewing Contract” At the annual joint meeting of the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated, Jay...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

It’s Back: SmarterSafer.org Leads Effort To Oppose New Federal Beach House Bailout Proposal

It's Back: SmarterSafer.org Leads Effort To Oppose New Federal Beach House Bailout Proposal SmarterSafer.org - a coalition of leading...

ASK JEFF : A highway funding crossroads

ASK JEFF : A highway funding crossroads Jeff Rea Companies continue to find Indiana a good place to do business. Two key reasons are...

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...

Western Bypass Named Among Eight Most Wasteful Projects In U.S.

By: Rob Graham A recently released report is giving ammunition to opponents of the western bypass. It comes from a group called "Taxpayers...

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...

Taxpayers against the Bypass

Taxpayers against the Bypass Pub Date: Oct 02, 2012   In a new report, “Sliding Past Sequestration,” Taxpayers for Common Sense have...

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...

National budget watchdog group takes aim at Colubia River Crossing project

National budget watchdog group takes aim at Columbia River Crossing project By: Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian Tuesday, October 02,...

Yank CRC funding, federal budget watchdog urges

A federal budget watchdog this week targeted the Columbia River Crossing among a long list of projects and programs it says should be axed...

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...

Large energy cuts can help avoid sequestration

Report: Large energy cuts can help avoid sequestration By Zack Colman - 10/01/12 01:06 PM ET   A spending watchdog group said Monday...

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...

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...

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...

‘Fiscal cliff’ plan was leap of faith

By James Rosen Republicans withdraw previous support for the strong budget controls. Republican congressional leaders are backing away...

Too much info in Chesapeake? No chance of that

By: The Virginian-Pilot Chesapeake - home of an infamous fly-ash golf course, three unusable jail buildings and other attractions suitable...

GOP reps now oppose budget cuts they supported

By: James Rosen WASHINGTON — Republican congressional leaders are backing away from a trigger system of forced spending cuts that they...

Washington lawmakers - All earmarks considered pork

By: Gene Smith Taxpayers for Common Sense states that in 2011 there were 39,294 earmarks for a total of more than $130 billion. It is...

Bipartisan “Green Scissors” Campaign Aims to Save the Environment—and Taxpayer Dollars

By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss Dear EarthTalk: What is the “Green Scissors” campaign, which I understand can help the environment and has...

‘No More Solyndras Act’ Takes a Beating from All Sides (US News)

Solyndra has long been a favorite buzzword of Republicans looking to criticize the Obama administration for everything from irresponsible use of taxpayer money to an energy policy that plays favorites....

House passes bill to limit Solyndra-style loan guarantees (Los Angeles Times)

The bill would limit the Energy Department's power to issue loan guarantees for new green-energy projects, a move stemming from Solyndra's failure....

House Passes Solyndra Act Aimed at Obama (New York Times)

The House passed legislation on Friday that would phase out a Department of Energy loan guarantee program for clean and renewable energy projects....

Yikes! Zombie Solar Projects Could Rise from the Dead! (Clean Technica)

The impending Zombie Apocalypse is real and it’s coming to a solar power project near you! At least, that’s what a group of four conservative organizations is saying in a new statement. T...

DepSecDef Carter Warns Of Training Shortfalls If Sequester Happens; HASC Hearing Marked By Shouting, Silliness (AOL Defense)

CAPITOL HILL: Congress and the Obama administration should thank their lucky stars that hardly anyone watched this morning's House Armed...

Green Scissors for Congress

When you’re in a hole, you stop digging. And when you’ve got a $1.3-trillion deficit and $15.7 trillion in debt, you’ve got to start...

Congress Plays War Games with Defense Budget

As the defense industry and its allies in the Pentagon and Congress stepped up their drum beat Wednesday about the dangers that scheduled...

Number of Georgians on Food Stamps Balloons (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

By Daniel Malloy and Katie Leslie Nearly one in five Georgians now gets federal assistance to put dinner on the table. As Congress debates...

Congress Keeps Free Mail While Pushing U.S. Postal Cuts (Bloomberg)

  Lawmakers intent on dictating how the U.S. Postal Service cuts billions from its spending are among those helping themselves to a favorite...

Energy And Environment Update (JDSUPRA)

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

Congress Passes Transportation Bill, Halts Student Loan Rate Increase (BostonHerald.com)

WASHINGTON — Congress, in a rare display of bipartisanship, on Friday sent to President Barack Obama a roughly $105 billion transportation...

Road funding, interest break for 160,000 Missouri students finally approved (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

June 29–WASHINGTON — As usual, Congress waited until the eleventh hour to tackle big issues. But as result of legislation escaping today, an...

Congress Passes Student Loans, Highways, Flood Aid, Deficit Impact Disputed (Examiner.com)

What does the Highway Trust Fund, flood insurance, the Keystone Pipeline and student loan interest have in common? Nothing really, but they...

Congress Approves a $127 Billion Transportation and Student Loan Package (New York Times)

Congress gave final approval on Friday to legislation that combines a two-year transportation measure with bills to extend subsidized student...

Congress Passes Transportation Bill, Halts Student Loan Rate Hike (LA Times)

WASHINGTON — Congress, in a rare display of bipartisanship, on Friday sent to President Obama a roughly $105-billion transportation bill that...

Pryor, Boozman win on Flood Insurance (Arkansas News)

WASHINGTON — Congress today approved a five-year reauthorization of the nation’s flood insurance program after removing a requirement that...

Congress Can Save $700 Billion by Ending Environmentally Destructive Programs (Living Green)

Congress could move a long way toward solving the nation’s twin problems of spiraling budget costs and environmental degradation simply by...

Where Did the Senate Get the Extra Money to Pay For Its Bill? (DC Streets Blog)

By Tanya Snyder Congressional leaders announced opaquely last week that they’d "moved forward" on a deal on the highway section of the...

Doggy Glitter Gets a Share of Farm Bill Billions (Washington Examiner)

By Susan Ferrechio What does sparkly styling spray for dogs have to do with the 2012 farm bill? It's among the thousands of products U.S....

TCS President Ryan Alexander Letter to the Editor—Energy Subsidies: “No Giveaways”

In "Natural gas better for economy, environment" (May 20 Opinion), T. Boone Pickens tried to justify new subsidies for natural gas while...

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...