Medicaid Expansion: Put It on My Tab

By Luke Gelber

Sequestration will reduce the rate of growth in federal spending, but it nonetheless presented something of a predicament for budget hawks …

The Fed Boat: A Career on Cruise-Control

By William Christian

On February 5, the Washington Post reported that President Obama and his emissaries – particularly in the federal-employee-intensive enclaves of the D.C. suburbs in Virginia and Maryland – were sounding the alarm of a potential furlough if the dreaded sequester (automatic spending cuts) went into effect.  On Friday, March 1, with no alternative agreement among the White House, the Democratic-controlled Senate, and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, the sequestration took effect.  As of March 7, no furloughs of federal employees had yet occurred …

To Catch a Thief

By Leslie Paige

‘Tis the season…for tax refund fraud.  And the 2012 filing season promises to be a whooper when it comes to taxpayers’ refunds being ripped off ...

Odd Choices in Afghanistan

By Sean Kennedy

In late December 2012, the United States Air Force (USAF) did not renew its contract with Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italian-based defense contractor Finmeccanica, to refurbish and supply 20 G222s (also known as the C-27A) for the Afghan Air Force (AAF).  Primarily used for casualty evacuation and to resupply forward bases, the G222s in Afghanistan were grounded for several months in 2011-2012 because of maintenance-related issues.  Although the U.S. has spent $590 million on the project since its inception in 2009, the USAF cited poor performance as the reason it canceled the contract.  Set to expire at the end of March 2013, the renewal of the contract would have cost the government $60 million for an additional year …

Light at the End of the Pipeline

By PJ Austin

At a time when the national debt exceeds $16.5 trillion, the unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, and the United States is searching for ways to reduce dependence on oil from the Middle East, it sure would be nice to have a project that assuages all three concerns at the same time.  Such a project exists – it is called the Keystone Pipeline. Yet despite the overwhelming evidence of the positive impact that the pipeline would have on the American economy, as of March 7, 2013, the Obama Administration and the State Department had delayed making a decision to approve or reject the project for 1,630 days …

Savings Don’t Score Any Points with CBO

By Deborah Collier

In 1974, Congress created the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide a nonpartisan independent analysis of budgetary and economic issues.  CBO provides cost estimates of legislation determines the impact on federal spending for at least five years and up to 10 years from enactment …