On August 5, 2016, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its “Monthly Budget Review for July 2016.” The CBO increased its projection of fiscal year 2016 deficit by 10 percent, from $534 billion to $590 billion, in its review. The non-partisan agency attributes the deficit increase to lower-than-expected revenues. In addition to lower revenues, costs […]
ATF Fails to Comply with Appropriations Act Restrictions
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) operates 25 firearms-related data systems, 16 of which contain purchaser information given to the ATF by federal firearms licensees (FFLs). A June 2016 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reviewed four of these systems and found that some data systems do not comply with the restrictions that […]
IRS Undermines Congressional Budgeting
In a July 2016 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could improve its budget data in its justifications to Congress. The report found that the IRS, while it has taken steps to more effectively manage its budget, has not correlated its priorities to relevant appropriations accounts. In its […]
Social Security Must Avert Identity Theft
In 2015, $15 billion was stolen from 13.1 million Americans as a result of identity fraud and 16 percent of complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2014 were related to identity theft. According to a February 2, 2016 Javelin Strategy and Research study, the success of microchips in credit and checking cards to prevent identity theft have driven criminals to focus on fraud that relies on an individual’s name and other stolen personal information.
Catfish Program Removal Gains Support of Committee on Energy and Commerce
On June 22, 2016, CCAGW and a coalition of taxpayer watchdogs sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging a vote on S. J. Res. 28. S. J. Res. 28, sponsored by Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.), would nullify the USDA’s wasteful and duplicative catfish inspection program. The Senate passed the resolution on May 25, […]
Healthcare in the Spotlight in the House of Representatives
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering two bills that would alleviate the strain Obamacare has placed squarely on the shoulders of businesses and taxpayers. The House considered H.R. 5447, the Small Business Healthcare Relief Act. This legislation, introduced by Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), accomplishes two major goals: allow small businesses to give […]
From the Bureaucracy, With Love: Disguised Costs from Federal Agencies
In 1957, Ian Fleming published From Russia, With Love, the fifth book in his series about the suave MI6 agent, James Bond. In the novel, the Soviet Union’s intelligence agency, led by Colonel Rosa Klebb, sends assassins to disguise themselves as Bond’s allies until Klebb herself leaves Bond’s life hanging by a thread with her poisoned blade. Like Colonel Klebb, the Obama Administration issues regulations under the guise of protecting Americans against some perceived danger, while in reality, they are toxic weapons used to rob taxpayers of wealth and freedom.
House Budget Committee Hearing on Unauthorized Programs and Mandatory Spending
On June 9, 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on the Budget held a hearing titled, “The Need to Control Automatic Spending and Unauthorized Programs.” The witnesses included: the Honorable David Walker, former Comptroller General to the United States; Stuart Butler, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute; and Lily Batchelder, a professor of […]
SCOTUS Provides Eagle Eye of Oversight for Hawkes Case
On May 31, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its ruling in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co. The case raised the question whether property owners could challenge “jurisdictional determinations” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). USACE considered Hawkes’ land to be “navigable waters,” based on the […]
United States Postal Service Fails Despite Advantages
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is one of the largest employers in the United States, with 625,113 employees. But the agency’s financial results are not quite as impressive. The USPS lost $5.1 billion in 2015 and the cost of labor has increased while the size of the workforce has shrunk. Nonetheless, the USPS Office of the Inspector General (IG), which is required to uncover and expose waste and abuse, declared in an April 16, 2016 report that the USPS is “doing better financially than sometimes reported in the media.”