Despite the moratorium on all earmarks agreed to by House Republicans on March 11, 2010, and a ban on earmarks to for-profit companies adoptedby House Democrats the previous day, both sides of the aisle are finding ways to circumvent their own rules.
Creating More Federal Employees
The debt of our nation is soaring. The U.S. Government has spent more than $13 trillion above what it has taken in. The Obama Administration and Democratic majority in Congress have passed policies causing government to grow faster than ever adding more than $1.4 trillion in additional debt this fiscal year alone.
Flood Insurance Still Soaks the Taxpayer
In early July, politicians in Washington, D.C. missed an opportunity to improve the failing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) when Congress passed another short-term reauthorization that expires on September 30, 2010. A second bite at the apple was even more misguided when on July 15, 2010, the House passed H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act, a five-year reauthorization of the NFIP, which expanded the program.
Carolina on Taxpayers Minds
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) has never been accused of being a fiscal hawk. In fact, he is quite well known for bringing home the bacon. CAGW’s 2010 Congressional Pig Book documented 41 earmarks worth $55 million requested by Rep. Clyburn.
Making Fiscal Sense in New Jersey
Politicians frequently stand on soapboxes and tell voters what they want to hear, but often fail to back their words up with action after they are elected. President Obama did this during the 2008 presidential race when he promised that people would be able to keep their doctor if healthcare reform passed and assuredeveryone making less than $250,000 thatthey would not be hit with any new tax increases. Now that the healthcare bill has passed,citizens are discovering that that their doctors are dropping private insurers and most taxpayers will have to pay moreto provide health benefits for everybody.
The DISCLOSE Act: Free Speech for Some, Hefty Price for Others
The House of Representatives is currently embroiled in a battle overH.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act. The legislation has caused a firestorm among lawmakers and politically active organizations as it seeks to use the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruling as an excuse to […]
Pigs on the Wing–The Aerial Refueling Tanker Contract Dispute Continues
The battle to build the Air Force’s next generation of aerial refueling tankers continues to fuel wasteful lobbying and insider dealing in Washington D.C. The $35 billion deal is as closely contested as ever, which is no surprise given the amount of money at stake. Defense Industry Daily’s initial valuation of the program in January 2007 predicted the contracts could exceed $100 billion.
Congress Spends Without a Budget
Deficits are soaring and spending continues unrestrained. Americans are infuriated at a government that does not appear to care about how much is being spent or even if the spending has any relation to the amount of revenue coming into the government. Neither President Obama nor Congress appear to care how much this spending will […]
Government Acquisition Waste
When purchasing necessary items, the government buys from private businesses, both large and small. For contracts greater than $100,000, companies go through a convoluted and highly regulated bidding process, which allows losing bidders to file a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The protest filing procedures are complicated and costly. Although the number of […]
GM’s “Claims” of Repayment
During the economic crisis that unfolded over the last few years, the federal government became the lender of the last resort, not because it had any money, but because it had the ability to borrow money on behalf of the taxpayers to lend to struggling businesses.