As members of Congress reconvene following their long summer break, one of their most immediate tasks will be to pass legislation to fund the federal government beyond the current fiscal year, which ends at the end of the month. One issue that is likely to crop up (yet) again is funding for the Medium Extended […]
Back to Black – II
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about Senator Coburn’s (R-OK) efforts in fighting a bloated federal government, rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. You may recall his office has produced several reports on where spending could be cut in the federal government. In my blog, I pulled out some examples from one of […]
Seeing Double: Yes, Even More Duplication!
As part of a continuing series, CAGW is providing you with examples of duplication and overlap within the federal government that has been researched by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In the 2011 GAO annual report, “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue,” the agency offers 81 suggestions […]
CAGW’s Prime Cuts Hones in On Programmatic Waste
Every year, Citizens Against Government Waste produces Prime Cuts, a comprehensive list of spending cuts that could be used by Congress to reduce spending and keep the budget under the Budget Control Act spending caps. Here are just a few of the programs CAGW includes in its Prime Cuts report. Eliminate the Rural Utilities Service 1-Year […]
Software Mess At IRS
On August 29, 2013, The Washington Post published an article about Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief Information Officer (CIO) Terence Milholland and his desire to make the agency’s information technology (IT) program “world-class.” The article cited the uphill battle Milholland faces in merging disparate IT systems, retraining programmers in newer technologies, and dealing with entrenched […]
Just Words?
Yesterday, The Daily Caller highlighted a continuing issue I have with the Obama Administration and that is using words that attempt to hide or do not describe what the government is talking about. For example, the President constantly uses the word “revenue” instead of taxes and “investment” instead of more government spending. But that is not the […]
Another Delay?
The Obama Administration is changing the requirements again for the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Reuters reports the administration has decided to delay signing the final agreements with insurance plans that are going to be sold in the healthcare insurance exchanges. The exchanges are supposed to be up and running on Oct. 1. According […]
Welcome Spendopedia
There’s a new sheriff in town called Spendopedia and its going after the big, wasteful spenders. The web-based site was launched this month and is a project of the Public Notice Research and Education Fund. Its home page says it is “a Wikipedia-like resource for questionable spending by the United States federal government to which […]
Yucca – Law = Expensive Black Hole
Yesterday, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, visited and took questions regarding the sequester from the leadership at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) located in Rockville, MD. The agency is charged with regulating civilian use of nuclear power and according to the Senator’s press release, the NRC had to take a […]
Unlike the Movie Monsters, Will the “Lifeline” Program Ever Die?
CAGW has repeatedly railed against the abuses of the “Lifeline” program, but much like Michael Myers (of “Halloween” fame), Jason Voorhees (of the “Friday the 13th” franchise), and George Romero’s zombies, this program simply refuses to die. If you’re not familiar with “Lifeline,” then perhaps you know it by its more popular manifestation, the so-called […]