Congress has been busy preparing the fiscal year (FY) 2026 suite of defense bills, and thus far there is substantial disagreement between the Pentagon and legislators. The Senate Committee on Armed Services (SCAS) on July 9, 2025, approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which contained $878.7 billion for the Department of […]
The Highway Trust Fund is a transportation fund financed by an 18.4 cents per gallon gas tax extracted from drivers every time they fill their tank. The tax proceeds are then used to fund work on the country’s rails, bridges, and roadways. Unfortunately, according to a June 2014 CBO report, during the last decade “outlays […]
The recent action by Congress to provide a death gratuity to the widow of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has raised a few eyebrows. Specifically, the continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in the late evening hours of Wednesday, October 16, included $174,000 – the equivalent of […]
In today’s (August 26, 2013 ) National Journal, there is a column by Fawn Johnson entitled, “Does the Earmark Moratorium Hurt Congress?” (The National Journal is a subscription service and I think you might still see it, but if not I describe it anyway.) The article starts with a disclaimer, “the earmark moratorium in the House is […]
On June 10, 2013 the Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill, which included provisions to operate catfish inspections by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jean Shaheen (D-N.H.) sponsored an amendment that would have eliminated the program, but a vote was blocked by Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie […]
