General Waste

The Cuba Embargo: A Personal Observation
General Waste, International

The Cuba Embargo: A Personal Observation

July 26, 2017

In June, 2017, representatives from a handful of right-leaning organizations, including Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), participated in a “people-to-people” delegation to Cuba.  The “educational outreach” trip was arranged by Engage Cuba, “the leading coalition of private companies and organizations working to end the travel and trade embargo on Cuba,” in conjunction with Cuba Educational Travel (CET).  Based in Naragansett, Rhode Island, CET is the tour facilitator that has been awarded the necessary licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control “to organize trips to Cuba in full compliance with rules and regulations governing travel to Cuba by individuals under U.S. jurisdiction.”

General Waste, Technology, Telecommunications

A Day of Uniform, Uninformed Activity

July 12, 2017

The “net neutrality” proponents are at it again, plotting to slog up the internet with a “Day of Action” on July 12, 2017.  Similar activity occurred in 2012 in response to legislation regarding online piracy.  Since that legislation was abandoned by Congress, these same agitators believe they will have success in shutting down the Restoring Internet Freedom Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (WC Docket No. 17-108) currently in process at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by inundating the agency and Congress with a high volume of comments against the proposed rule.

General Waste

Waste in the State Department

July 10, 2017

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has detailed the federal government’s failure to keep up with modernizing technology for decades. As far back as 1984, the Grace Commission found that the federal government’s computer systems were outdated and incompatible, and much more needed to be done to upgrade and improve the efficiency of federal information technology (IT). Yet, federal agencies continue to waste taxpayer dollars on IT systems that are either antiquated or fail to deliver. 

General Waste

GAO Duplication Report Should Guide Trump

June 20, 2017

Early in his presidency, Donald Trump has demonstrated through words and deeds a commitment to reforming and reorganizing the federal bureaucracy, including the elimination of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement.  A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will make that job a little easier.

Appropriations, General Waste

Congressional Appropriators: Rating the “Third Party”

June 20, 2017

A practical reality of life on Capitol Hill can be summed up with a saying often attributed to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).  In his book, Worth the Fighting for, Sen. McCain writes that, “there are, it is often observed, three parties in Congress, Republicans, Democrats, and appropriators.”  Further explained by Barry Popik, a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary (among others), the saying “means that ‘pork barrel’ spending is nonpartisan.”

General Waste, Transportation

Safeguarding Infrastructure Investment

May 19, 2017

As a candidate, President Trump pledged to invest in upgrading the country’s infrastructure.  While there is no formal plan to date from the White House, President Trump stated on May 1, 2017, that “If you have a job that you can’t start within 90 days, we’re not going to give you the money for it because it doesn’t help. … We’re going to be very strong on that.  They have to be able to start within 90 days.”

Budget, General Waste

Making Unauthorized Spending Wrong Again

May 19, 2017

As President Donald J. Trump continues his campaign to “Make America Great Again,” Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) will borrow on that theme, as described in the title of this article, by continuing to advocate for reforms of the way that Congress does business.  One of the best efforts in this regard is H.R. 2174, Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ (R-Wash.) Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act, which she introduced on April 26, 2017.