While summer has almost come to an end, the only appropriations bill that has come to a full vote in either chamber of Congress this year is the Military Construction-VA spending bill (H.R. 6599). The action taken on this bill, however, offers a preview of what taxpayers can expect with the eleven remaining spending bills.
Sen. Stevens Indicted
August 1, 2008
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On July 29, 2008, it was announced that Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) had been indicted by the Justice Department on seven counts of making false statements for failing to disclose $250,000 worth of gifts from a contractor.
Earmark Disclosure: Slow but Steady
July 1, 2008
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“Will you disclose the earmarks that you have requested, Representative?”
Appropriations Gone Awry
July 1, 2008
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Traditionally, summer is appropriations season on Capitol Hill. The core twelve spending bills – Agriculture; Commerce/Justice/Science; Defense; Energy & Water; Financial Services; Homeland Security; Interior & Environment; Labor/HHS/Education; Legislative Branch; Military Construction/Veterans Affairs; State/Foreign Operations; and Transportation/Housing & Urban Development – usually have worked their way through the legislative process, and have been signed by […]
Spratt Flip-Flops on Line-Item Veto
July 1, 2008
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Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) chose politics over pork-busting when he switched his vote on the line-item veto bill in June. The ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee dutifully followed the partisan orders of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to vote against any Republican budget reform, even one that is proven to save taxpayer money and that Spratt had been a high-profile sponsor of in the past.
Special Interests Before Taxpayers
July 1, 2008
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For many years, the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General have issued report after report pointing out that Medicare pays too much for durable medical equipment (DME). DME includes walkers, wheelchairs, and portable oxygen equipment. Unfortunately for taxpayers, Medicare’s fee schedule is not based on competitive market prices.
A Challenge That Should Not Be Met
June 1, 2008
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Six years ago, President Bush called for the establishment of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), “a new compact for global development defined by new accountability for both rich and poor nations alike.”
Un-FIT!?
June 1, 2008
Elizabeth Wright
In April, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that the House Republican Policy Committee had created the “Fiscal Integrity Task Force (FIT).” Taxpayer groups in Washington were elated. Finally, Republicans in Congress were rediscovering their fiscal soul. The goal of the FIT, according to Rep. Boehner, is “to put fiscal integrity into government budgeting, taxing, and spending, and to demand that Congress run the federal government like a family budget.”
Department of Defense and Lavish Expenditures
June 1, 2008
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What do earmarks for $10 million for the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans, $18 million for a chapel in Fort Hood, and $5 million for a fence near San Diego have in common? The House of Representatives deemed them to be important enough to include as earmarks in the committee report on H.R. 5658, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2009.
Coconut Road Outrage
April 1, 2008
Leslie Paige
An update on the ongoing drama associated with what CAGW has dubbed “the immaculate earmark.”