Fireworks flew today during the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s hearing as Members of Congress grilled Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about the disastrous roll-out of Obamacare. Much of it was a repeat from the hearing held on Oct 29 in the Ways and Means Committee with CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner as the witness. […]
We Aren’t Greece…Yet
There was a great article by Holman Jenkins in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday entitled: “Behind the Noise, Entitlement Reform.” My summary of his piece is: Perhaps if some Greek politicians had put their foot down 10 years ago to halt their country’s overspending and demanded reform of its nanny state, maybe their country […]
CAGW Releases October WasteWatcher
For Immediate Release Contact: Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334 October 3, 2013 Alexandra Booze 202-467-5318 Sequestration is Better than Sliced Bread By Tom Schatz WasteWatcher, October 2013 It is time for official Washington to admit that sequestration is the best thing that has happened for taxpayers since Gramm-Rudman in the mid-1980s. Domestic discretionary spending is being reduced […]
President Obama Meet Senator Obama
As we approach the debt-ceiling debate (expected to be sometime between mid-October and mid-November) it is worth to review what Senator Obama said about raising the debt ceiling in March, 2006. You can find his statement in the Congressional Record here, page 2237. but I have provided it for you just below. Before you read […]
You’re Kidding, More Government Excess?
I’ve written before about several reports released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which catalog duplication of and excess in programs across the government. The GAO offers suggestions on reducing the duplication that would release funding for other government programs and deficit reduction. You can find my prior blogs here and here. Here are some […]
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 […]
Payments to the Recently Deceased
A June 28, 2013 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled, “USDA Needs to Do More to Prevent Improper Payments to Deceased Individuals” bluntly lays out a pervasive problem that can be easily resolved.
Boeing Bogusness is Business as Usual
Today, Citizens Against Government Waste expressed outrage over the revelation that laid-off Boeing workers in the state of Washington will qualify for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), an unemployment benefits program that far exceeds the benefits normally handed out to unemployed workers. According to an August 1 story in the Seattle Times, the Department of […]
A Diller, A Dollar, A Cost-Saving Scholar
On Monday, July 22nd, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) co-hosted a lunch briefing with the Dollar Coin Alliance (DCA), of which CCAGW is a member. The purpose of the briefing was twofold: first, to reiterate the benefits and considerable cost savings to be realized by a transition from the dollar bill to […]
Get a Dog
In Washington, there is an old saying. If you want a friend, get a dog. Figuratively speaking, it looks like Obamacare needs to find a dog. The bad news about Obamacare and its implementation problems started as a trickle earlier this year but as it gets closer to October 1 when the Exchanges are suppose […]