Congress Extends Patriot Act, No New Oversight
May 27, 2011 by Gavin Baker
Congress voted yesterday to extend three expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act until June 2015 without adopting any new oversight or transparency provisions. President Obama has signed the bill.
read in fullHouse Stands Up for Big Business, Spurns Transparency*
May 27, 2011 by Gary Therkildsen*
On Wednesday evening, during House debate of the fiscal year (FY) 2012 defense authorization bill, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) introduced and won agreement to an amendment that would prevent the federal government from requiring potential contractors – which would include many large corporations – to disclose their political contributions to the public.
read in fullNew GAO Report Shows the Benefits of Spending Transparency
May 26, 2011 by Sam Rosen-Amy
According to the report, $24 billion in Recovery Act contract and grant spending went to about 3,700 recipients who owed some $750 million in taxes to the US government. Clearly, this isn’t good. Government contracts shouldn’t be benefiting organizations that don’t play by the rules. But the important point is that we only know this because of the recipient reporting feature built into the Recovery Act.
Lisa Jackson Defends Regulation on the Daily Show
May 20, 2011 by Matthew Madia
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was on the Daily Show last night giving an impassioned defense of public health, the environment, and regulatory safeguards. Despite some recent disappointments from the EPA surrounding boiler emissions and coal ash, Jackson came across as a committed public servant and argued against some of the ridiculous attacks on public protections.
read in fullLife After Debt Ceiling
May 20, 2011 by Craig Jennings
On May 16, the United States Treasury auctioned off $72 billion in bonds, and as it did so, it reached the limit of its $14.294 trillion limit on how much it can legally borrow. But the world didn't end. Or at least the bond market -- the collective pool of investors that buy us debt -- went about its businesses as if nothing happened. A full on freak out by the bond market would drive up the cost U.S. borrowing and, according to Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, "destabilize" the financial system and "have extremely dire consequences for the U.S. economy."
Spying Without Oversight is a Compromise?
May 19, 2011 by Gavin Baker
Congressional leaders have agreed to extend key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act until June 2015, according to reports today. The extension will not include reforms.
read in fullMSHA Failed to Watchdog Deviant Mine Company
May 19, 2011 by Matthew Madia
Today, the Governor’s Independent Investigation Panel submitted to the governor of West Virginia its report on the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine disaster that killed 29 men in April 2010. Liz Borkowski at The Pump Handle blog has a detailed summary. Be sure to read it, especially if you’re going to bypass the 126-page report.
read in fullNew Executive Order Could Improve Government Websites
May 18, 2011 by Gavin Baker
On April 27, President Obama signed Executive Order 13571, entitled "Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service." Building on a Clinton-era order, E.O. 13571 requires agencies to develop plans to make their customer service more efficient and effective. Agencies have to publish their plans online within 180 days.
read in fullWill the Water Polluters Please Come Forward?
May 18, 2011 by Sofia Plagakis
On May 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added new features to the Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) tool that allow the public to search for information about which drinking water systems have violated federal and state regulations.
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