Earmarks | Center for Effective Government

Senate Investigates the Program Assessment Rating Tool

On Tuesday, June 14 the Senate subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security held a hearing on accountability and results in federal budgeting. Specifically, the hearing was held to investigate the specific metrics and tools used by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to measure the effectiveness of federal programs, the advantages and disadvantages of using these systems of measurement, and how information obtained is used to increase accountability in federal budgeting.

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House Conservatives Coopt DeLay into Pushing Dangerous Budget Process Reforms

After House Republican leadership avoided the derailment of the FY 2006 budget resolution by a small group of House conservatives over a standoff about budget process rules, the movement to change those rules in Congress has picked up steam once again. This time, however, the group of conservative House Republicans has enlisted the help of a powerful ally: Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).

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Congress Passes Supplemental War Funding Bill

President Bush signed an $82-billion emergency war funding supplemental into law on May 11, one day after the bill received Senate approval. The Senate voted unanimously for passage despite some questionable provisions. And with the ink barely dry on the emergency fiscal year 2005 (FY05) supplemental, House appropriators are already discussing the next round of war funding, which the Pentagon may request as early as August.

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Senate Passes Emergency Supplemental; Bill Held up in Conference

The latest emergency supplemental spending bill (H.R. 1268) was held up as House and Senate conferees struggled to reach an agreement regarding specifics for the bill before leaving town April 29 for the week-long May recess. The bill, which will mainly fund war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, was held up due to disagreements over provisions regarding immigration, border security funding, and earmarks for special projects and programs.

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Bush Criticized for Continuing 'Dishonest' War Budgeting

For months, President Bush's budget proposal has been criticized for not being an honest reflection of his intended policies or the current fiscal reality. The president purposely left out a number of major policies, including Social Security reform, extension of Alternative Minimum Tax relief, and perhaps most egregiously of all, any funding for the future cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That last omission garnered increased criticism from Capitol Hill last week.

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Congress Passes Irresponsible Budget Resolution

Last week, after lengthy negotiations, House and Senate Republican leaders finally agreed to a set of compromises in the fiscal year 2006 (FY06) budget resolution that allowed both chambers to narrowly pass the legislation. Negotiated behind closed doors, the final budget resolution is a dishonest and irresponsible agreement that will weaken both the federal government and the U.S. economy -- and negatively impact most Americans. Most striking is that it provides another tax break for the wealthy and cuts programs to needy and middle-income Americans while still increasing the deficit.

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No Compromise Seen in Budget Negotiations

It has been over a month since the House and Senate passed their fiscal year 2006 budget resolutions, yet GOP negotiators have not made significant strides toward reaching compromise between the two chambers. While only the Senate has named conferees to the conference committee, informal talks between House and Senate leaders have begun to point to difficulties ahead.

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Despite Compromise, House Conservatives Could Threaten Budget Resolution

On March 17, the House debated and passed the fiscal year 2006 (FY06) budget resolution by a vote of 218–214, one week after the House Budget Committee voted along party lines to report out the resolution. House GOP leaders managed a last-minute compromise with a number of conservative Republican members of the House Study Committee who threatened to vote against the bill in the weeks leading up to the vote — but final passage will still be very difficult.

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Smith, Kennedy Amendments Could Doom Budget Resolution

The Senate narrowly passed its fiscal year 2006 (FY06) budget resolution late on the night of March 17 by a vote of 51–49. Several amendments from Democrats that would have greatly improved the bill, including one that would have required both spending increases and tax cuts to be paid for, were narrowly rejected. But two amendments dealing with entitlement and discretionary spending, which did pass, could cause irreconcilable differences between House and Senate versions.

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House, Senate Pass Irresponsible FY06 Budget Resolutions

The House and Senate passed separate versions of the fiscal year 2006 (FY06) budget resolution last week that would allow for additional tax cuts, mostly targeting wealthy families, while cutting back on spending for programs that serve middle- and low-income America. A split within the GOP ranks may spell trouble for reconciling the two budget resolutions, and, as with the current year, would mean Congress would operate without a budget blueprint.

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