Following up on my previous week's post on DOD reform, the House unanimously passed its version of a bill for defense acquisition reform (H.R. 2101) last Wednesday. With the Senate version of the bill (S. 454) having already passed, both houses quickly moved into conference, as President Obama has asked that the legislation be on his desk before lawmakers break for their Memorial Day recess next week. With important differences between the two bills, the conference process will largely determine whether the final product helps create genuine reform within the Pentagon or merely provides lawmakers with another "accomplishment" to tout to their constituents when they return to their respective districts or states. As things look right now, the latter seems much more likely.

I came across an article ($) in Roll Call this morning detailing the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's plans for submitting and posting earmark requests for the next transportation reauthorization bill, which is likely to be worked on this fall. The Committee, under the now suspect leadership of Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), will roll back earmark transparency protocols adopted by the House and Senate Appropriations committees in January this year. Hasn't Oberstar gotten the message? Transparency is all the rage these days.

Yesterday, the Obama administration unveiled details of its $3.5 trillion federal budget for FY 2010. The plan includes cutting or scaling back 121 federally funded programs, thereby eliminating $17 billion in government spending. Administration officials recognize that the proposed savings represent less than one half of one percent of all spending, but emphasize that the cuts are an important first step towards President Obama's goal of drastically reducing inefficient budget expenditures.

The newly redesigned Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) website is up and running.

Interested in what toxic chemicals are being released into your town's air and water? Need information on how much hazardous waste is generated at the plant down the street? Want to know what events are impacting your right to know about environmental threats?