Government Performance

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Sunset Legislation Delayed Until September

In a sign that public pressure from concerned citizens works, the two sunset commission bills in the House scheduled for floor votes the week before August recess were both delayed until September.

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Tax Cheats Cost Treasury $70 Billion a Year

Aug 1, 2006 by Matthew Madia

So here's something to help defray the federal budget deficit a bit: make people who owe taxes actually pay those taxes. Sen. Carl Levin's (D-MI) staff conducted an investigation into off-shore tax havens. His minority report, which was adopted by the full Senate Permanent Investigations subcommittee, finds that superrich tax cheats are gaming the system to the tune of $70 billion per year. David Cay Johnston reporting in The New York Times:

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Reps. Oppose Reduction of IRS Estate Tax Attorneys

Jul 31, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

Following up on reports that the IRS plans to eliminate almost half of its estate and gift tax audit team, Chief IRS overseer and all-around good guy Rep.

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It's Working: Sunset Bills Delayed (For Now)

The two sunset commission bills that were racing toward a floor vote in the House this week have both been delayed. All signs were that they would be voted on this week, but they have both been delayed until September.

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This Is Not Your Texas Sunset Commission

The Tiahrt bill's sunset commissions differ significantly from the widely touted model from Texas. Find out why.

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DHS No-Bid Contract System "Prone to Abuse"

Jul 27, 2006 by Matthew Madia

The Washington Post is reporting on a congressional report which found that the Department of Homeland Security's (no-)bidding system is "prone to abuse." It's a good thing, then, that Congress is working on a bill that would create a searchable database of all federal government and contracts. Indeed, a database like this would make it easier to identify potential fraudsters.

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OMB Watch Supporting Publication of Budget Justifications

Jul 27, 2006 by Matthew Madia

OMB Watch has partnered with the National Taxpayers Union to draft a letter to the Senate in support of making federal department budget justification reports public documents. The completed letter was sent to the Hill yesterday afternoon with the endorsement of 54 organizations.

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Memo to Editorial Boards on Federal Sunset Commission Legislation

Two proposals racing to a floor vote in Congress this week would create an un-elected, unaccountable sunset commission that could lead to serious consequences for programs that play vital roles in protecting the environment, public health, and safety, as well as programs that provide education, social services, and community development. A vote on these proposals is likely in the House on Thursday.

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OMB Watch "Name the Database" Contest

Jul 26, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

OMB Watch has been working diligently for the past few months to make information on all federal contracts and grants available online in a free, searchable database. We are navigating through the technical challenges, bureaucratic mazes, and overwhelming amount of data to make the database simple, efficient, and user-friendly. But we need your help with a very important part of our work - the name of the website.

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