Spending Transparency

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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more news

Tax Cuts VS. Everything Else

We can either choose to pay now, or we will have to pay later -- preventing social ills is much cheaper in the long run. From a purely economic standpoint, many economists agree that a return to deficits is not a problem -- running a surplus would actually be more of problem -- and that this economic climate prescribes more government spending, not less.

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Will There Be a Stimulus Package that Actually Does?

As Congress began its formal work in early October 2001 on constructing an economic stimulus package, there was agreement on only a few items, foremost of which is that the bipartisan spirit of the last month has all but disappeared over the course of this debate. With each side accusing the other of being responsible for the demise of bipartisanship, it seemed that the primary cause was a mutual loss of focus on many of the economic stimulus principles the Administration and party leaders from both houses had agreed on less than two weeks ago, namely:

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Economic Stimulus Package Action Alert -- Nov. 7, 2001

A summary of the House action on an economic stimulus package up through November 7, 2001. Also contains talking points to help with calls or letters to Congressional members. An abridged version of this alert, with contact information and talking points, is available from OMB Watch's Activist Central Alert Page. Economic Stimulus Package Background

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Economic Stimulus Proposals Resource Page

The following are analyses, updates and action alerts from OMB Watch and other organizations on the Fall 2001 - Spring 2002 attempts to create an "economic stimulus package."

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President Bush's Economic Stimulus Proposal

The President's proposal for an economic stimulus package is aimed more at additional tax cuts than stimulating the economy.

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Economic Stimulus Package Overview

Following is an overview of the economic stimulus legislation proposed after September 11, 2001.

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A Primer on the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

What is the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)?

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FIRST THINGS FIRST!--Before the Tax Cuts

Are any efforts being made to at least postpone President Bush's phased in tax cuts given the events of September 11, 2001, the costs of the war effort, and the economic recession? Sen. Jan Schakowsky is one of the few in Congress who have publicly called for meeting other domestic needs before the tax cuts go into effect. She introduced legislation on October 2, 2001, to do just that.

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Daschle's Speech, Fiscal Responsibility and Tax Cuts

Senate Majority Leader outlined the country's urgent domestic and military priorities and compared the pre-tax cut possibilities for domestic investment with the current post-tax cut reality's "unnecessary fiscal bind," but he did not directly call for a delay in the tax cut as a solution to this fiscal conservative's dilemma.

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More Budget Deficit Estimates Released

FY 2002 Appropriations Update Congress completed its work on the last 3 FY 2002 appropriations bills (Defense, Foreign Operations, and Labor-HHS-Education) on December 21 and the President is expected to sign all three of them and bring the appropriations season to an official completion. According to usbudget.com, the bills are being readied for the President's signature and he is expected to sign them on January 10, when the Continuing Resolution - passed on December 20 - expires. Though estimates by Democrats and Republicans of the size of the deficits differ, and will continue to grow substantially depending on the amount of additional homeland security and defense spending approved this year, both sides agree that the deficit will likely be at least $15 billion -- the Democrats are predicting it could be as large as $70 billion.

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