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

Recovery Act Fraud: How the Senate Wasted an Entire Perfectly Good Morning

Sep 11, 2009 by Sam Rosen-Amy

This post should be about all the great Recovery Act transparency and oversight issues the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee learned about yesterday when it held a hearing titled "Follow the Money: An Update on Stimulus Spending, Transparency, and Fraud Prevention." But it isn't.

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Shortsighted Tax Policy to Generate Windfall for the Rich

Sep 11, 2009 by Gary Therkildsen*

According to Howard Gleckman over at TaxVox, the blog of the Urban and Brookings Joint Tax Policy Center, due to a shortsighted revenue generator Congress put in place several years ago, wealthy individuals will soon be able to convert taxable investments into tax-free nest eggs, and deny the government needed revenues down the road. It's a perfect example of the unintended consequences of public policy and one of those things that make you either want to scratch your head or beat it against the wall, or both.

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Experts Foresee Disturbing Trend out of Recent Census Data

Sep 11, 2009 by Gary Therkildsen*

With yesterday's release of the Census Bureau's report on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage for Americans in 2008, most economists and analysts agree that while the numbers are bad, next year's numbers will be worse and that trend could continue for a number of years.

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OMB Watch Releases Recovery Act Transparency Status Report

Sep 10, 2009 by Sam Rosen-Amy

This week, Recovery Act transparency will begin to take center stage. Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on stimulus spending and the Council of Economic Advisors released its report on the economic impact of the Recovery Act, while later this month the Government Accountability Office will release its third bimonthly report on Recovery Act implementation and transparency. To highlight strengths and weaknesses of disclosure and accountability in Recovery Act spending, OMB Watch is releasing a comprehensive report on Recovery Act transparency.

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CBO Monthly Budget Review, August 2009

Sep 10, 2009 by Gary Therkildsen*

On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their monthly budget review for August.

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OMB Watch Releases Recovery Act Transparency Status Report

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2009—This week, Recovery Act transparency will begin to take center stage. Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on stimulus spending, the Council of Economic Advisors will release its report on Recovery Act job creation, and the Government Accountability Office prepares to release its third bimonthly report on Recovery Act implementation and transparency. To highlight strengths and weaknesses of disclosure and accountability in Recovery Act spending, OMB Watch is releasing a comprehensive report on Recovery Act transparency.

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CTJ: For Some in Congress, Priorities Lie With the Rich

Sep 8, 2009 by Gary Therkildsen*

According to a new report released today by Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ), the tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush, which provide benefits mostly to the rich, will cost the country $2.5 trillion over the decade after they were first enacted (2001-2010). A number of lawmakers who voted for the Bush tax cuts have recently been arguing against health care reform legislation aimed at helping all Americans, claiming reforms are "too costly." How can this be?

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Another 100 Days, Another Recovery Act Update from Biden

Sep 4, 2009 by Sam Rosen-Amy

Yesterday was the 200th day since Obama signed the Recovery Act into law, and the White House is celebrating the occasion with another report from its Recovery Act czar, Vice President Joe Biden. You might remember Biden's last Recovery Act report, from the bill's 100 day anniversary, which consisted of a collection of news reports on Recovery Act projects. Pretty much everyone roundly panned the report as a PR move with little useful information, and one would hope that they took the criticism to heart.

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IRS Expanding National Research Program

Sep 3, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

The IRS is expanding its National Research Program to investigate tax compliance related to employment taxes, according to a report ($) in Bureau of National Affairs this morning. The National Research Program is an intensive study and data collection project that helps the IRS to properly screen and target non-compliant tax returns for auditing.

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Frank Declares Support for Auditing the Fed

Sep 1, 2009 by Sam Rosen-Amy

In a positive sign for transparency advocates everywhere, on Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) is expressing support for Congressman Ron Paul's (R-TX) bill authorizing the Government Accountability Office to audit the Federal Reserve. While it may seem to be the most unholy of unions (the gay liberal from Massachusetts partnering with the archconservative from Texas), this is one of those rare policy areas where almost every politician can agree.