Open, Accountable Government

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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Specter's NSA Bill Eradicates Fundamental Liberties

The White House and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) are nearing a compromise on legislation that would authorize the National Security Agency (NSA) domestic spying program. The bill, unfortunately, as it currently stands, poses a severe threat to fundamental civil liberties.

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House Democrats Continue Fight for Minimum Wage Hike

Jun 27, 2006 by Craig Jennings

Although the Senate defeated two minimum wage increase proposals last week, Democrats in the House are working to bring their minimum wage hike to a floor vote. Their resolve is grounded in a simple principal neatly summarized by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD): "We want people to work hard and play by the rules. And when they do, they should not be relegated to poverty."

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Summary of House Grants Disclosure Bill

The House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the Office of Management and Budget to ensure there is a free searchable website providing access to federal financial assistance awards. This searchable database will not cover disclosure of federal contracts, however. H.R. 5060, co-sponsored by Reps. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Tom Davis (R-VA), passed the House on a voice vote on June 21.

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Minimum Wage Increase Defeated in the Senate

Jun 22, 2006 by Craig Jennings

The Senate voted yesterday (twice) to keep low-wage workers in poverty.* The first vote was on a Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) plan to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over two years. The measure was an amendment to the FY2007 Defense appropriations bill. The second vote to keep the minimum wage at the 1949 level** was on a Republican bill, introduced by Sen. Mike Enzi’s (R-WY), and would have increased the minimum wage to $6.25 per hour.

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Social Security is the Solution

Jun 21, 2006 by Craig Jennings

In all the talk about the deficit and Social Security one rarely hears of the heroic role that Social Security plays in masking a $170 billion in budget shortfalls.

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Chemical Security: Moving Forward

The Senate will likely take another step this week toward establishing national security requirements for chemical facilities. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is expected to mark up chemical security legislation during a business meeting this Wednesday, June 14. The frontrunner bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), the Chair and ranking minority member, respectively, includes a number of important reporting requirements for chemical facilities.

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Vice President Refuses to Disclose Classification Data

For the third consecutive year, the Office of the Vice President has refused to disclose information on its security classification practices, according to a report released last month. The refusal contradicts a presidential order to disclose data on classification and declassification, issued by President Clinton and amended by President Bush in 2003.

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Supreme Court Restricts Whistleblower Protections

On May 30, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos that could provide a disincentive for future whistleblowers on the government's payroll. The 5-4 decision declared that public employees who report suspicions of corrupt or inept behaviors in the course of their duties are not protected under the First Amendment.

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Think Tank Focuses on Economic Security

The incongruity between Congress's priorities and the needs of average Americans was in stark contrast last week. As the Senate prepared to vote on estate tax repeal, the Center for American Progress held a briefing June 6 to explore the growing problem of economic insecurity facing many Americans. Panelists speaking at the briefing were: