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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more news

Do-It-Yourself Government?

Apr 30, 2009 by Gary Bass*

According to reporting by Aliya Sternstein at National Journal’s NextGov, Macon Phillips, the White House director of new media, has a new idea when it comes to government soliciting public input on government policy: Do it yourself.

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Courts Give up Hope on Executive Branch State Secrets Claims

Apr 29, 2009 by Roger Strother*

In a blow to a key position held by the Bush and Obama administrations on executive branch power, an appeals court has ruled against the administrations on a major state secrets case. On April 28, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Boeing subsidiary Jeppeson DataPlan, which participated in flying suspected terrorists to foreign countries to be tortured as part of the CIA “extraordinary rendition” program, can be sued.

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House, Senate Reach Deal on FY 2010 Budget Resolution

Apr 28, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

budget resolution approved The House and Senate negotiators have reached agreement on the FY 2010 budget resolution. The resolution is expected on the floor of both chambers by tomorrow, marking the 100th day of President Obama's administration. Overall, the compromise fulfills many of Obama's top priorities, including reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improving education, reforming health care all the while reducing the deficit and cutting taxes, mainly for the middle class.

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Obama at 100 Days — Assessments of Government Transparency and Regulatory Reform Efforts

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2009—In November 2008, OMB Watch, together with a diverse set of organizations and individuals, presented Barack Obama (who was then President-elect) and Congress with recommendations on how to improve government transparency, advance Americans' right to know, reform the regulatory process, and ensure that federal agencies are working to advance the public interest. The recommendations were included in two separate reports, Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda and Advancing the Public Interest through Regulatory Reform. Both reports included actions for President Obama to undertake within the first 100 days of his presidency. OMB Watch has assessed the Obama administration's work on government transparency and regulatory reform at the 100-day mark.

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Specter Tries to Rein in Signing Statements

Apr 27, 2009 by Chris George*

Last Thursday, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced a bill, the Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2009, that would rein in the use of presidential signing statements. This legislation instructs federal and state courts to not treat presidential signing statements as authoritative in interpreting laws passed by Congress. It further enables Congress to file an amicus brief and present an oral argument in any case in which the interpretation or constitutionality of a law passed by Congress is in question. Courts would be additionally required to enter into the case record any joint resolution expressing the correct interpretation of the law in the eyes of Congress, as well as to expedite any such cases.

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DOJ Gives FOIA Memo a Little More Bite

Apr 24, 2009 by Roger Strother*

On April 17, the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Justice Department (DOJ) issued new guidance that expands upon the March 2009 FOIA memo by Eric Holder. The OIP assessed the impact of Holder’s new guidelines as “a sea change in the way transparency is viewed across the government” and that implementation would require agencies to “review all aspects of their approach to transparency.” The OIP further defined some of the accountability statements of the memo.

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Rep. McDermott Introduces Level-Headed Estate Tax Bill

Apr 23, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

Washington Representative Jim McDermott (D) introduced a great estate tax bill yesterday that is level-headed and common sense really. H.R. 2023, the Sensible Estate Tax Act, would create a permanent estate tax with a $4 million exemption for couples and a 45 percent tax rate on the amount of an estate that is above that $4 million exemption. Larger estates would pay a higher tax rate. All I can say is it is about time.

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NSA Leaks Info to Embarrass Elected Congresswoman

Apr 21, 2009 by Roger Strother*

In a brazen and sophomoric act, the National Security Agency (NSA) spied and then released information on Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), a member of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk, in what can only be an effort to discredit her.

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EPA Moves to Require Greenhouse Gas Reporting

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken the first crucial step toward creating a transparent and accountable climate change program by proposing a greenhouse gas registry. The registry would require thousands of facilities from a broad range of industries to record and report their annual emissions of greenhouse gases. A comprehensive registry is a prerequisite for any future efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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CAR Coalition Materials on Recovery Act Implementation

Apr 21, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

The Coalition for an Accountable Recovery (CAR), coordinated by OMB Watch, has been hard at work monitoring the implementation of the Recovery Act. Last Friday, April 17, the coalition submitted comments on the proposed implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). OMB Watch also produced a summary of the guidance for the coalition and released it publicly on April 10.