Political Interference

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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Programs on the Chopping Block

Congress will soon consider the creation of a “sunset commission.” If approved, this unelected and unaccountable commission would have the power to recommend programs for elimination or realignment. Below are some of the programs continually under threat of elimination by the Bush administration and the Republican Study Committee. If the sunset commission proposal is passed, Congress may have little opportunity to save these valuable programs. Download a fact sheet on some of the programs at risk of being cut.

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Side-by-Side Analysis: Competing Sunset Proposals

A comparison of the Tiahrt, Brady and White House sunset proposals in the House.

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Sunset Bill Emerges in House

After months of negotiations led by House Majority Leader John Boehner, proponents of sunset commission legislation unveiled a new bill that is racing to the floor. Watch www.OMBWatch.org/files/regs/sunset and the blog REG•WATCH for more developments. Statement of Robert Shull, Director of Regulatory Policy, OMB Watch Analysis of the new bill, H.R. 5766 Text of the bill, H.R. 5766

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New Bill Would Put Government in Hands of Bush Cronies

Statement of Robert Shull, OMB Watch
A bill introduced in Congress yesterday would allow Bush administration cronies to recommend sweeping changes in the federal government - including the elimination of entire programs - and force those changes through Congress, according to the watchdog group OMB Watch.

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H.R. 5766 - The Government Efficiency Act of 2006

Rep. Todd Tiahrt's (R-KS) sunset commission legislation, introduced July 12, 2006. As reported out by House Govt Reform Committee As introduced

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Bill Analysis: H.R. 5766

Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) has introduced a new sunset commission bill (H.R. 5766), combining some elements from the two previous sunset bills introduced in the House earlier in the 109th Congress.

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Sunset Commission Bill Imminent

A sunset commission bill could arrive this week, if House leadership sticks to its previously announced plans. As OMB Watch reported earlier, House leaders intended to hold a vote on sunset commission legislation within the first couple of weeks of returning from the July 4 recess.

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Congress to Limit Public Participation in Forest Service Decisions

After courts in California and Montana struck down Forest Service rules that limited public participation in certain logging decisions, the Senate has added language to an appropriations bill that would reinstate those rules.

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Attack on FOIA

Jul 7, 2006 by Guest Blogger

How would you like to celebrate the 40th birthday of the Freedom of Information Act? By weakening it?

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Hints Dropping Like Milk Duds

Jun 30, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The rumors have been swirling, and now the inside Washington press has picked up on them: that the White House is vetting Susan Dudley as the next administrator of OIRA. Frank O'Donnell of Clean Air Watch wins the award for Most Memorable Quote (for Washington): "She makes John Graham look like Ralph Nader." If the rumors are true, expect to hear all about how Dudley is bad for workplace health and safety, bad for the public's right to know, bad for water quality and safe drinking water, bad for consumer safety, and, well, just bad.

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