Earmarks

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

more news

House Fails to Agree on Budget; Boehner Retreats

After proposing a sparse budget on March 29 and following a intense and divisive few weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, House GOP leaders ultimately pulled the plug on the $2.8 trillion FY 2007 budget resolution late on April 6. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who admittedly spent the week "popping Advil" in preparation for difficult negotiations with his colleagues, failed time and again to emerge from these talks with enough votes to pass the resolution--a significant setback in what was his first real test as the new Majority Leader.

read in full

Congress Increases Criticism of Bush's Supplemental Requests

Apr 17, 2006 by Guest Blogger

A growing number of lawmakers are increasing their criticism of the dependence on repeated supplemental or emergency funding requests from the White House. While in the past the criticism has been from a limited group of lawmakers (mostly deficit hawks) and was mostly rhetorical, the increasing unease of lawmakers has pushed congressional appropriators to take action.

read in full

Washington Post On Congress' Tax Gimmickry

Apr 17, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Following up on a OMB Watch Budget Blog posting late last month, the Washington Post has an excellent editorial in this morning's paper criticizing Congress for "resorting to a [tax] gimmick that is even more egregious than their usual tactics."

read in full

Oppose Sunsets Whenever You See Your Congressman!

Apr 14, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Your representative in the House is probably at home from Washington for the Easter recess, holding town hall forums, making speeches, and kissing babies. Now is the perfect time to let your representative know that you are concerned about radical proposals for sunset commissions! Any chance you get -- whether it's a question-and-answer session or just going down the line to shake your member's hand -- is a chance to register your concerns. Take it! Print out our tips (PDF | Word), or read below:

read in full

House GOP Attempts To Pass Budget Fail

Apr 7, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

In a surprising collapse late yesterday afternoon, the House GOP leadership pulled the 2007 budget resolution from floor consideration and gave up any efforts to pass the bill before the two-week April recess. Lacking the votes to pass the resolution, new GOP Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) failed in his first major test as head of the new leadership team in the House. Boehner had made statements earlier this week vowing to pass a budget before the recess or abandon efforts to pass one at all. On April 4, he asked rhetorically, "If we don't do it this week, why do it at all?"

read in full

Senate Approps Approves Yet Another Supplemental Bill

Apr 4, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved yet another supplemental funding bill today by a 27-1 vote. The bill funds an additional $105 billion in fiscal 2006 supplemental spending - most of the money would fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane relief.

read in full

Harmful Budget Process Plans Could Become Reality

As Congress's work crafting the FY 2007 budget moves forward, Capitol Hill has been abuzz with talk of significantly changing the annual budget process. In the aftermath of the lobbying and ethics scandals of 2005, this year may prove an opportune moment for conservatives to enact damaging budget process changes that would entrench poor policy development mechanisms and alter the balance of power in the federal government. Enhanced Rescission Masquerades as Line-Item Veto

read in full

2006 Tax Reconciliation Conference Remains Stalled

More than four months after it was initially approved, the FY 2006 tax reconciliation bill remains in seemingly deadlocked negotiations. With conferees continuing to postpone a compromise package due to uncertainty over its final approval in both chambers, the pending approval of the FY 2007 budget resolution - and an end to the tax bill's filibuster-proof status - looms large.

read in full

2005 Budget Cut Bill's Future Still Uncertain

Apr 4, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

The 2005 budget cuts reconciliation bill's future still hangs in the balance as the public interest group Public Citizen has challenged the law's constitutionality - rightly claiming the president's signed a bill that was never passed by Congress. The timing of the next steps in the lawsuit is unclear. The Washington Post wrote a very good editorial over the weekend on the issue.

read in full

Everybody Wins With the Ultimate Tax Gimmick

Mar 30, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

As the 2005 tax reconciliation conference continues to drag on, an interesting and puzzling rumor has emerged that will keep you scratching your head. Typical of three card monte games on the strip in Atlantic City, this most recent gem from Congress is the ultimate budget gimmickry.

read in full