Federal Budget Policy

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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Monthly Budget Review

Jun 7, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The Congressional Budget Office has released their Monthly Budget Review. During the first eight months of FY 2006 (remember the fiscal year begins October 1) the government incurred a deficit of $223 billion, which is $50 billion lower than the deficit amount recorded for this period last year. Outlays for Social Security and net interest payments on the debt grew by about $3 billion each, and defense spending was up $2 billion. Receipts for the month of May this year were substantially higher than receipts last year. The report says:

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Support Creation of Federal Contracts and Grants Database

May 31, 2006 by Matthew Madia

Last fall, the OpenTheGovernment.org coalition assembled a lengthy list of organizations and individuals, both liberal and conservative, who wrote to President Bush to urge him to put information about how Hurricane Katrina relief funds were being allocated (read the letter). This year, a new effort for increased transparency of federal funds spearheaded by four Senators is making its way through Congress. This effort will make all federal grant and contract information available to the public free of charge in a searchable, downloadable online format.

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House Passes Budget, Slips in Increase to Debt Ceiling

In the very wee hours of May 18, the House finally succeeded in passing its version of the 2007 budget resolution, more than a month too late. Majority Leader John Boehner (R-IA) had repeatedly postponed the vote, because he lacked enough support to pass the bill. The passage of the resolution carries little practical purpose, because the House and Senate are unlikely to have the time or inclination to reconcile the very different versions of the bill, and the House has already moved forward quickly with appropriations.

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Battle Brewing on How to Track Contract and Grant Bucks

Two bills may soon face off in the Senate on how best to provide the public with information on how the government spends taxpayer dollars.

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House Speeds Through the First of its Spending Bills

Immediately following the passage of a House budget resolution last week, the Appropriations Committee (and its relevant subcommittees) got down to business and passed its first four appropriations bills. Although the House is once again off to a blistering pace, the lack of a final budget resolution a jam-packed Senate calendar and a short legislative session, will almost definitely delay appropriations beyond the start of the fiscal year. This situation will surely necessitate continuing resolutions and a lame-duck session after the November elections.

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Immigration Plan Complicates Supplemental Spending Bill

When President Bush recently announced in his address to the nation his immediate plans for immigration reform, he didn't mention how the proposals would be paid for. A few days later, on May 18, he officially requested $1.9 billion from Congress to spend on his border security initiative. Congress will likely approve the president's request as part of the delayed Fiscal year 2006 Supplemental Appropriations bill currently in conference between the House and Senate.

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Next One In

May 30, 2006 by Craig Jennings

Bush has named Goldman Sachs CEO Henry M. Paulson to replace John Snow as Secretary of Treasury. The other shoe finally dropped when John Snow resigned Tuesday. Rumors of Snow’s resignation have been circulating since December 2004 when HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson stepped down.

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Pentagon Spending Cuts Detailed

May 30, 2006 by Craig Jennings

The OMB has released detailed plans for cuts in military spending to offset Bush’s border security costs in the emergency supplemental making its way through Congress. Last week, there was only speculation about how the president’s planned to find nearly $2 billion in military spending to pay for his border security initiative. CQ reporting:

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Next One Out: Treasury Secretary John Snow

May 26, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Secretary of the Treasury John Snow is will be stepping down from his position sometime over the next few days, he has told the White House. He plans to stay no later than July 3. Snow, a former railroad executive who a source says is excited to get back to the private sector, has been little more than a yes-man for this administration's policies. He has enthusiastically promoted extremely regressive business tax breaks and has done little to proactively fight what is turning into a cycle of continuing budget deficits. Director of Federal Fiscal Policy at OMB Watch Adam Hughes has stated:

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How to Spend $872 Billion

May 25, 2006 by Craig Jennings

CongressDailyAM (subscription only) brings us a breakdown of the discretionary spending in the House's FY07 budget: (in billions) Agriculture $17.81 Defense 377.36 Energy and Water Development 30.02 Foreign Operations 21.30 Homeland Security 32.08 Interior 25.89 Labor-HHS 141.93 Legislative 4.03 Military Quality of Life-VA 94.71 Science-State-Justice-Commerce 59.84 Transportation-Treasury-HUD 67.82 Total discretionary $872.78

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