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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Greenspan Again Supports Budget Rules For Congress

Dec 2, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

In his last speech to the Federal Reserve before retiring, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan again warned about the economic risks posed by long-term budget deficits and an escalating national debt. Greenspan described the risk of sustained deficits on the U.S. economy over the long-term as "severe" and urged swift action to begin instituting policies to correct structural problems.

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Moderate Republicans Will Stand Up Against Budget Cuts

Dec 1, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) said yesterday he will vote against a massive budget bill being considered in Congress if it includes cuts in the Medicaid and food stamp programs. Smith has taken moderate approaches to budget bills before. Last April he led a small group of Republicans in resisting Medicaid cuts in the budget resolution.

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TABOR: A Losing Proposition for Colorado

Earlier this month, voters in Colorado demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the state's constitutional spending limit law — otherwise known as TABOR--by voting in favor of suspending its spending limits for five years. TABOR, the "taxpayer's bill of rights," had contributed to a significant decline in the state's public services since its enactment in 1992. Unfortunately, this victory in Colorado has come after years of disastrous tax and spending practices eroded state services, harming Colorado's education system, health care programs, and transportation infrastructure.

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It's Not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (for Appropriations Work)

Although five of the 11 appropriations bills remain to be signed into law by President Bush, Congress has completed work on all but two: the Defense and Labor/Health and Human Services bills. While a massive omnibus has been avoided this year, an equally contentious (and still quite large) bill--a so-called "minibus"--could be passed containing those two final bills. With all the items on the schedule for December and likely only three weeks to complete them, Congress still has a lot of work left to do before they are finished for the year.

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House, Senate To Battle Over Budget Cuts

Among the top priorities for Congress, when its members return to Washington next week, is the construction of a conference report for spending cuts that is acceptable to both chambers. The House and Senate versions of the reconciliation bill for entitlement spending contain significant differences, particularly with respect to cuts to Medicaid, student loans, and food stamps.

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Post-Katrina Survey Finds Wariness, Desire for Change

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, OMB Watch launched an online survey seeking feedback and reaction to the possibility of launching an investment agenda, not just for the affected states, but for the entire country. The response was tremendous, as over 800 respondents from nearly every state completed the survey and contributed a multitude of thoughtful, in-depth comments. The overwhelming consensus among respondents held not only that now is the time for a comprehensive, long-term investment agenda for the country, but that such an initiative is long overdue.

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Cunningham Is Out: One Fewer Vote For Budget & Tax Bills

Nov 29, 2005 by Guest Blogger

As you are likely aware, yesterday Rep. Randy ''Duke'' Cunningham (R-CA) pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax charges and resigned from office. Cunningham admitted to taking $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators. He entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.

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Labor/HHS: Conference Changes or Yearlong CR?

Nov 23, 2005 by Guest Blogger

With the help of twenty-two Republican House members, the House surprisingly rejected the Labor/HHS appropriations bill which came out of conference negotiations last week. It is unclear now exactly what will happen with the bill, which would have cut $1.5 billion from programs.

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Arizona May Consider TABOR

Nov 22, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

Mere weeks after Colorado voters expressed their disgust with TABOR -- the "taxpayer's bill of rights" that was instituted in 1992 -- by passing Referendum C, lawmakers in Arizona are discussing efforts to institute their own TABOR-like measure which would limit state spending to population growth plus inflation. That combination was extremely harmful for Coloradoans, who were forced to significantly cut education and other programs and refund $3.25 billion in tax collections from 1992-2002, all while their ability to provide resources was eroding.

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And A Bridge To Be Named Later

Nov 18, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

There have been many headaches for the GOP in Congress over the past two months, but one of the most public has been a battle over funding for two proposed bridges in Alaska. Funding for the so-called "bridges-to-nowhere" was included in the six year transportation reauthorization bill earlier this year (over $452 million in total), but had become a political liability to the Republican party over the past two months.

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