Revenue & Spending

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

Congress Moves Forward with Imperfect Reform of DOD Acquisition Process

May 8, 2009 by Gary Therkildsen*

Yesterday, Congress took an imperfect step forward with overhauling the Defense Department's major weapons acquisition process. The House Armed Services Committee moved their reform bill, H.R. 2101, the Weapons Acquisition System Reform Through Enhancing Technical Knowledge and Oversight (WASTE TKO) Act, through mark-up by a 59-0 margin. A similar acquisition reform bill introduced by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) unanimously passed the full Senate. Before passage of the bill, however, senators agreed to an amendment that, if strengthened in conference, would essentially nullify the purpose of acquisition review.

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How Do Regulatory Agencies Fare in Obama’s Budget?

May 8, 2009 by Matthew Madia

President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, released yesterday, makes major investments in a few agencies critical to protecting the public but shortchanges others. Let’s dive in.

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Obama Proposes Cutting 121 Federal Programs

May 8, 2009 by Gary Therkildsen*

Yesterday, the Obama administration unveiled details of its $3.5 trillion federal budget for FY 2010. The plan includes cutting or scaling back 121 federally funded programs, thereby eliminating $17 billion in government spending. Administration officials recognize that the proposed savings represent less than one half of one percent of all spending, but emphasize that the cuts are an important first step towards President Obama's goal of drastically reducing inefficient budget expenditures.

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Recovery Act Transparency in 51 Flavors: A Sample of State Recovery Act Websites

An informal OMB Watch survey of eight state-level Recovery Act websites reveals that the access to and quality of information on Recovery Act expenditures varies widely from state to state.

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Congress Passes FY 2010 Budget Resolution

On April 29, exactly 100 days into the Obama administration, the House and Senate each passed a final version of the Fiscal Year 2010 budget resolution. The final resolution outlines $3.56 trillion in spending and tracks closely with President Obama's major proposals, including key investments in health care, education, and energy.

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Gary Bass Testifies Before House Committee on Recovery Act

May 5, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

OMB Watch's Gary Bass testified this afternoon at a Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight hearing, "Follow the Money Part II: Government and Public Resources for Recovery Act Oversight."

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Obama Releases Details of Tax Plan

May 4, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

President Barack Obama announced today a plan that seeks to close loopholes used by companies and individuals to avoid paying taxes. In particular, Obama wants to make companies pay the proper tax rate on overseas profits and aggressively pursue those who use offshore tax havens to intentionally avoid paying taxes. His proposal is estimated to generate about $21 billion in revenue each year.

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House Passed Budget Resolution 233 - 193

Apr 29, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

I'm pretty late getting this up today, but the House of Representatives passed the FY 2010 budget resolution earlier this afternoon by a vote of 233-193. 17 Democrats voted against the resolution and not one Republican supported it. The vote also saw only 6 Blue Dog Democrats oppose the resolution out of the 51 members of that group. The Senate is currently debating the conference report agreement on the budget resolution and is expected to approve it later today.

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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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RAT Board and NAPA Host Recovery.gov Dialogue

Apr 27, 2009 by Craig Jennings

The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, the Office of Management and Budget and the National Academy of Public Administration are hosting a week-long, online dialogue around the question "What ideas, tools, and approaches can make Recovery.gov a place where all citizens can transparently monitor the expenditure and use of recovery funds?"

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