Trial Begins in Holy Land Foundation Case

Jul 18, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The New York Times warns readers of the possible implications of the trial that has begun involving the largest Muslim charity in the country. The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) case has been going on for many years and is extremely complex. In 2001 President Bush announced that HLF was being closed, accusing the charity of funding Hamas. The charity's designation has been challenged, along with the secret evidence used in the case, and many years worth of wiretaps.

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Committee Approves Bill to End IRS Privatization Program

Jul 18, 2007 by Matt Lewis

The House Ways and Means Committee has approved HR 3056- the legislative package that will end the IRS private debt collection program- by a vote of 23 to 18. Great! This morning, the Joint Committee on Taxation released its interpretation of a Chairman's amendment to the bill. if passed, it will not affect contracts that have already been issued to private debt collectors. That sounds fair, as the debt collectors who have contracts might take a loss if the program is ended wholesale.

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Will Union Growth Require More Than the Employee Free Choice Act?

Jul 18, 2007 by Matt Lewis

An interesting article on unions, via the great blog Economist's View. Its thesis is that the decline in unionization is a product of a wide array of legislative and regulatory changes. The upshot is that much more than laws like the Employee Free Choice Act may be necessary to substantially increase union membership. Even more interesting, the article finishes with the dreaded "e" word (exploitation) as the basis of promoting unionization.

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Private Debt Collection Fables

Jul 18, 2007 by Matt Lewis

A favorite canard put forward by the defenders of the IRS private tax collection program is that there's no other way to collect these taxes (watch a hearing on the issue here). If Congress gave IRS the resources it needed to pursue these cases, IRS administrators would instead direct the money to functions that would yield a greater return-on-investment.

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Congressman Asks GAO to Examine Regulatory Process

Jul 18, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has requested a Government Accountability Office report on the regulatory process. Waxman would like GAO to focus on the analytical and review requirements which often delay rulemakings. Waxman has specifically asked GAO to report on the panoply of analyses agencies must perform for every rule they consider, how these analyses are delaying rules, agencies' relationship with the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and the transparency of the White House review process.

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Nussle Senate Confirmation Hearing Schedule Set

Jul 18, 2007 by Dana Chasin

The schedule of confirmation hearings for former Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA), the president's pick to replace Rob Portman as OMB director is as follows:
  • Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (Sen. Joseph Lieberman, chair): Tuesday, July 24, 10 a.m.
  • Senate Budget Committee (Sen. Kent Conrad, chair): Thursday, July 26, 10 a.m.

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DeMint Putting Senate's Summer Vacation on "Hold"?

Jul 17, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is apparently single-handedly holding up the Senate's lobbying and ethics reform bill with a hold keeping it from going to conference over a pet provision that he wants guaranteed will be included in the conference committee's final version.

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Approps Update

Jul 17, 2007 by Craig Jennings

  • The House washed its hands of Energy-Water when they voted 312-112 to pass the $31.6 billion bill.
  • Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee handed its bill off the to Senate Appropriations Committee
Also: President Bush continues his Gregorian-esque chanting as he issues another veto threat. This time, he takes a swipe at Labor-H's massive $2 billion excess [/sarcsm] of his requested level and its language on matters related to reproductive health. The view from the outside:

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Stop the Presses: Bush Objects to Obey Cuts

Jul 17, 2007 by Craig Jennings

Social Spending to Stimulate the Publishing Sector? Man bites dog: the administration is balking at some cuts that House Appropriations Committee chair Rep. David Obey (D-WI) has made made to the Labor-HHS bill. A brand new veto threat of that bill, issued today, reads in part: The Administration strongly opposes the $629 million reduction in the Reading First program. While the Administration recognizes the significant issues outlined in several Inspector General reports, the Department has addressed these problems and implemented all the IG's recommendations.

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Making My Job Easier

Jul 17, 2007 by Craig Jennings

A tax on tobacco is a regressive tax, and so equity-based opposition to a tobacco tax increase generally makes sense. However, if the tax will be used to fund an expansion of a fiscally progressive program, then it is possible that the net result will be progressive. I spent some time this morning compiling info that would give some indication of how the SCHIP expansion would shake out. Well, someone has already done the yeoman's work and crunched the numbers.

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