Commentary: Hamilton Project Paper Does Not Make the Grade

Prominent policy analysts for the Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project remain wedded to the ideology that government intervention in the marketplace does more harm than good. Their vision damages the public's perception of government and promises to fall short of ensuring that the "rising tide" of economic growth does indeed "lift all boats."

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House Moves on FDA Reform, PDUFA Renewal

Jun 25, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill to reform certain drug regulation practices at FDA and renew the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). The full Senate approved a similar bill in May. (For a detailed analysis of the Senate version, click here. The Pharmalot blog has a good summary of some of the drug safety provisions in the House bill which go beyond what the Senate approved.

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WRTL Case Decided

Jun 25, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Supreme Court issued its decision in the Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) case this morning ruling by 5-4 that the group had a First Amendment right to air the ads that named Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) who was up for re-election. The case challenged the constitutionality of a part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), the "electioneering communications" rule which bans incorporated nonprofits from airing any broadcast that refers to federal candidates 60 days before an election or 30 days before a primary.

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Portman Out, Nussle Tapped to Head OMB

On June 19, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Rob Portman announced his resignation, effective in August. President Bush has chosen former House Budget Committee chairman Jim Nussle to be the next OMB director — a candidate whose reputation and policy record suggest the White House is prepared to clash with Democrats in Congress, particularly over the FY 2008 budget.

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House Battle over Earmarks Procedure Resolved

A fiercely partisan impasse in the House was resolved on June 14 when Appropriations Chair David Obey (D-WI) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) reached a comprehensive procedural agreement following months of confusion and vituperation over the chamber's earmarks disclosure and approval process. The agreement outlines rules for consideration of earmarks for the House to follow for each of the 12 FY 2008 appropriations bills and appears to be operating smoothly thus far: on June 21, the House Appropriations Committee approved the lists of earmarks for two spending bills by voice votes.

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Follow the Campaign Donations

Jun 22, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has introduced a new tool on its website to track presidential campaign donations as part of an effort to make campaign finance data more accessible. An online map graphically displays individual contributions to 2008 Presidential candidates organized by zip code. Users can compare contributions to specific candidates, all candidates, or all candidates from a political party, and you can also export the data into an Excel spreadsheet.

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Line Between Campaign and Charity

Jun 22, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The New York Times reports on the tax-exempt organization of presidential candidate John Edwards, the Center for Promise and Opportunity.

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Weekend Reading: CBO Testimony on Health Care

Jun 22, 2007 by Matt Lewis

If you read anything policy-related this weekend, make sure it's Peter Orszag's testimony to the Senate Budget Committee. He gives a fair reading of the factors producing the explosion in health care costs.

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The Budget Battle -- Rhetoric vs. Reality

Jun 22, 2007 by Dana Chasin

With the Bush administration trying to effect a sudden shift from spendthrift to scrooge this budget season, the time is right to sort out fiscal myth from reality. The administration has issued shrill warnings that "the Democrats' budget would lead to spending and tax increases that put economic growth and a balanced budget at risk" (per OMB, June 12). In fact, the administration has demanded an increase in FY 2008 discretionary spending of seven percent over FY 2007; by contrast, the Democrats' proposed increase is a whopping nine percent, as we noted last week.

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Summary of Treasury's May 2007 Senate Testimony on Charities and Islamic Extremism

On May 20, 2007 the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on "Violent Islamist Extremism: Government Efforts to Defeat It." Chip Poncy, the Director of the Department of Treasury's Office of Strategic Policy, for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, testified about counter-terrorist financing strategy and explained outreach efforts to engage the Muslim and charitable communities. Mr.

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