US, EU Grantmaker Groups Publish Accountability Principles for International Philanthropy

May 23, 2007 by Kay Guinane

The Council on Foundations (COF) and the European Foundation Center have published Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy, the result of a two-year consultative process of grantmakers and stakeholders from four continents. The COF press release announcing the document says: Voluntary and aspirational, the Principles and accompanying Practices aim to guide and support funders in making better decisions in pursuing their international missions and objectives, and to provide a framework that will encourage and assist more foundations to get involved internationally....

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Senators Eye OMB's Risk Assessment Meddling

May 23, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) sent a letter to the White House urging OMB to abandon its Proposed Risk Assessment Bulletin. Recently, the White House intimated OMB may make a renewed push on the Bulletin. Bingaman and Lieberman want to make sure the White House knows the Senate is watching. OMB issued the Bulletin in its proposed form in January 2006. The proposal calls for a one-size-fits-all approach for agency risk assessments - a common procedure which studies the adverse effects of a wide variety of public dangers.

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Supplemental Update: The Troops on the Hill Weary

May 22, 2007 by Adam Hughes*

A pared-down version of the war funding supplemental is currently scheduled to hit the House floor on Thursday, May 24, with Senate action expected later that day or early the next. The bill appears likely to include the federal minimum wage increase and and extension of about $4.8 billion in small-business tax cuts. Whether domestic emergency appropiations will remain is yet to be determined.

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TPC Offers Politically Saleable, Zero-Sum AMT Repeal

May 22, 2007 by Dana Chasin

The Tax Policy Center has just issued research results and recommendations regarding repeal of the AMT that merit serious attention. As the New York Times reports today in Group Offers a Simple Fix for Alternative Minimum Tax, TPC's proposal features a reversion back to pre-Bush earned and investment tax rates on couples earning over $200,000 and singles earning half that.

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House Vote on Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill Set for Thursday

May 22, 2007 by Kay Guinane

On Thursday May 24, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (H.R. 2316). This vote reflects the leadership's pledge to pass fundamental ethics and lobbying reform. The legislation contains several important reforms that represent progress in making the government more accountable and transparent to the electorate.
  • Requires electronic disclosure and public access on a searchable website

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OMB Watch Comments on FDA Conflict of Interest Guidance

May 22, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, OMB Watch submitted comments on FDA's proposed conflict of interest guidelines for agency scientific advisory panels. Avoiding conflicts of interest on these panels is important to ensuring scientific integrity, responsible use of agency resources, and strong final regulatory actions.

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New Report: War Funding and the Feed and Forage Act

May 22, 2007 by Matt Lewis

OMB Watch has just put out a report on a little-known law -the Feed and Forage Act- that seems to give the President broad powers to fund war efforts- even without an enacted appropriations bill. So even if the negotiations over the war funding supplemental drag on, the President could meet the needs of the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read the whole thing if you have the chance.

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House Reform Members Might Get Slammed by "Revolving Door"

May 21, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Late last week, the House leadership agreed to remove the "revolving door" provision from the lobbying and ethics bill. The bill is scheduled to reach the House floor for a vote this Thursday, right before Congress leaves for Memorial Day. The revolving door provision in the Senate version of the bill calls for a two-year "cooling off period" after members retire from Congress before they are allowed to lobby their former colleagues.

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Governors Tell EPA to Get Out of the Way

May 21, 2007 by Rick Melberth*

Two governors let loose on the Bush administration in an editorial in the Washington Post today. California's Arnold Schwarzenegger and Connecticut's Jodi Rell called for Bush and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get out of the way and let states put programs in place if the federal government doesn't want to act on global warming.

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House GOP Plots Spending Veto Override Campaign

May 18, 2007 by Dana Chasin

The day after Congress adopted a budget resolution for FY08, the Republican Study Committee sent a letter to the president pledging support for a presidential veto of fiscal 2008 appropriations bills. The letter says that the resolution "greatly exceeds" (by $23 billion out of $956 billion) Bush's budget request for discretionary funding. OMB Director Rob Portman has said twice in two weeks that he would recommend the president veto any appropriations bills that exceed Bush's request. According to the RSC:

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