OMB Database Caveats: Definition and Objective

Apr 5, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Below are two key caveats regarding the OMB earmark database project we lauded yesterday.
  • Limited Scope of Earmarks -- to include only congressionally-sourced earmarks. See OMB's own definition: Earmarks are funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction circumvents the merit-based or competitive allocation process, or specifies the location or recipient ... for activities/projects/programs not requested by the Administration. (Emph. added.)

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Lieberman Unhappy with Bush Choice to Bypass Senate on Dudley

Apr 5, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, President Bush recess appointed Susan Dudley to be the White House's regulatory czar. The announcement comes just days after Senate members indicated they would consider the Dudley nomination in the normal fashion. Sen. Joe Lieberman isn't happy with the president's blatant disregard for checks and balances. Lieberman chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Government Reform Committee, which was responsible for Dudley's confirmation. A spokeswoman for Lieberman, Leslie Phillips, released the following statement: The Administration's decision to recess appoint Susan Dudley shows

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Supplemental's Tax Supplement: is More Less Likely?

Apr 4, 2007 by Dana Chasin

The Joint Committee on Taxation released its score today of the tax provisions in last week's Senate-passed supplemental appropriations bill. The cost: $12.5 billion over 10 years, more than offset by $13.8 billion in revenue raisers. The president has promised to veto the bill on account of its war-related provisions, but the tax package is independently significant, since it builds on the Senate's small business tax piece of the minimum wage bill. Wage bills were passed earlier this year in both the House and Senate but have not gone to conference.

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Bush Recess Appointment Threatens Public Protections

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007—President George W. Bush today installed Susan Dudley as White House regulatory czar through a recess appointment. Dudley will now serve in the White House Office of Management and Budget as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

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Meet Your New OIRA Administrator, Susan Dudley

Apr 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

President Bush just installed Susan Dudley as White House regulatory czar through a recess appointment. Dudley will now serve in the White House Office of Management and Budget as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Dudley is a triple threat when it comes to the federal regulatory process.
  • First, she is ideologically opposed to regulation of any kind. She is likely to roll back countless public protections, and will be loath to support any new rulemakings.

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NGO Analysis of Counterterrorism Policy Developments

Fact Sheets The Global Nonprofit Information Network (GNIN) released seven fact sheets that concisely document how the war on terror hampers charitable activities. Top Ten Concerns: The Impact of Counterterrorism Measures on the NGO Sector in the United States Overview of Counterterrorism Policies and Effects "Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve," OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders, July 2008 "Safeguarding Charity in the War on Terror," OMB Watch, October 2005 (US)

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Latest Watcher

Apr 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: OMB Manipulated Climate Science, Report Says Miners Detail MSHA's Failings in Emotional Testimony FDA Issues New Conflict of Interest Guidelines

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Battlelines in the 2008 Economic Policy Primary

Apr 4, 2007 by Dana Chasin

This stuff can get a little wonky on the stump. But in the end, should a Democrat be elected president in 2008, it could determine everything from the value of the dollar to whether Americans get universal health care coverage. It's the economic blueprint that Hillary Clinton advisors and former Clinton administration Treasury secretary Robert Rubin and Rubin deputy Roger Altman are developing -- heavy on free trade and balanced budgets, lighter on protecting workers from global competition and deficit-financing domestic social programs.

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Catholics For a Free Choice File IRS Complaint

Apr 4, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) have filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against Priests for Life charging that they have engaged in inappropriate campaign intervention that violates their status as a 501(c)(3). CFFC focused on two videos on the Priests for Life website that implicitly supports the presidential campaign of Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS). The candidates are starting campaigning earlier than ever, and apparently exempt organizations are also engaged early in the 2008 campaign.

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Watcher: April 3, 2007

Apr 4, 2007 by Matt Lewis

GSA Administrator Testifies on Misconduct Allegations Congress Approves War Funding; Pressures Bush to Withdraw Troops Budget Resolution Conference Faces Key Choices on PAYGO, Taxes Support Mounts to End IRS Privatization Program

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