Bush's Fiscal Rhetoric Falls Short

In case you missed it this morning, OMB Watch released a statement responding to the president's State of the Union address last night. In short, we were unimpressed with Bush's empty rhetoric about fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. Bush's Fiscal Policy Rhetoric Continues to Fall Short

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Senate Detours En Route to the Minimum Wage

The Senate appears less eager than the House did to pass the minimum wage hike. Its deliberations on S.2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, continued after this afternoon's votes on numerous amendments and a cloture vote. Two things are now clear:

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Voter Bounty Registration Act of 2007

H.R.301, the Voter Bounty Registration Act of 2007, was introduced in the House by Rep. Pierce (R-NM) to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and has seemingly gone under the radar. It seems passage of such a measure would greatly inhibit the ability of nonpartisan organizations from carrying out voter registration drives, placing strict standards on the distribution of application forms.

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For Clarification OMB Watch Proposes Revisions to Grassroots Disclosure Amendment

After removal of the grassroots lobbying disclosure provision from S.1 (see more here) and the widespread confusion and misinformation about the measure, OMB Watch has proposed revisions meant to clarify the impact of the proposal. Now that the issue of lobbying disclosure has moved to the House, we hope this revision clarifies the intent of grassroots lobbying disclosure proposal.

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Hot Off the Press

CBO's The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2008 to 2017 is now available.

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Bush's Fiscal Policy Rhetoric Continues to Fall Short

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2007—Adam Hughes, Fiscal Policy Director at OMB Watch, made the following statement in response to President George W. Bush's 2007 State of the Union address: Last night, President Bush spent a small portion of his State of the Union address paying lip service to fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets — about the same amount of time he has committed during his presidency to actually being fiscally responsible. Nonetheless, the President made a number of vague pledges — to balance the annual federal budget, to institute long-term fixes to Medicare and Medicaid, and to "save" an otherwise incredibly stable and successful Social Security program — but provided scant details. The president urged Congress to support all of his broad proposals and to do so without raising any more revenue. Unfortunately, the president still does not understand that this approach just won't work, and given his track record, it is difficult to see his pledges last night as anything more than idle words.

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Watcher: January 23, 2007

Senate Passes New Rules on Earmark Disclosure Congress Commits More Time to Doing Its Job The Fiscal Impact of House 100 Hours Agenda Congress Can Shape War Policy through Appropriations Process

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Commissions & Task Forces & Working Groups, Oh My!

Yesterday afternoon, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) announced plans to force Congress to consider changes to entitlement programs through the establishment of yet another commission. The Feinstein-Domenici plan would require a 15-member commission to deliver recommendations one year from the date it was established and would force, through specific deadlines, action by committees, debate on the floor or each chamber, and conference committee negotiations. Everything is scripted just so in the Feinstein/Domenici plan.

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No Pensions for Convicted Lawmakers

The House has passed a bill today that would strip pensions from any member of Congress "who is convicted of any of certain offenses committed by that individual while serving as a member of Congress, and for other purposes." No one voted against HR 476, especially after the scandals of the previous Congress. A similar measure is included in the Senate ethics and lobbying reform bill that passed late last week.

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OMB Watch Proposal: Revise Grassroots Disclosure Amendment to the LDA

OMB Watch has proposed a revised version of the grassroots lobbying disclosure provision that was dropped from S. 1, the Senate's ethics and lobbying reform bill. The text of the proposed amendment to the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) follows a short explanation.

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