Americans Overwhelmingly Opposed to EPA's Plans to Cut Back Toxic Reporting

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2006--The American public is overwhelmingly opposed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) plans to cut back toxic chemical reporting under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), according to a report released today. OMB Watch produced the report, titled “Against the Public’s Will,” and documented opposition from 23 state governments and more than 120,000 average citizens, 60 members of Congress, 30 public health organizations, 40 labor organizations and 200 environmental and public interest organizations. EPA's proposals would relax reporting requirements in order to reduce a perceived paperwork burden for companies that release and dispose of toxic chemicals.

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PAYGO and War Costs: A Red-Ink-Herring

Dec 14, 2006 by Dana Chasin

A story in today's New York Times entitled "Democrats Plan to Take Control of Iraq Spending" raises a number of interesting questions about budgeting war costs. How can you put such an unpredictable item as war costs into an annual budget? Should war funding requests go to appropriations or a substantive policy review committee such as armed services? What degree of congressional oversight is appropriate for an emergency supplemental spending request? Reporter Carl Hulse raises one issue, however, that is a complete red-ink-herring:

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OMB Watch Questions GSA's Approach to Accountability

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2006—According to recent news reports, the new administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), Lurita Doan, has made some questionable decisions that will reduce contractor accountability and oversight at an agency needing much more of both. These decisions to undermine independent oversight and accountability mechanisms in the federal government are unwarranted and unacceptable.

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Katrina Recovery Stagnating?

Dec 14, 2006 by Matt Lewis

The Brookings Institute's Katrina Index, which is still performing the invaluable task of tracking the Gulf Coast recovery, reports today that inadequate public services seem to be slowing down the pace of the recovery in New Orleans. Bad public services have may caused stagnation in the housing market particularly, as former residents have been reluctant to move back to neighborhoods that lack adequate sanitation, electricity, gas and water services.

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Conrad: Forgo PAYGO on Middle-Class Tax Cuts

Dec 13, 2006 by Dana Chasin

Incoming Senate Budget chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) said today that the strictures of PAYGO would not block an extension of middle-class tax breaks such as the child tax credit, which make up about two-thirds of Bush's tax policies expiring in 2011. These extensions "are gonna sail through here even if they're not paid for," he said, adding that PAYGO rules, as currently contemplated, could be waived with a supermajority vote. Conrad also noted that PAYGO would most likely be adopted as a Senate rules change or as part of the budget resolution, because Bush will not sign it into law.

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Change in CR Formula?

Dec 13, 2006 by Matt Lewis

Much about the full-year continuing resolution is still up in the air- even the formula by which all funding will be determined. GovExec has the story. Details about how a yearlong continuing resolution -- or joint resolution, as lawmakers have termed it - - would function began to emerge this week as congressional staff discussed the fallout from the decision to drop the nine unfinished fiscal 2007 spending measures.

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Spring House Cleaning: an Independent Ethics Board?

Dec 13, 2006 by Dana Chasin

The establishment of an independent, outside Office of Public Integrity to review and investigate ethics charges against members of Congress is "definitely on the table," Democratic leadership aide told Congress Daily ($$) today, confirming a report in today's New York Times that "House Democrats are seriously exploring the creation of an independent ethics arm to enforce new rules on travel, lobbying, gifts and other issues."

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A Few Loose Ends

Dec 13, 2006 by Matt Lewis

On Monday, Paul Krugman wrote a good column ($) on government outsourcing. A key point: It's now clear that there's a fundamental error in the antigovernment ideology embraced by today's conservative movement. Conservatives look at the virtues of market competition and leap to the conclusion that private ownership, in itself, is some kind of magic elixir. But there's no reason to assume that a private company hired to perform a public service will do better than people employed directly by the government.

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White House "Disappointed" by CR Announcement, Oddly

Dec 12, 2006 by Dana Chasin

In an ironic and perplexing development today, the Bush Administration expressed dismay with yesterday's decision by incoming Congressional leaders to extend the FY2007 continuing resolution (CR) through the end of the current fiscal year. "The announcement from the incoming congressional majority is disappointing," said OMB Director Rob Portman, adding that “should there be a long-term continuing resolution, the administration would want to assure we maintain fiscal discipline and avoid gimmicks and unwarranted emergency spending.”

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FEC Denies Association's Proposal

Dec 12, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has proposed that state associations send a larger portion of individual contributions to the NAR, in turn lowering the amount of money going to the state political action committee. In exchange, the NAR will give an equal amount of money from its treasury account to the state association. NAR had asked the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) whether this proposal would be permitted. Other similar groups are interested in ways to expand the ability to raise hard money.

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