Monthly Budget Review Released

Mar 7, 2006 by Matthew Madia

The Congressional Budget Office released the Monthly Budget Review yesterday, reporting that the government incurred a $219 billion deficit in the first five months of FY 2006. The CBO is estimating a total deficit for FY2006 to be $371 billion. The deficit in February was $121 billion, which is $7 billion more than the deficit recorded in February 2005.

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More Lobby Reform - Amendments

Mar 7, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The amendment pile has started. Yesterday, Lott and Collins proposed an amendment to the bill S. 2349, to combine S. 2349 (reported out of Rules) and S. 2128 (reported out of HSGAC). David Vitter (R-LA) had a few amendments as well. One amendment was on applying FECA to Indian Tribes, the other would prohibit employment of family members of a candidate or federal office holder by certain political committees. We are hearing that an additional slate of amendments might include:

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Lobby Reform: Two Bills Move to Senate Floor, Still No Bill from House

Just days after Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) was sent to jail on bribery charges, the Senate is debating new ethics and lobbying rules, while the House ponders its next move. The Senate will likely vote on legislation this week or next week.

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President Restarts Push for Line-Item Veto

In his State of the Union address, President Bush once again proposed the line-item veto to Congress as a way to reduce deficit spending. While Bush is touting this "tool of fiscal discipline," in reality unchecked use of the line-item veto by the president would transfer significant power and control from the legislative to the executive branch and effectively allow the president to substitute his spending priorities directly for that of Congress.

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Ever Get A Robo-Call? Want to Know Who Is Behind It?

Mar 7, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

We've spoken a lot in our statements about the importance of grassroots lobby disclosure. Ever get a robo-call? That is grassroots lobbying - a first amendment protected right, but something that should be disclosed nonetheless. Here's a link to a Hill article that explains who is behind the robocalls.

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NSA Spying Program on Trial

Concerns over the warrantless domestic spying program by the National Security Agency (NSA) have not gone away. Congressional hearings continue and expand as legal actions begin.

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Reclassification Run Amok

Following sharp criticism from a number of historians and national security experts, the National Archives has issue a moratorium on a massive reclassification program that came to light recently. Since the late 1990s, government agencies have been removing declassified documents from the shelves of the National Archives and considering them for reclassification.

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First Official Congressional Forum for TRI

A briefing for House congressional staff held on Feb. 23 to inform Congress about the dangers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposals to reduce Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemical reporting was the first official forum of its kind. Staff from more than 30 offices heard from a diverse panel of experts on how the changes that EPA is proposing would undermine first responder readiness, harm worker safety, interfere with state programs and hinder cancer research. The briefing was sponsored by Reps. Stephen Lunch (D-MA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Hilda Solis (D-CA).

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Agencies Mislead the Public on Katrina

State and federal government officials are misleading the public about potential health hazards from toxic contamination in New Orleans, according to a Feb. 23 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Hurricane Katrina's winds and floodwaters released heavy metals and other industrial byproducts throughout the area, according to the report. These hazardous materials then deposited in homes, yards, and schools across the region, in what is now a cracked layer of toxic muck. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), however, state that contamination levels in the city pose no "unacceptable" health risks -- a statement disputed by the NRDC report using EPA's own data.

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Lobby Reform Update

Mar 7, 2006 by Guest Blogger

From CQ: (subscription required) The Senate Rules Committee and the Governmental Affairs Committee have both advanced bills on the topic (S 2349, S 2128). On Monday, members adopted by unanimous consent a GOP leadership-backed substitute amendment that combines the two bills for floor action. Trent Lott, R-Miss., is the point man ensured with ushering the legislation to passage. He has promised to achieve that goal within three days.

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