WASHINGTON, March 19, 2008—OMB Watch today released a report that names the top five open government questions that Americans would like candidates for federal office to answer before the November elections. Top Open Government Questions for Candidates, based on a survey of more than 2,000 people, was released in conjunction with Sunshine Week.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2008—Provisions of a proposed fiscal stimulus package, which was agreed to by House leaders and the Bush administration, were announced this afternoon at a press conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. OMB Watch believes that the proposed package is a good start but falls short of its stated goal of adequately stimulating the economy.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2007— Adding insult to a year of fiscal policy injuries, Congress has abandoned fiscal responsibility by waiving pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules in order to pass a one-year patch to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) without offsets. This tax cut adds another $50 billion to an already expanding deficit next year, and will give fewer options for our children and grandchildren to seek solutions to the problems of tomorrow.

by Gary D. Bass, OMB Watch
Published on ombwatch.org
December 6, 2007
In an editorial on Dec. 4, The Washington Post concluded "the growing involvement of nonprofits in electoral politics … is a troubling and dangerous development." The next day, the Post ran a front page headline: "Nonprofits Become a Force in Primaries." Like the editorial, the article describes the work of Common Sense Issues, Inc., a 501(c)(4) organization that is operating "Trust Huckabee," but also describes the partisan activities of other 501(c)(4) groups. Reading the article and editorial, it is clear that the Post is concerned that nonprofits are becoming back door conduits for exceeding campaign contribution limits and, as they do so, mask who is bankrolling the activities. The Post also suggests that some groups, like Common Sense Issues, might be gaming the system by structuring their activities to minimally meet the requirements, but not the spirit, of the law.