"Sunset commission" proposals would force all government programs--from CDBG to TANF, EPA to OSHA, DHS to DOD, and everything in between--to plead for their lives on a periodic basis, such as every ten years. The idea is a complicated version of something very simple: government shut downs. Download the fact sheet (PDF | Word) outlining the key elements and problems of the two major sunset proposals in the House.

A broad cross-section of the public interest and faith communities, at both the national and local levels, expressed opposition to plans to include sunset commissions in budget process reform. Download the letter Read the press release Learn more about sunset commission proposals Organization letters

A bipartisan group of senators has called for an investigation into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposals to relax chemical reporting requirements for large industrial facilities. On March 27, Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), requesting the office investigate whether EPA had adequately considered how reducing Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) information would impact communities and data users, including federal and state programs that rely on TRI data.