Publications

Corporate Money Fuels Attack on Public Protections

An ongoing attack on the nation's regulatory safety net is being led by lawmakers with deep financial ties to the corporations and lobbying groups that often complain about federal standards, campaign finance data show.

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Congress Seeks to Reveal Toxic Drilling Chemicals

Congressional Democrats have reintroduced legislation that would disclose the hazardous chemicals used in drilling for natural gas. Cases of potential water contamination have been increasing as the nation experiences a boom in gas drilling and use of drilling chemicals. Secrecy surrounding the identities of the chemicals, many of which are known to be hazardous, has hampered efforts to protect public and environmental health.

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Sunshine Week Brings Bevy of Transparency Announcements

America celebrated Sunshine Week 2011 between March 13-19. The White House and federal agencies announced several new transparency initiatives during the week, and Congress held hearings to examine government openness and introduced new transparency legislation. The open government community also released new reports examining transparency efforts within government.

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Congress Pushes to Strip EPA Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gases

Congressional leaders are acting on several proposals to strip the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). A House committee has passed one piece of legislation, and the Senate is expected to vote on a similar measure when it reconvenes in late March.

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Cloaked in Good Government Garb, Sunset Commission Would Fast Track Spending Cuts

On March 16, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) proposed a controversial amendment to a small business reauthorization bill. The amendment would create a so-called "sunset commission," which is designed to identify and eliminate federal programs deemed unnecessary. The commission, billed as a "good government" measure by proponents, would likely operate behind closed doors, usurping the traditional oversight role of key congressional committees and potentially eliminating important programs.

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Non-Competed Contracts Down Slightly in FY 2010

In February, the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) completed an audit examining the agency's use of non-competed contracts in fiscal year (FY) 2010. The audit finds DHS significantly reduced its use of these risky contracting vehicles, lowering both the total real contracting dollars spent and the percentage of contracting dollars spent on sole-source contracts. An examination of other federal agencies' non-competed contract spending reveals a similar, though less dramatic, trend.

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Commentary: Congress's Backward Budgeting

Some in Congress are treating a recently released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on duplicative federal programs as a recipe book for budget cutting. However, GAO's recommendations for fixes are more nuanced, and the report ultimately underscores the value of implementing effective program measurement tools and carefully calibrating federal spending to ensure that national priorities are addressed.

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Assessing Progress Toward a 21st Century Right to Know

On Nov. 12, 2008, the right-to-know community published a set of detailed transparency recommendations for President-elect Barack Obama and Congress. Those recommendations, titled Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda, were developed over a two-year period with input from more than 100 groups and individuals. The seventy recommendations urged the new president and the incoming Congress to act quickly on a number of key government openness issues while also encouraging a more systematic, longer-term approach to a variety of other transparency problems that plague the federal government. This report seeks to assess progress on each recommendation near the midpoint of the president’s term as part of Sunshine Week 2011.

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Celebrate Open Government during Sunshine Week

From March 13-19, Americans will commemorate the importance of open government during Sunshine Week. Organized by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and a coalition of groups including OMB Watch, Sunshine Week is observed annually to coincide with the birthday of James Madison, the Founding Father known for his emphasis on checks and balances in government.

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Regulation a Boon for the Economy, Reports Show

Amid a tide of Republican complaints over regulations’ impact on economic growth, two new government reports show that the economic benefits of rules outstrip compliance costs by billions of dollars every year.

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