February 17, 2011 marked the two-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the so-called stimulus package. Needless to say, the contrived celebratory fanfare that characterized the one-year anniversary last year has now given way to the dull realization that the $862 billion program has been an abject failure. The oft-repeated promise that the stimulus money would be tracked to the very last dime has become the butt of late-night talk shows and taxpayers are left to wonder where all the money went.
Future of Earmarks Remains Vague
Predicting the future of earmarks can be a bit like peering into a crystal ball.
Fiscal Commission: The First Step in a Journey of a Thousand Miles
On February 18, 2010 President Obama set up a bipartisan panel to address the deficit and debt. Dubbed the National Commission on Fiscal Reform and Integrity, the effort was co-chaired by former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senate Whip Alan Simpson (R-Wy.).
State Piglet Roundup
In conjunction with state taxpayer groups, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released sixPiglet Books in 2010. The Piglet Books bring CAGW’s national expertise in exposing waste, fraud and abuse to the state and local levels.
Pork on Life Support: Time to Pull the Plug
Save America’s Treasures was one of the 60 programs proposed for elimination in President Obama’s 2011 Terminations, Reductions, and Savings report. Released in February 2010, the report recommended the elimination of the program because it “has not demonstrated how it contributes to nationwide historic preservation goals.” Its demise would allow the National Park Service to“focus resources on managing national parks and other activities that most closely align with its core mission.” Citizens Against Government Waste has long criticized the program, which has been the source of tens of millions of dollars in pork since 2001.
Another Sour Note for Taxpayers
Government watchdogs are familiar with how the federal government squanders billions of dollars a year on duplicative, expensive, and non-essentialgovernment programs. Now taxpayers have a new reason to be disturbed; aSeptember 6, 2010Washington Postarticlereported that approximately half a billion dollars is being wasted by the Pentagon on military bands.
Billions Wasted in Iraq
When President Obama marked the end of combat operations in Iraq in a speech on August 31, 2010, he spoke at length on America’s lasting legacy in the country. Unfortunately for taxpayers, part of that legacy includes billions in waste, dating back to the beginning of the reconstruction effort.
Pork Alert Roundup
On July 1, 2010, Citizens Against Government Waste began issuing its annual flurry of Pork Alerts, which highlight earmarks in the annual appropriation bills. In a perfect world, the House and the Senate would each release a version of the 12 appropriations bills throughout the summer and early fall. However, the process rarely runs that smoothly.
Flood Insurance Still Soaks the Taxpayer
In early July, politicians in Washington, D.C. missed an opportunity to improve the failing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) when Congress passed another short-term reauthorization that expires on September 30, 2010. A second bite at the apple was even more misguided when on July 15, 2010, the House passed H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act, a five-year reauthorization of the NFIP, which expanded the program.
The DISCLOSE Act: Free Speech for Some, Hefty Price for Others
The House of Representatives is currently embroiled in a battle overH.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act. The legislation has caused a firestorm among lawmakers and politically active organizations as it seeks to use the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruling as an excuse to […]