Topic: Taxpayers for Common Sense
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Senate's new farm bill will waste billions on subsidies, critics say
Crop insurance subsidies help farmers survive tough years, all agree. But critics say they are much too generous – and Congress could increase them further in its new farm bill.
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It's 'common sense' – or is it? The politics of Obama's new favorite phrase.
Politicians from the president to the tea party use the rhetoric of 'common sense' to support their thinking on key issues. But is the phrase really telling us anything at all?
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Objections raised over additional projects lumped with Sandy relief
Some lawmakers are cautioning against passing the $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package, which includes $150 million in aid for fisheries in Alaska, Mississippi and the Northeast. House Republicans have introduced an alternative proposal.
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Congress moves toward passage of highway bill, takes action on student loans
The burst of legislating comes just four months before the November elections, giving lawmakers achievements to show off to voters who have increasingly held Congress in low esteem.
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In surprise move, GOP leaders admit defeat in payroll tax battle
House GOP leaders had wanted to offset the cost of a payroll tax extension by spending cuts. But their decision Monday suggests that the political cost of a stalemate was too high.
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Another Solyndra already? Some worry even worse is coming.
Beacon Power, like Solyndra a recipient of a federal loan guarantee under the DOE's renewable energy program, has declared bankruptcy, leaving taxpayers to pay the tab. But the firm is tiny. Bigger ones are out there.
10/31/2011 08:08 pm -
If Senate repeals ethanol subsidies, what happens at the gas pump?
The Senate vote on repealing tax subsidies for ethanol producers has big political ramifications, but the impact on the industry could be minimal. A continuing federal mandate that requires refiners to blend ethanol into gasoline provides adequate support for producers, experts say.
06/14/2011 04:03 pm -
Budget hawks: Does US need to give gas and oil companies $41 billion a year?
As President Obama and Congress look for budget cuts, some experts say federal energy subsidies are ripe for trimming. Among oil companies, nuclear power, and coal, who gets what from US taxpayers?
03/09/2011 01:15 pm -
Why the budget deficit is so hard for Congress to shrink
Congress has less and less leeway for closing the budget deficit as outlays for entitlement programs grow.
02/22/2011 03:33 pm -
Top 10 senators seeking earmarks
Senate leaders decided to scrap a 1,900-page omnibus spending bill that contained $8 billion in home state spending projects – otherwise known as earmarks, pet projects, or "pork." Government spending and the deficit became an issue in the midterm election, and lawmakers are keenly aware of voter anger about large, catch-all bills that are quickly passed. The following senators have been ranked by the monetary value of earmarks they backed, whether alone or with others, in the now-scuttled omnibus spending bill. The earmark process became more transparent with the 2006 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which required creation of a database of all government spending. The watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense used the database to compile this ranking. Sen. Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma, who co-sponsored the legislation, also has a list of the disclosed earmarks in the omnibus bill on his website. *This is the amount requested both alone and with other members of Congress.
12/17/2010 06:52 pm -
With big spending bill's demise, is 'earmark' new dirty word on Hill?
Deficit hawks and watchdog groups see Thursday's demise of an omnibus spending bill in the Senate as a turning point. A critical mass of lawmakers, they say, are committed to an earmark ban.
12/17/2010 04:35 pm -
Democrats rally behind their 'mom in tennis shoes,' Sen. Patty Murray
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington is facing a strong challenge from GOP candidate Dino Rossi. Top Democrats from Michelle Obama to former President Bill Clinton have vowed to help.
09/29/2010 06:39 pm -
'Pork barrel' spending: A big liability for lawmakers in 2010 election?
With the federal deficit at $1.5 trillion, some voters are balking at politicians who tout a record of securing ‘pork barrel’ projects.
08/19/2010 01:21 pm -
5 famous pork projects: Beer museum and more
Coined from an 1863 story called “The Children of the Public,” pork-barrel spending referred to any public funds spent to benefit the public. Over time, the term has evolved, referring to projects seen as wasteful, or that may only benefit a small group but the costs are spread out between all taxpayers. Of course, often, one politician's pork is another politician's legitimate expense. The Citizens Against Government Waste puts out an annual "Congressional Pig Book" that listed 9,129 projects at a cost of $16.5 billion in 2010.. Here a selection of US "pork" projects from recent years:
08/19/2010 01:15 pm -
Election 2010: a fight over jobs and recovery vs. deficit and debt
Trillion-dollar annual US deficits are unprecedented, and many voters are alarmed by them. But the public also wants a jobs recovery. How those dual issues will affect Election 2010 races.
08/09/2010 01:00 pm -
Congress scoffs at Obama's plan to trim 'pork' spending
A White House plan released Monday would give the president more power to cut 'pork' spending. But Congress controls the federal purse strings jealously.
05/25/2010 09:38 am -
House Republicans, besting Democrats, will ban all earmarks
House Republicans said Thursday they will adopt a unilateral, one-year ban on funding requests for all member projects, or earmarks. House Democrats put forward a partial ban the day before.
03/11/2010 06:42 pm -
Federal budget: Congress's return to bad spending habits
Congress has spent all its time on other efforts, like healthcare. Now, time is running short to pass a federal budget, and Congress is having to take its typical shortcuts.
12/14/2009 11:15 pm -
Using TARP funds for job creation: creative or reckless?
As banks pay back TARP funds, President Obama and Democrats consider putting that money toward job creation. Conservatives say that will just add to the deficit.
12/07/2009 12:00 am -
Nuclear power’s new debate: cost
Issues of safety and waste make way for a focus on funding.
08/13/2009 01:00 am -
'Pig Book': Congressional 'pork' hits $19.6 billion in 2009
Citizens Against Government Waste released its annual report on 'pork barrel' projects Tuesday.
04/14/2009 01:00 am -
The Vote New earmarks -- some are transparent, some are like Jimmy Hoffa
04/08/2009 01:00 am -
Pesky earmarks still in eye of budget storm
‘Member projects’ are a tiny part of the federal budget, but they’re a problem for Obama.
03/03/2009 12:00 am -
How bailout deal will impact next president
A $700 billion US rescue of banks is not likely to crimp McCain's or Obama'sspending plans, at least in the short term.
09/28/2008 01:00 am -
Lawmaker ethics. An oxymoron?
Democrats promised to make Congress more ethical. Did they succeed? A little ... maybe.
08/16/2008 01:00 am
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