Taxpayers for Common Sense
1,720 earmarks in final defense spending bill
The Senate will soon follow the House in passing a $636.3 billion Fiscal Year 2010 defense appropriations bill, the government’s largest spending bill. The legislation contains 1,720 earmarks worth $4.2 billion, 17 percent less in number and 14 percent less in value from last year (remember that this is only disclosed earmarks: Major additions such [...]
No simple price tag for troop surge
Since President Obama announced a 30,000 troop buildup for Afghanistan Tuesday, everyone is asking the inevitable question: How much is this war going to cost? The answer will be the subject of fervent debate over the coming months. In the meantime, here are some important factors to keep in mind:
Dollars fly overseas to military bases
The annual military construction spending bill is not generally a big deal for Congress, which treats it as an opportunity to fund gyms and chapels at district military bases. But the bill’s funding for overseas military installations is worth scrutinizing for what it reveals about the Pentagon’s global plans. In fact, the version currently under [...]
Bailout transparency continues to fall short
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) just released its eighth report on TARP, this one a look back over the life of the program. Reading the report we’ve found the GAO once again honing in on an important issue we’ve focused on since before TARP was enacted = the need for Treasury to be more [...]
Oil companies to benefit on backs of federal taxpayers
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the federal government’s request to appeal a decision in favor of Anadarko Petroleum. The decision allows oil and gas companies holding leases signed from 1996-2000 to operate royalty-free in the Gulf of Mexico, even in times of record profits.
Inouye, Cochran benefit from earmark recipients
Taxpayers for Common Sense has mapped the connections between earmarks and campaign contributions for the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.
