Earmarks/ Lobbying

• Senate Cancels Reservation for Last Pork Feast

  December 17, 2010

  Earlier this week, Senate Democrats planned to push through a 1,924 page, $1.1 Trillion spending bill. This omnibus appropriations legislation would fund all aspects of the U.S. Government - everything from the Department of Education, to the Department of Labor. The bill also included nearly 39,000 earmarks, at a total of $130 Billion, inserted by pork craving legislators.

  

• Members and Their Money

  May 23, 2010

  As financial reform legislation is being debated in the Capitol, members of both parties, even those with said legislation before their committees, are reaping the benefits of Wall Street's coffers through an endless stream of fundraisers.

  

• One-Upmanship We Appreciate

  March 11, 2010

  While members of Congress and their respective parties are notorious for one-upmanship, often in the worst forms, they are, for once, engaged in a contest to be productive.

  

• Buying Congress

  October 26, 2009

  Buying Congress through campaign contributions has always been a common activity in Washington, but at least in the past it was somewhat hidden.

  

• Paying to Play

  September 24, 2009

  An article in the New York Times brings light to what everyone knows but few discuss in Washington: those who have the money make the rules.

  

• Which Came First?

  July 31, 2009

  An article in the Washington Post highlights an unsettling correlation involving the actions of "Blue Dog" Democrats and financial contributions from the drug and healthcare industries.

  

• Separating the Special Interests From the Money

  April 28, 2009

  In an "it's about time" moment on Capitol Hill, several House members proposed legislation barring Members of Congress from receiving campaign donations from people or groups affiliated with the members' earmark requests.

  

• Omnibus: Do As We Say, Not As We Do

  March 06, 2009

  The federal omnibus encompassing several spending bills is full of earmarks, approximately 8,500 of them, but both the democrats and republicans each own about half each.

  

• Connecting the Dots

  February 27, 2009

  For the first time in memory, a resolution has been put forth to finally create true transparency in the world of lobbying and earmarks.

  

• McCain-Feingold Earmark Reform

  December 14, 2008

  Senators John McCain (AZ) and Russ Feingold (WI) are teaming up again to create legislation to provide a limited line item veto power to the president in efforts to help eliminate the wasteful and often secretive spending of tax payer dollars on earmarks, also known as pork spending.

  

• FLEECED!

  October 06, 2008

  While the $700 billion Wall Street bail out package was too expensive and too wasteful, a $700 billion Wall Street bail out package PLUS an extra $100 billion in tax breaks was just the right amount.

  

• Earmarks: Version 2008

  December 18, 2007

  There are, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, approximately 8,983 earmarks (pork barrel legislation) for a total of around $7.4 BILLION in the 2008 omnibus appropriations bill.

  

• Lobbying and Gift Reform Passes House, Senate

  August 02, 2007

  A once-troubled lobbying reform bill has successfully made it through both the House and Senate and is on its way to the president where he is expected to sign it into law.

  

• Congress, Democrats, Losing Interest in Lobbying Reform

  May 15, 2007

  After much fanfare about "cleaning up Congress" and a "change from the status-quo", Congress, led by a Democratic majority, is quietly looking the other way on major legislation designed to limit the impact of lobbyist on Capitol Hill.

  

• New Congress Says “No” to Pork

  December 20, 2006

  The incoming chairmen of both the House and Senate Appropriations committees have created a plan that would eliminate $463 billion worth of expenses from the budget by removing thousands of earmarks (“pork”) inserted by members of Congress.

  

• CapitolWatch Applauds Senate for Unanimous Support of S. 2590

  September 11, 2006

  CapitolWatch applauds the Senate for their unanimous support for S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.

  

• Transparency Prevents Corruption

  September 04, 2006

  Sen. Tom Coburn (OK) introduced in April of this year legislation directing the Office of Management and Budget to create and make available, at no cost to the public, a database listing the amounts and itemized breakdown of federal funding that public and private entities receive, as well as what the funds were specifically for, and clearly identifying the recipient entity and its parent entity, if applicable.

  

• CapitolWatch supports Presidental Veto threat

  May 02, 2006

  CapitolWatch supports President Bush’s threat to veto an excessive $106.5 billion emergency spending bill for the Iraq War and rebuilding costs associated with Hurricane Katrina. The bill currently proposed in the Senate exceeds the Administration’s request by more than $14 billion.

  

• Pork-Free Diet in DC?

  February 27, 2006

  After a decade of watching "pork" spending increase 240% in Washington, DC, some members of Congress are finally starting to fight to rein in the wanton spending of U.S. taxpayer dollars.