From National Taxpayers Union  September 27, 2007 Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of the millions of Americans represented by our respective organizations, we write in strong support of the House discharge petition (H. Res. 559) to call a vote on H. Res. 479. This resolution would ensure all earmarks are publicly disclosed and subject [...]

Thursday, September 27, 2007 By: David Williams Wastewatcher, September 2007 When many Americans think of Europe, they conjure up images of slow-moving socialist bureaucracies. While this type of government exists in some countries, there is a growing free market and taxpayer movement spreading throughout the continent. Since 2003, taxpayer and free market groups have gathered [...]

Thursday, September 27, 2007 By: Alexa Moutevelis Wastewatcher, September 2007 Congress is considering changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as well as increasing the availability of state-sponsored insurance funds.  Both initiatives would expose taxpayers to massive costs. The Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007, H.R. 3121, reauthorizes the NFIP for five [...]

Thursday, September 27, 2007 By: Leslie K. Paige Wastewatcher, September 2007 The I-35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people, dominated several news cycles and gave politicians the kind of somber photo ops they can rarely resist.  In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee [...]

by Troy Stouffer Last summer and fall the subject of earmarks and “pork barrel” spending was in the headlines almost every day due to the Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham scandals. Those scandals and the prospect of regaining control of the House of Representatives prompted the Democratic House leaders to promise earmark reform. Earmarks are [...]

For Immediate Release September 5, 2007 Contact: Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334 Alexa Moutevelis 202-467-5318 Washington, D.C. – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released “Property Rights in the 21st Century: Don’t Steal This Paper or My Ideas.” “The importance of protecting personal and intellectual property rights cannot be overemphasized. From the expansion of eminent domain [...]

Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today hailed a local government agency’s decision to disavow a $10 million federal earmark placed by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) for an unnecessary road project in Florida.  “This is a symbolic victory over wasteful spending,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “While the declaration may not have any legal [...]

Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) Porker of the Month for August, 2007.  In the wake of the bridge collapse in the congressman’s home state in which at least nine people were killed, Chairman Oberstar’s immediate reaction was to propose a “temporary” 5 cent increase [...]

Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and member Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) Porkers of the Month for July, 2007.  They have led the effort to expand, instead of reform, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). SCHIP was created in 1997, and approximately $40 billion has [...]