Congress Squanders Year As Appropriations Remain Unfinished

With the beginning of the new fiscal year less than three weeks away, not one of this year's appropriations bills has been signed into law. The Senate shoulders most of the blame for the standstill, having now passed just two of its 12 appropriations bills. Because there is so little time left, Congress will have to finish up its appropriations work in a lame-duck session after the November election.

read in full

Spending Transparency Bill Passes Senate, House Approval Imminent

After a month of secret holds, back-room maneuvering, stall tactics and butting of heads, the Senate quietly passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590) on Thursday, Sept. 7 by unanimous consent. The bill will dramatically increase government accountability and public access to federal spending data, by creating a free, public, searchable website of all federal spending, including government contracts and grants. The House is expected to amend the bill slightly before passing it this week.

read in full

Five Years Since 9/11: More Secrecy, Less Security

Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, yet the government's efforts to secure the nation against another terrorist attack have been minimal, leaving the country's chemical plants, ports, and other installations dangerously unsecured while increasing secrecy and intrusion into civil liberties.

read in full

DHS Fails to Protect Critical Infrastructure

On Sept. 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule for procedures for handling information about critical infrastructure. The rule amends the interim rule issued in February 2004, for which OMB Watch submitted comments. Unfortunately, DHS ignored OMB Watch's suggested modifications, and the final rule opens the door to misuse by the private sector, allowing companies to restrict public access to information that is vital to protecting public health and safety.

read in full

Getting Congress to Punch the Clock

Following Congress's failure to pass meaningful lobby reform, the Sunlight Network has launched a two-month grassroots campaign to increase transparency about the actions and activities of our elected representatives. The Punch Clock Campaign offers rewards to the public for persuading lawmakers to post their daily schedules on the internet.

read in full

Criticism of Draft Risk Assessment Bulletin May Delay Implementation

InsideEPA, a Washington trade publication, reports that criticism from federal agency officials could prevent the Office of Management and Budget from finalizing a bulletin on risk assessments.

On Jan. 9, 2006, the OMB released a draft bulletin governing how agencies perform risk assessments. If enacted, the new standards would create a one-size-fits-all standard, requiring more information and analysis before agencies could act to protect the public.

read in full

Despite Short-Term Gains, CBO Forecasts Grim Long-Term Fiscal Outlook

On Aug. 17, The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released the annual summer update to its Budget and Economic Outlook report. In it, CBO lowers its estimate of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget deficit by 30 percent from its March analysis and now projects the year-end deficit at $260 billion. The rosy news, however, did little to assuage analysts' concerns over fiscal challenges looming on the horizon.

read in full

As Elections Near, New Complaints of Partisan Activity Filed Against Religious Groups

New complaints filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) accuse churches in Missouri and Texas of participating in partisan political activities that are prohibited under the tax code. Meanwhile, Focus on the Family announced a new voter mobilization drive aimed at evangelical churches which will likely result in IRS complaints before the November elections. Both developments highlight the continued confusion and ambiguity that have plagued IRS policy on voter education and mobilization activities by nonprofits. Missouri Catholic Conference and Voter Education on Stem Cell Research

read in full

Open Government Rising Issue for 2006 Elections

With November--and its many state, local and midterm Congressional elections--just around the corner, candidates are promising citizens a more open government in exchange for their vote. Access advocates believe that recent revelations about government secrecy (such the National Security Administration's covert warrantless spying program) and Washington corruption scandals have boosted public support for more democratic and less secretive government at the national, state and local levels, and campaigns are picking up on it.

read in full

Federal Court Finds NSA Eavesdropping Program Unconstitutional

In a ruling last week, the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Michigan found the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless domestic spying program to be in violation of the First and Fourth Amendments and the separation of powers. The decision came on a case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenging the legality of the NSA program by arguing that the rights of several journalists and academics had been violated.

read in full

Pages