It is one thing for Congress to cut taxes for major manufacturers such as those working in the wine, beer, and liquor industry, but it is another issue altogether to do so by burying the language in little-noticed sections of the highway reauthorization bill. Yet this is exactly what is happening right now and it is only one example of an increasingly opaque system Congress uses to make piecemeal changes to the tax code without debate.

In a strange development in late May, a bipartisan group of Senators on the Finance Committee cosponsored legislation introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) to permanently repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax. However, the legislation does not include provisions to offset the huge cost of the bill.

Efforts to free the Food and Drug Administration from the pharmaceutical industry's excessive influence seesawed between success and failure in the same week, as the House voted to ban drug company scientists from FDA advisory committees while an agency whistleblower revealed that a new drug safety board has been tilted in favor of the drug companies. New Drug Safety Board Biased Towards Industry

The House Administration Committee approved an amended version of the 527 Fairness Act (H.R. 1316) on June 8 in a straight party line vote. The bill would repeal some parts of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) by increasing limits on individual and PAC contributions and removing restrictions on electioneering communications by some nonprofits. It would not put limits on contributions to independent 527 groups, but would require them to report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as well as the IRS. Internet communications would also be exempt from regulation.