Government Matters Articles

Effort to Revive CARE Act Fails

Lack of offsets to pay for the costs of new charitable tax deductions and disputes over the rules for a conference committee have appeared to doom an effort by Sens. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) to attach the CARE Act to S. 1637, the Jumpstart Our Business Strength Act (JOBS), which deals with extraterritorial income. On March 23, Santorum sought unanimous consent to move the JOBS bill, citing the support of Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). But Daschle withdrew his support because House Republicans have excluded Democrats from conference negotiations with the House.

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Office of Management and Budget May Be the Only Government Programs' Evaluator

First, GPRA, then PART, and now PAR - government performance measures continue to multiply. More alarming is their morphing from bipartisan efforts that had a role for both the executive and legislative branches; to performance measures dictated by the executive branch in order to control spending to support political objectives.

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No Budget Resolution

Whether or not tax cuts must be offset - that is the question.

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Economy and Jobs Watch: Jobs finally rebound, but remain 6.6 million below trend; unemployment rise

The economy added 308,000 new jobs in March, announced the Labor Department on Friday. The strong jobs number came largely due to the service sector which added 230,000 new jobs, while the manufacturing sector continues to struggle with no net new jobs in March.

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FEC Urged to Narrow Rulemaking on Scope of Regulation

Three campaign finance groups have written the Federal Election Commission (FEC) urging them to narrow the scope of their proposed rule on what groups must register as “political committees.” The three groups are hoping that the FEC can resolve what they deem the most pressing issues for this election cycle. The FEC has not yet responded to their request.

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"Voluntary" Guidelines to Prevent Terrorist Financing Called Poorly Designed

The Treasury Department’s “Voluntary Best Practices for U.S. Based Charities,” are poorly designed for their stated purpose of helping prevent diversion of funds to terrorists. Several speakers made that assessment at a recent Philanthropy and Security forum, hosted by Georgetown University’s Center for Democracy and the Third Sector , which focused on the merits of the Treasury Department guidelines.

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Wisconsin Considering Copying Federal Rule on Issue Ads

A recent move by the Wisconsin State Elections Board may foreshadow a coming trend that bodes ill for issue advocacy—namely, attempts to regulate such activity. On March 10, the board decided to proceed with drafting a new rule that would regulate so-called “issue ads.” The state board’s rule borrows elements of the new definition of “electioneering communications” under federal campaign finance law. Unlike the federal law, however, the Wisconsin rule does not ban corporations, labor unions or nonprofits from paying for these communications.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service to Address Program and Policy Issues

Both Congress and the President have asked the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to undertake formal rulemaking to address significant program and policy issues. President Bush has instructed CNCS to improve accountability and efficiency in administrating its programs. In an Executive Order, the president asks that the Corporation adhere to four “fundamental principles” when making these changes. The four include expanding opportunities for faith-based and community organizations and raising more money from the private sector and state and local governments.

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Environmental Protection Agency Fast-Tracking Review of Website Link Policy

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expediting a review of its policy concerning links from the agency’s website to external sites. EPA had originally scheduled the review for January 2005, but moved it up in response to a letter from Reps. Cubin (R-WY) and Gibbons (R-NV). The letter accused EPA of inappropriately linking to extremist groups. OMB Watch and Environmental Defense are among the specific groups the congressmen were referring to.

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OMNIBUS APPROPRIATION BILL AS FIRST CHOICE, NOT LAST RESORT?

Usually, an omnibus appropriations bill is a last resort. This year it may be the first choice.

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