• Legislative Formulas?
    Jan 13, 2009  - In today’s edition of Roll Call, there is a rather telling article regarding earmarks in the Economic Stimulus Package.  The article, titled “Artfully Redefining Earmarks,” clearly points out that some members clearly don’t get it, including those close to Speaker Pelosi.  House Majority W... More
  • 111th Congress' Version of the PAYGO Gimmick
    Jan 7, 2009  - I am no fan of the Democrats pay-as-you go (PAYGO) rule that was put in place at the beginning of the 110th Congress, in fact their rule was nothing more than a cheap gimmick which they ignored on a wide range of bills. When taken together this would amount to an increase in the deficit by more than... More
  • Worst Waste of the Year
    Dec 15, 2008  - Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) recently released a report on the “Worst Waste of the Year.”  This report details some of the most ridiculous, wasteful, duplicative, and flat out silly instances of spending that comes out of Washington, DC.    Coburn says that “Wasting taxpayer dollars in any year is u... More
  • Holding Government More Accountable
    Dec 11, 2008  - Recently, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) unveiled a new project called the Center for Fiscal Accountability. The project specifically strives: To work with policymakers and activists to enhance transparency in government spending by creating searchable online databases; To develop be... More
  • The Deficit Skyrocket
    Dec 11, 2008  - As part of my weekly report as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee’s Budget and Spending Task Force, I made note that according to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) December Budget Review, the first two months of FY 2009, the federal government has run a deficit of $408 billion on a cas... More
  • Withholding Funds
    Nov 19, 2008  - According to some of the most recent reports, it is clear that Senator Ted Stevens has indeed lost his bid for reelection for Senate in Alaska (read article here). Yesterday, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and I wrote a letter to the Chairmen of the Appropriations Committees in both houses, asking that ... More
  • Taking out the Trash
    Oct 17, 2008  - Many of you watched the final presidential debate on Wednesday night, and the candidates were asked, “What would you cut from the federal budget”.  If the answers given were unsatisfactory to you, the National Taxpayer’s Union (NTU) and Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), have teamed up t... More
  • An Appetite for Earmarks
    Sep 18, 2008  - You would think that Senator Ted Steven’s (R-AK) legal battle would be the sole occupant of his time, but according to an article in The Hill yesterday, it seems that his insatiable appetite for earmarks hasn’t been abated one bit.  According to the article, Stevens has managed to garner mo... More
  • New Taxes for Energy that Won’t Produce
    Sep 16, 2008  - I am sure many of you have been paying attention to the debate (or lack thereof) on energy in Congress.  Well now the majority has decided to take up a bill after months of pleas from Republican members of the House.  However, this bill is designed to fail, and worse yet it increases spend... More
  • National Earmarks for Security
    Sep 12, 2008  - It’s no secret that this Congress has had a problem passing appropriations bills on time.  Last year, we resorted to passing a giant omnibus bill at the last minute, and this year we likely will recess until after the election by passing a continuing resolution (CR), to fund the government at i... More