Today Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released its WasteWatcher, a monthly dispatch to members of the news media, highlighting some of the most prominent fiscal issues affecting American taxpayers. The stories from January's WasteWatcher edition are listed in part as follows:
What's the Word? WRDA!
By
William M. Christian
"WRDA," a legislative acronym pronounced
"word-uh" in Beltway speak and not to be confused with Cameo's 1986
hip-hop hit,
"Word Up," refers to the Water Resources Development Act, the
authorization of water-related infrastructure projects. Read the full
storyhere.
The Good, the Bad, and the Bipartisan Budget
Act of 2013
By PJ Austin
On December 26,
2013, President Obama signed H.
J. Res. 59, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which sets a two-year
budget for fiscal year (FY) 2014 and FY 2015. Although H.J. Res. 59
included some positive provisions, on the whole, it is an ugly deal for
taxpayers. Read the full story here.
Problem Identified, Solution Needed
By
Sean Kennedy
"The problem isn't that we don't know what the
problem is, the problem is that we [members of Congress] don't act,"
Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) stated
in testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
on January 9, 2014. Read the full story here.
Medicaid Expansion - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
By
Elizabeth Wright
CAGW is against the expansion of Medicaid. It
is a terrible
healthcare system that is paid for by taxpayers and consumes on average
24 percent of a state's budget. The Congressional Budget Office predicts
Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare,
will grow 8
percent. Read the full storyhere.
A Picture of Real FCC Reform
By
Deborah Collier
Even in successful industries such as
communications, the government's regulatory burdens have an adverse
impact on innovation and growth. The cost of compliance is high and
often passed along to consumers in the form of fees and additional
taxes. Read the full story here.
Put the Taxpayers' Money and the Unemployed to
Work
By Alexandra Booze
After emergency
unemployment insurance benefits expired for more than 1.3 million
Americans on December 28, 2013, President Obama vowed
to make the issue a top priority in the New Year. On January 6, 2014,
the Senate voted 60-37
in favor of S.
1845, which would extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation
(EUC) program. Read the full story here.
CAGW is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW)
Alexandra Booze,
202-467-5318
Leslie K. Paige, 202-467-5300