In early June, a coalition of urban and rural politicians in the Senate banded together to pass the Farm bill, a legislative piece that distributes welfare benefits to an unlikely pair: wealthy agro-businesses and the inner-city poor. Although widely popular among constituents, a common sense look at the bill reveals serious flaws. The Senate’s version … Continue reading
It’s been a tough May for Federal Agencies. Amid a backdrop of scrutiny over potential regulatory missteps in the Texas fertilizer plant explosion, accusations of document concealment at the Environmental Protection Agency, and lengthy congressional hearings into State Department action in the aftermath of the Benghazi terror attacks, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finished this … Continue reading
Have you ever taken a close look at where your taxpayer dollars go? If not, maybe you should start. The government spends its money in some pretty ridiculous ways. Money is often wasted through silly use of grants, and legislatively through earmarks. Also known as “pork barrel” spending, earmark spending is funding added to the … Continue reading
What are your thoughts about a federal tax on sugary drinks (ie. Soda, energy, and sports drinks)? The Field Poll, a non-partisan media-sponsored public opinion news service, found an interesting result in their survey of Californians’ views on the tax on sugary drinks. Approximately 40 percent of California residents voted in support of a soda … Continue reading
Congressman Dennis Ross (R-FL) is making efforts to relieve bipartisan stress and initiate action on reducing the nation’s debt. Earlier this week he submitted two bills that would reduce government spending, the BOLD Act and the ZERO Act. The BOLD Act seeks to reform how the government handles money by reducing the White House’s and … Continue reading
Last Thursday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner presented Congress with the Obama administration’s plan intended to avert the impending fiscal cliff. The plan was, quite literally, laughable. It called for $50 Billion in new stimulus spending, the end of Congressional authority to raise the debt limit, $1.6 Trillion in new revenues from higher taxes on the … Continue reading
By Will Portman Yesterday I attended a panel entitled “A Millionaire’s Tax and the Economy” at the Center for American Progress. One of the panelists, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), discussed his bill, the Paying a Fair Share Act, which would mandate that individuals earning above $2 million a year pay at least 30 percent federal … Continue reading
Policy Interns 