Where is the Money Going?
Locally-Grown Foods Account for Less than 2% of Total Sales in U.S.
Fueled by a flood of influential books and documentary films, the locally grown foods movement has basked in the media spotlight (including a Time magazine cover in 2007) and enjoyed astronomical growth since the turn of the century. In fact, loca... read more
Why Do Taxpayers Pay $3.3 Billion a Year for Private Contractor Pension Funds?
As part of doing business with the federal government, large U.S. corporations receive annual multi-million-dollar contributions to their private pension funds.
About $3.3 billion in taxpayer funds were paid in 2010 by federal agencies to the ... read more
Obama Administration Allows Bigger Businesses to Qualify as Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has published new guidelines that will result in more companies qualifying as small businesses, allowing them to enjoy certain contracting advantages.
After conducting its first comprehensive review of s... read more
Obama Administration Invested Billions in Companies Supported by Energy Dept. Insiders
Following on the Solyndra controversy, the Department of Energy under President Barack Obama is now accused of funneling billions of dollars in funding to companies that have connections within the department.
An investigation by The Washingto... read more
Pentagon Ignores the “Printer Ink” Syndrome in Weapons Spending
The cost of owning a printer for a home computer rests as much in the amount spent on ink cartridges as it does on the purchase price of the printer itself. The same can be said of billion-dollar weapons systems purchased by the Department of Defe... read more
Obama Cabinet Members Prepare to Raise Money for Super PACs
Having decided to support Democratic efforts to raise large sums of money via super PACs, President Barack Obama has recruited four members of his cabinet to participate in the fundraising for his super PAC, Priorities USA Action, and other Democr... read more
Democrats Seek Super-Rich Donors to Match Republican Super-Rich Donors...Is This Democracy in Action?
Having watched their Republican counterparts rake in enormous sums from wealthy donors, five Democratic super PACs are now trying to do the same, only with rich Democrats.
The goal of the five Democratic super PACs is to receive donations rang... read more
Court Sides with Picnickers and Sightseers against National Forest Fees
Hikers, picnickers and back-country campers won a major court victory last week recognizing their right to enter undeveloped National Forest lands free of charge. At issue were U.S. Forest Service rules requiring visitors to Mount Lemmon in the C... read more
Most Cost-Efficient Federal Agency Forced to Cut Staff
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), considered by some as the most efficient federal agency in Washington, has been forced to reduce its staffing levels to a 75-year low, due to budget cuts.
The agency saved the government $45.7 billio... read more
More Than One Third of Super PAC TV Ads Funded Anonymously
About 40% of the campaign ads related to the 2012 election so far have been funded by secret donors whose identity may never be known.
By declaring themselves to be “social welfare” groups concerned with policies rather than politics, these gr... read more
TV and Radio Networks Fight Public Disclosure of Income from Political Ads
An effort by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create more transparency for political advertisements is being opposed by television and radio networks.
Under current law, broadcasters must maintain a “public inspection file” that ... read more
What do Plastic Bags and Military Contractors Have in Common? One Congressman
A Republican running for an open seat in the California Assembly has received unusually large donations from defense contractors, possibly because of her congressman-husband who holds a powerful position in Washington.
Outraged by Los Angeles ... read more
Government Workers Paid Better than in Private Sector…Except Those with Advanced Degrees
For anyone with limited education, the federal government is the place to go for a job.
According to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), federal civil servants with only a high school diploma earned 21% more, on average, t... read more
Pro-Romney Super PAC Spent More in Florida than McCain’s Entire 2008 Primary Ad Budget
This year’s just-concluded Republican primary in Florida will go down as the most expensive, and nasty, in state history.
Determined to stop Newt Gingrich’s momentum after winning South Carolina, Mitt Romney’s super PAC, Restore Our Future, sp... read more
Federal Employees Owe $3.4 Billion in Back Taxes
From the White House to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), nearly 280,000 federal employees owe the government back taxes, which collectively total $3.42 billion.
Among those behind on paying the IRS are 36 aides to President Barack Obama, wh... read more
Pentagon Paying Boeing for Bigger Bomb
Defense contractor Boeing stands to make even more money off its “bunker-buster” bomb, which the U.S. may be planning to use against Iran.
To date, Boeing has taken in about $330 million from the Department of Defense to develop 20 of the 30,0... read more