The WasteWatcher

The WasteWatcher is the staff blog of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW). For questions, contact blog@cagw.org.

Pork-Barrel Madness 2019

March 11, 2019 - 11:41 — admin

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) presents its 2019 Pork-Barrel Madness bracket in honor of the NCAA tournament. The bracket features 32 of the worst pork-barrel earmarks of all time. Taxpayers will be able to vote on CAGW’s Twitter account @GovWaste. Voting on the first-round matchups begins on March 11 and the torunament will end on April 1.

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House Introduces Single-Payer Healthcare Plan: Medicare for All

March 8, 2019 - 17:15 — Elizabeth Wright

On Wednesday, February 27, Rep. Pramila Jaypal (D-Wa) introduced H.R. 1384, the “Medicare for All Act of 2019.” As of March 8, the bill has 106 co-sponsors. That represents 45 percent of the Democratic caucus.

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The Safe Freight Act would slow innovation and put railroads at a competitive disadvantage

March 8, 2019 - 14:38 — Allen Johnson

Are lawmakers in the 116th Congress again preparing to pick winners and losers in the commercial transportation industry?

Under former President Barack Obama, the Department of Transportation capitulated to the demands on union workers and issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to require all freight rail operations to have at least two members aboard. Fortunately, this rule never went into effect.

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Net Neutrality or an Open Internet

March 6, 2019 - 15:29 — Deborah Collier

On March 6, 2019, Congressional Democratic leaders joined together to announce legislation that would ensure “net neutrality.” This legislation would codify former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler’s government takeover of the internet by repealing the Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO) of 2017, reinstituting the Open Internet

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Basic Lack of Accountability Plagues NYC First Lady’s Mental Health Initiative

March 1, 2019 - 15:15 — Spencer Chretien

In 2015, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked his wife, First Lady Chirlane McCray, to lead an effort to tackle mental health challenges in the city. Called ThriveNYC, it purported to offer a “roadmap for mental health for all.” Yet records show Ms. McCray failed to keep track of how her program spent its money.

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Andrew Wheeler Confirmed as the New Head of Environmental Protection Agency

March 1, 2019 - 13:48 — Allen Johnson

By a vote of 52 to 47, the Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Andrew R. Wheeler as the 15th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mr. Wheeler served as the Deputy Administrator from April to July 2018, and then served as Acting Administrator from July 2018 to February 2019.

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Congress Rushes to Pass Government Funding Package

February 14, 2019 - 12:55 — Allen Johnson

The $333 billion spending package that Congress has cobbled together to avoid the threat of a partial government shutdown contains lots of giveaways that go beyond keeping the government’s lights on.

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The Greatest Sabotage to Obamacare is 'Medicare for All'

February 13, 2019 - 15:46 — Elizabeth Wright

Today the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing entitled, “Strengthening Our Health Care System: Legislation to Reverse ACA Sabotage and Ensure Pre-Existing Condition Protections.” The irony cannot be lost that Chairwoman Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) was a co-sponsor of H.R.

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Green New Deal Falls Flat

February 8, 2019 - 13:45 — Allen Johnson

In an effort to fight climate change, freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced this week a framework they call a "Green New Deal.” Saying that this plan is overly ambitious is an understatement.

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More Fake News about BPA

February 1, 2019 - 16:43 — Elizabeth Wright

For years, physicians, nutritionists, and behavioral scientists have been telling us that too many children are obese, eat too many foods high in fat and sugar, and are too sedentary. A May 29, 2018 Washington Post article noted that “the average American child spends five to eight hours in front of a digital screen.” We are not alone in our nation’s children living a much more inactive lifestyle then their pa

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