Congress
May 08, 2008
* Committee Releases Findings From Crandall Canyon Mine Tragedy Investigation

News release: "The Committee launched an investigation immediately after the disaster, finding it likely that the tragedy was the result of a flawed plan for conducting retreat mining in the area of the mine where the deaths occurred."

May 07, 2008
* Local Cost of War Breakdowns Based on President's New Funding Request

"As Congress considers President Bush's request for another $178 billion in total war funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2008 and the first part of Fiscal Year 2009, the National Priorities Project (NPP) released today a state-level table and breakdowns of Iraq war spending costs by state, congressional district, county and town, showing the local cost of the additional request and what that amount of money could buy in domestic services for each locality instead."

Of the $178 billion war spending request, $135 billion is dedicated to the Iraq War, with close to $84 billion allocated for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2008 and almost $52 billion allocated for the start of Fiscal Year 2009.

NPP's state-level table shows the cost of the Iraq War thus far to each state, the cost to each state of the pending funding request and what that amount could buy each state in health care, school teachers and affordable housing. NPP's "trade-offs" page offers similar breakdowns by congressional district, county, town and state as well.

* Background Material and Data on the Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means, 2008

News release: "Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), today announced the release of the 2008 edition of Background Material and Data on the Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means, informally known as the Green Book. The Green Book provides updated data and information on programs within the Committee’s jurisdiction, such as Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment Compensation, Foster Care and welfare. Additionally, it includes a discussion of related issues, such as the well-being of the elderly and of children and families. Since its first publication in 1981, the Green Book has become a valued reference guide for legislators, administrators, researchers and interested citizens. Upon completion, individual chapters of this volume will be accessible on the Committee’s website."

* Fact Sheet: Emergency Supplemental: Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans, and Workers

Fact Sheet: Emergency Supplemental: Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans, and Workers, House Appropriations Committee - Majority, May 7, 2008.

  • "This week the House of Representatives will consider the emergency supplemental bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and pressing domestic needs. Under consideration are $183.77 billion in outstanding requests from the President. The Democratic proposal totals $183.686 billion, just under the President’s request for appropriated dollars."
  • May 06, 2008
    * Boxer Opening Statement: "Perchlorate and TCE in the Nation’s Waters"

    Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - hearing entitled Perchlorate and TCE in Water, May 6, 2008.

    From Opening Statement by Chairman Barbara Boxer: "...today we will hear about EPA's particularly disturbing failures to address significant risks to our families from two widespread drinking water contaminants: perchlorate and trichloroethylene, usually just called "TCE."

    Perchlorate is used to make rocket fuel, but when it gets into drinking water, this toxic chemical can interfere with the thyroid and affect hormone systems, which control the way the body develops. Infants and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to perchlorate.

    Researchers have found that over 20 million Americans' drinking water supplies contain perchlorate. GAO found in 2005 that there were nearly 400 sites in 35 states contaminated with perchlorate. My state of California had 106 sites.

    The evidence of significant exposure to perchlorate and assorted health risks has strengthened in recent years. In 2006, scientists at the CDC found "widespread human exposure to perchlorate" in the US, including in young children. They also found that many women who were exposed to perchlorate in their drinking water had significant changes in thyroid hormone levels."

    May 05, 2008
    * Biden Releases Study on China’s Rising Global Influence

    News release: "Today, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) released a Congressional Research Service (CRS) study on the implications for U.S. economic and security interests of China’s rising global influence. The study, which CRS produced at Senator Biden’s request in consultation with a distinguished group of China specialists and other regional and functional analysts, examines the strengths and weaknesses of China’s foreign policy and growing use “soft power” in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

  • CRS Study: China's Foreign Policy and "Soft Power" in South America, Asia, and Africa, April 2008 (139 pages, PDF). Report Prepared by the Congressional Research Service at the Request of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden
  • * Committee Holds Hearings on Lack of Hospital Emergency Surge Capacity

    House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings to examine the current lack of hospital emergency surge capacity. The hearings will focus on the widening mismatch between the growing demand for emergency care and available supply, impact of the Administration’s Medicaid regulations on hospital emergency surge capacity, and the ability of hospitals to respond to a mass casualty event, such as a terrorist attack using conventional explosives or natural disaster.

    May 04, 2008
    * CDT Testimony: DHS, State Using Insecure RFID Technology

    Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT): "The long-range or "vicinity" Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology chosen by the Departments of Homeland Security and State for government-issued ID documents poses serious risks to personal privacy and security, CDT testified today before a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee. CDT recommended that DHS and State abandon the technology, which was originally developed to track things, not people, and that encryption be used to protect a citizen's unique ID number. CDT also urged Congress to support legislation or regulations banning unauthorized "skimming" of RFID chips and prohibiting use of the passport card and Enhanced Driver's License beyond border security."

    May 03, 2008
    * 2007 OMB Watch Annual Report

    "Throughout 2007, OMB Watch diligently exposed assaults on public protections and fought for greater government accountability and performance. Our 2007 Annual Report offers you some highlights from the past year."

  • "OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, was formed in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB oversees federal regulation, the budget, information collection and dissemination, proposed legislation, testimony by agencies, and much more. While OMB’s actions were having an enormous impact on agency operations
    and the pursuit of social justice, it remained largely behind the scenes – unaccountable and not well understood by the public and public interest groups. By explaining governmental processes and monitoring OMB, OMB Watch helped bring sunshine to this powerful and secretive agency."
  • April 30, 2008
    * State Department Releases Country Reports on Terrorism 2007

    News release: "...Besides meeting Congressional requirements, the 2007 edition of the Country Reports on Terrorism aims to inform, to stimulate constructive debate, and to enhance our collective understanding of the international terrorist threat. The Country Reports should serve as a reference tool to inform policymakers, the American public, and our international partners about our efforts, progress and challenges in the war on terror. The 2007 Report begins with a strategic overview to illustrate trends. We note some positives. First, working with allies and partners across the world, we created a less permissive operating environment for terrorists, kept leaders on the move or in hiding, and degraded their ability to plan and mount attacks. Dozens of countries have passed new legislation or strengthened preexisting laws that provide law enforcement and judicial authorities with new tools to bring terrorists to justice."

  • Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 (html format): "U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation. This annual report is entitled Country Reports on Terrorism."
  • * House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

    Committee Report: Deploying Federal Civilians to the Battlefield: Incentives, Benefits and Medical Care, April 2008. Report Prepared by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

  • "Our government has asked many federal civilian volunteers to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. With the current plans to develop corps of more readily deployable active and reserve civilians, agencies will need a substantial number of personnel for future stability and
    reconstruction missions, including those in a non-permissive security environment. The committee sought to understand how well the government fulfills its obligation to support and adequately compensate those who are asked to take these assignments. Are support and compensation commensurate with the risks these personnel face in combat zones?"
  • * EIA: Energy Market and Economic Impacts
    • May 2008 Petroleum Marketing Monthly With Data for February 2008 (04/30/2008): "Monthly price and volume statistics on crude oil and petroleum products at a national, regional and state level."
    • April 2008 Natural Gas Monthly With Data for February 2008 (04/30/2008): "Natural and supplemental gas production, supply, consumption, disposition, storage, imports, exports, and prices in the United States.
    • State-Level Energy Production Annual Time Series Through 2005 (04/30/2008): "State-level energy production annual time series are now available in the State Energy Data System (SEDS). Included are: coal, crude oil, and natural gas production estimates in physical units and British thermal units (Btu); total energy production estimates in Btu comprising fossil fuel production, renewable energy production, and nuclear electric power generation; rankings of production by State; and comparisons of State-level production and consumption. Time series cover 1960-2005 except for natural gas and total production, which span 1970-2005. Data are provided in tables of PDF and Excel format, as well as in a comma-separated data file. Detailed documentation of data sources and estimation methodologies is also provided."
    • Energy Market and Economic Impacts of S.2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007 (04/30/2008): "This report responds to a request from Senators Lieberman and Warner for an analysis of S.2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007. S.2191 is a complex bill regulating emissions of greenhouse gases through market-based mechanisms, energy efficiency programs, and economic incentives. This analysis focuses on the impacts of the greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program established under Title I of S. 2191.
    April 29, 2008
    * FTC Testifies on Efforts to Protect Consumers in Subprime Mortgage Market

    News release: "The Federal Trade Commission testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism [Improving Consumer Protections in Subprime Lending], about the Commission’s continuing efforts to protect subprime mortgage borrowers. The testimony described the agency’s priorities, including deceptive mortgage advertising, deceptive or unfair servicing practices, discrimination in lending, and foreclosure rescue scams..."

    * The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle: Over Budget, Behind Schedule, and Unreliable

    House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Holds Hearing on Defense Department Acquisitions: "The hearing will examine the recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled, Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs. This report found that the Defense Department’s 95 major weapons acquisition programs currently exceed their original budgets by nearly $300 billion dollars and are, on average, 21 months late in delivering these weapons systems to warfighters. These rates of cost overruns and delivery delays are significantly higher than in previous GAO surveys. The hearing will represent the first opportunity for Department of Defense officials to testify to Congress about the report."

  • The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle: Over Budget, Behind Schedule, and Unreliable, Unites States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Majority Staff April 29, 2008
  • April 28, 2008
    * Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, Volumes I and II

    Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, Volumes I and II (Note: 1125 pages, PDF). Senate Print 110-40, April 2008.

  • "The country reports on human rights practices contained herein were prepared by the Department of State in accordance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. They also fulfill the legislative requirements of section 505(c) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The reports cover the human rights practices of all nations that are members of the United Nations and a few that are not. They are printed to assist Members of Congress in the consideration of legislation, particularly foreign assistance legislation. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations. Howard L. Berman, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs."
  • * Senate Approves Health Privacy Bill

    "The Center for Democracy and Technology applauds the Senate's passage of HR 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (GINA) by unanimous consent. The House is expected to quickly pass the measure. The bill represents a significant step forward in protecting health privacy because it prohibits the use of genetic information by employers when making hiring decisions or by health insurers when making coverage decisions or adjusting premiums. Under GINA, employers and insurers also would not be allowed to impose genetic testing requirements. CDT is urging the President to quickly sign the bill into law."

    April 27, 2008
    * CBO: PBGC Investment Strategy and Cap-and-Trade Program for Carbon Dioxide Emissions
    * Orphan Works Act of 2008 Introduced in House and Senate

    The Orphan Works Act of 2008 (HR 5889 and S 2913) "attempts to create a system where new creators can use old works without fear of massive lawsuits, provided that a good faith effort has been made to find out if the work in question is copyrighted." [Link]

    April 23, 2008
    * Hundreds of EPA Scientists Report Political Interference Over Last Five Years

    News release: "An investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency released today found that 889 of nearly 1,600 staff scientists reported that they experienced political interference in their work over the last five years. The study, by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), follows previous UCS investigations of the Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and climate scientists at seven federal agencies, which also found significant administration manipulation of federal science."

    April 22, 2008
    * CBO Cost Estimate for Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008

    H.R. 5613, Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008, April 22, 2008: "Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on April 16, 2008."

  • "H.R. 5613 would extend existing moratoria on certain regulatory actions taken by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with regard to the Medicaid program. Those actions are related to payments for services furnished by public providers, for graduate
    medical education, for school-based administration and transportation services, and for rehabilitation services. In addition, the bill would impose new moratoria on Medicaid regulations involving targeted case-management services and provider taxes and on a proposed regulation involving outpatient hospital services. The bill would appropriate $5 million to study the effects of these regulations on the Medicaid program."
  • * FCC Chairman Testify and Lawrence Lessig Testify on Future of the Internet

    Written Statement of Kevin J. Martin, Chairman Federal Communications Commission Before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing, Future of the Internet, April 22, 2008.

  • "Thank you for inviting me here today to provide my thoughts on the future of the Internet and the Commission's current role on some of the issues being discussed today. Over the past decade, the Internet has had a powerful impact on the economy and on the lives of American citizens. We have witnessed the fruits of increased innovation, entrepreneurship, and competition that this technology has helped deliver. As policymakers, any rules of the road in this area must maintain an open and dynamic Internet that will allow it to continue to be an engine of productivity and innovation that benefits all Americans."
  • Statement of Prof. Lawrence Lessig - Future of the Internet: "The threat facing the Internet today is that network owners will convince regulators to go back on that original design. Through regulatory policies that permit broadband providers to act however their private interests dictate, these regulatory policies would threaten the economic potential of the network generally. New innovation always comes from outsiders. If insiders are given both technical and legal control over innovation on the Internet, innovation will be stifled."
  • April 21, 2008
    * Gov't Reform Cmte. Chairman Requests Information on Increase in Military Personnel Waivers

    News release: "In a letter to Under Secretary of Defense Chu, Chairman Waxman requested documents related to the recent sharp increase in the number of personnel conduct waivers, which allow the enlistment of U.S. service members who would otherwise be precluded by recruitment standards, and released the number of waivers granted for specific criminal felonies in FY 2006 and FY 2007."

  • "According to the data provided to the Committee, the Army and Marine Corps significantly increased the number of waivers they granted for enlistees with felony convictions from 2006 to 2007. Army waivers increased from 249 waivers in 2006 to 511 waivers in 2007,
    while Marine Corps waivers increased from 208 waivers in 2006 to 350 waivers in 2007. Both branches increased the number of waivers they granted for almost every type of felony offense."
  • April 20, 2008
    * Economic and Housing Rescue Legislation Introduced in the House

    News release: "In response to the nationwide economic downturn caused by the housing and credit crisis, members of the House Financial Services Committee today introduced legislation to combat the unprecedented rise in foreclosures, and the associated impact on cities and states. The legislation first announced by Chairman Barney Frank in March, will be divided into two measures: H.R. 5830, the FHA Housing and Homeowner Retention Act, to expand the FHA program to help refinance at-risk borrowers into viable mortgages and also requires the Federal Reserve Board to conduct a study on the need for an auction or bulk refinancing mechanism. The second measure, H.R. 5818, the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008, introduced by Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Chairwoman Maxine Waters, will provide loans and grants to states and cities to deal with problems associated with large numbers of foreclosures in neighborhoods across the country." [graphic from AP on proposed plan to help homeowners]

    April 17, 2008
    * Judiciary Chairman Conyers Demands Karl Rove Testimony

    News release: "Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Committee Members Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Artur Davis (D-AL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced three critical actions in the Committee's investigation into allegations of selective or poltiically-motivated prosecution in the Justice Department. The Members today invited Karl Rove to testify before the committee; urged the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate those allegations; and demanded that Attorney General Michael Mukasey provide additional documents on this subject."

    * Report: Lessons We Need to Learn from Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan

    House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations: Agency Stovepipes vs Strategic Agility: Lessons We Need to Learn from Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, April 2008, 84 pages, PDF.

  • "The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations chose to investigate Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) because they are considered to be critical to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The subcommittee used PRTs as a case study of an
    issue that the subcommittee has been interested in – examining in more depth how multiple agencies work together, or for that matter, do not work together in the field and in Washington, as the third quote above suggests. As we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, the national effort involves more than just military actions, and instead requires integrated efforts and the resources of government departments and agencies beyond the Department of Defense (the Department, DOD). PRTs illustrate the need for effective, integrated action to achieve government-wide “unity of effort” in complex contingency operations. We wanted to know how the departments and agencies in Washington give comprehensive and consistent guidance to the military services and combatant commanders (COCOMs), as well as how both Washington and organizations at agency, service, and COCOM levels support interagency operations in the field. After all, mission success will only be ensured if senior leaders adequately guide and support the people who the nation has asked to do difficult jobs under dangerous and challenging conditions."
  • * House Homeland Security Committee Newsletter Focuses on Opportunities for Small Business Contractors

    Chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson: "I began this newsletter to alleviate the gap that exists between the need for information about opportunities available at the Department and the ability to locate and disseminate that information in a timely and user-friendly manner. Similarly, my experience has taught me that the gap between need and ability also affects businesses in their quest to interact with the Department. A small business owner may have a concept for a product that will address an important homeland security need, but lack the resources necessary to bring the product on-line. A large company may not have developed the original concept, but may possess the resources necessary to transform a prototype into an available product. The gap between concept and production can be bridged by providing each party with the type of information they need to create a product that fills a critical need. This newsletter is intended to bridge the gaps that keep information unavailable, sidelines worthwhile businesses, discourages full participation, and permits vulnerabilities to continue."

  • Business Opportunities at DHS, March 2008
  • Business Opportunities at DHS, April 2008
  • April 16, 2008
    * International Violence Against Women: U.S. Response and Policy Issues

    CRS Report: International Violence Against Women: U.S. Response and Policy Issues, March 31, 2008

  • "In recent years, the international community has increasingly recognized international violence against women (VAW) as a significant human rights and global health issue. VAW, which can include both random acts of violence as well as sustained abuse over time, can be physical, psychological, or sexual in nature. Studies have found that VAW occurs in all geographic regions, countries, cultures, and economic classes, with some surveys showing that women in developing countries experience higher rates of violence than those in developed countries. Many experts view VAW as a symptom of the historically unequal power relationship between men and women, and argue that over time this imbalance has led to pervasive cultural stereotypes and attitudes that perpetuate a cycle of violence...This report addresses causes, prevalence, and consequences of violence against women. It provides examples of U.S. activities that address VAW directly or include anti-VAW components. It also outlines possible policy considerations for the 110th Congress, including the scope and effectiveness of current U.S. programs; further integrating anti-VAW programs into U.S. assistance and foreign policy mechanisms; strengthening U.S. government coordination of international anti-VAW activities; and collaborating with international organizations such as the United Nations on anti-VAW efforts."
  • April 15, 2008
    * DOJ OIG Testimony on FBI's Use of National Security Letters and Section 215 Orders for Business Records

    Statement of Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties concerning “The FBI’s Use of National Security Letters and Section 215 Orders for Business Records”, April 15, 2008.

    * CBO: Cost Estimate for S. 2191, America's Climate Security Act of 2007
    * CBO: Policy Options for the Housing and Financial Markets

    CBO - Policy Options for the Housing and Financial Markets, April 2008: "The housing and financial markets are in the midst of severe adjustments. House prices are falling rapidly, and they are expected to continue to fall. Mortgage foreclosures, particularly among subprime borrowers, have risen to record levels and are still rising. The financial markets are having severe difficulties adjusting to losses on mortgage-backed assets. In response to a request from the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has examined the potential role of federal institutions and federal support in resolving the difficulties in the financial and housing markets. This paper updates and expands on issues raised in a January 2008 CBO paper, Options for Responding to Short-Term Economic Weakness."

    April 14, 2008
    * Report: Overview of the Federal Tax System and Its Effect in 2008

    Report: Overview of the Federal Tax System and Its Effect in 2008, Scheduled for a Public Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Finance on April 15, 2008. Prepared by the Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, April 14, 2008, JCX-32-08.

    April 13, 2008
    * ITC Issues Report on Chinese Practices and Policies

    News release: "The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) [April 10, 2008] issued China: Description of Selected Government Practices and Policies Affecting Decision Making in the Economy [270 pages, PDF]. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, prepared the report at the request of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means. As requested, the ITC described and, where possible, quantified numerous practices and policies that central, provincial, and local government bodies in China use to support and attempt to influence decision making in China's manufacturing, agricultural, and services sectors. The report provides a description of government practices and policies in China with respect to industrial development, the rationalization and closure of uneconomic enterprises, privatization of state-owned enterprises and private ownership, price coordination, utility rates, taxation, the banking and finance sectors, infrastructure development, research and development, worker training and retraining, and restraints on imports and exports. The report also provides an analysis of the likely impact of the December 2006 policy directive from China's State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, a directive that outlines the industries the Chinese government considers to be strategically important."

    * Center for Responsive Politics Reports Another Record Year for Lobbying: $2.8 Billion

    News release: "Corporations, industries, labor unions, governments and other interests spent a record $2.79 billion in 2007 to lobby for favorable policies in Washington, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has calculated. This represents an increase of 7.7 percent, or $200 million, over spending in 2006. And for every day Congress was in session, industries and interests spent an average of $17 million to lobby lawmakers and the federal government at large...CRP, which tracks lobbying spending on its award-winning Web site, OpenSecrets.org, found that, for the second straight year, health interests spent more on federal lobbying than any other economic sector — $444.7 million. The finance, insurance and real estate sector was second, spending about $418.7 million."

  • The Center’s Lobbying Database is available here.
  • April 12, 2008
    * House and Senate Floor Using Twitter

    "Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people using the web, your phone, or IM. Join today to start receiving SenateFloor's updates" and/or HouseFloor's updates."

    April 10, 2008
    * House Committee on Small Business Explores Updating Tax Code as Means of Helping Entrepreneurs Spur the Economy

    News release: "Times change and so should the tax code, but with tax day less than a week away millions of entrepreneurs are facing outdated IRS provisions that stifle their ability to boost the economy. Today, the House Committee on Small Business heard from a panel of business owners and tax experts at a hearing focused on modernizing sections of the code while making it more small business friendly. As part of the forum, the Committee also issued a report titled Seven Ways to Stimulate the Economy by Updating the Internal Revenue Code, which provides specific recommendations on fixing provisions that impact small firms."

    April 09, 2008
    * Chairman Waxman Issues Subpoena for EPA Documents

    "Chairman Henry A. Waxman today issued a subpoena to compel EPA to provide unredacted copies of documents involving the White House that have been improperly withheld from the Committee regarding EPA’s decision to reject California’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. The subpoena compels production of approximately 100 EPA documents involving the White House. Chairman Waxman released the following statement:

    “The Committee has found evidence that EPA officials met with the White House regarding California’s motor vehicle regulations. Subsequently, EPA blocked California from moving forward with its landmark program to address climate change. Unfortunately, EPA has refused to disclose the substance and extent of its communications with the White House. The Committee must have these documents in order to understand how the agency’s decision was made.”
    Related postings on climate change

    * Chairman Waxman Criticizes EPA Proposal That Would Allow Contaminated Drinking Water

    "In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman expressed his concerns that an EPA proposal could expose significant populations in the United States to contamination levels in drinking water up to three times what the law now allows."

    * Joint Economic Committee Report: Evidence for Extending

    A Good Job Is Hard to Find: Evidence for Extending Unemployment Insurance Benefits Already Exists, a Report by the Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff, April 2008.

  • "The most recent employment report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed widespread weakness in the labor market. The unemployment rate rose sharply in March and, for the first time since 2003, there was a third straight month of falling employment. Unemployment typically only rises like this when we are in a recession. Job losses are no longer contained in sectors associated with the housing bust, but are now spreading throughout the economy.
    The current labor market slowdown comes on the heels of the weakest jobs recovery in over seventy years."
  • * Managing Chaos - The Iraq Refugees of Jordan and Syria and Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq

    Report released by Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Joseph Biden: "An estimated two million Iraqi refugees have been displaced from their homes and are living in Syria and Jordan, with another two million displaced within Iraq. The report makes several recommendations for responding to the humanitarian crisis, namely that the White House appoint a senior coordinator to manage the U.S. response to the crisis and significantly increase U.S. funding commitments to reflect a fifty percent contribution of all appeals by the United Nations and other international organizations to support Iraqi refugees and displaced persons. The report states that the United States must develop a comprehensive, coordinated assistance strategy and lead international efforts in soliciting international contributions. Encouraging countries which host Iraqi refugees to provide legal protections to Iraqi refugees is also recommended in the report."

  • Managing Chaos - The Iraq Refugees of Jordan and Syria and Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq, April 8 2008
  • April 08, 2008
    * Testimony of Gen. David Petraeus - Senate Armed Services Hearing

    General David H. Petraeus, USA Commanding General Multi-National Force-Iraq

  • Prepared Statement
  • Charts to accompany the testimony of GEN David H. Petraeus
  • * Honoring the sacrifice of the members of the United States Armed Forces who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan

    110th CONGRESS, 2d Session, S. RES. 501: Honoring the sacrifice of the members of the United States Armed Forces who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    April 06, 2008
    * DOT OIG Semiannual Report to the Congress: April 1, 2007 – September 30, 2007

    Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Semiannual Report to the Congress: April 1, 2007 – September 30, 2007

  • "Our audit activities addressed such issues as improving airline customer service, assessing DOT preparations for granting Mexican trucks the authority to operate in the U.S., quantifying the growth in highway construction and maintenance costs, and identifying information security weaknesses. Our investigative activities involved matters as diverse as selling fraudulent aircraft parts, falsifying airman medical certificates, rigging bids and falsifying records on highway projects, using substandard construction materials, and illegally transporting hazardous materials."
  • * DOT OIG Testimony: Amtrak’s Future Outlook and Budgetary Needs

    Amtrak’s Future Outlook and Budgetary Needs, April 03, 2008

  • Summary: On April 3, David Tornquist, Assistant Inspector General for Rail and Maritime Program Audits and Economic Analysis, testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing & Urban Development regarding Amtrak’s future outlook and FY 2009 budgetary needs. Mr. Tornquist testified to the need for Amtrak to do more to minimize its costs and dependence on Federal subsidies and that its spending initiatives need to make a demonstrable contribution to its bottom line. The Assistant Inspector General drew heavily from ongoing OIG analysis of Amtrak’s financial performance and labor agreement costs, their efforts to achieve operating reform savings, the causes of on–time performance problems, and a review of Amtrak’s capital plan. The Assistant Inspector General testified that Amtrak would need $475 million in FY09 for cash operating losses, $675 million for capital spending, and $266 million for debt service to operate its nationwide system."
  • April 03, 2008
    * House Oversight and Government Reform Panel Creates Inspector General for Watchdog Agency

    Congressnow.com: "The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia today approved a bill to improve the oversight and implementation of the Government Accountability Office's personnel system."

    April 02, 2008
    * Congressional Pig Book 2008: Annual Compilation of Pork-Barrel Projects in Federal Budget.

    News release: "Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2008 Congressional Pig Book, the latest installment in an 18-year exposé of pork-barrel spending...In fiscal year 2008, Congress stuffed 11,610 projects (the second highest total ever) worth $17.2 billion into the 12 appropriations bills. That is a 337 percent increase over the 2,658 projects in fiscal year 2007, and a 30 percent increase over the $13.2 billion total in fiscal year 2007. Alaska led the nation with $556 in pork per capita ($380 million total), followed by Hawaii with $221 ($283 million) and North Dakota with $208 ($133 million). CAGW has identified $271 billion in total pork since 1991."

    * First Ever Congressional Hearing Simulcast in an Internet-based Virtual World

    Online Virtual Worlds: Applications and Avatars in a User-Generated Medium, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
    Tuesday, April 1, 2008. Witness List & Prepared Testimony.

  • News release: "Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, conducted the first ever Congressional hearing simulcast in an Internet-based virtual world [April 1, 2008]. The hearing addressed the evolution, culture and future of virtual worlds such as Second Life, Zwinky and There which are part of a new form of communication that has exploded over the last few years..."Virtual worlds are at the cutting edge of so-called "Web 2.0" applications and services, which enable users to generate the content of the realm, such as with YouTube and Flickr and Facebook. Virtual worlds can also support business operations and commercial applications - from real estate sales, to business conferences, product marketing, music sales, and the general buying of goods and services."
  • April 01, 2008
    * Bipartisan Staff Discussion Draft on President's Proposal to Require Information Reporting on Electronic Payment Mechanism Reimbursements

    News release: "Finance Committee staff today released a bipartisan discussion draft of the President’s proposal to require information reporting by banks and other entities on reimbursements to merchants that accept electronic forms of payment, including credit and debit cards. The Finance Committee intends to use public comment to understand more about how payment reporting may affect the tax gap – the $345 billion in Federal taxes legally owed but uncollected each year – as well as to determine whether increased reporting requirements would unfairly burden merchant businesses or banks."

  • Bipartisan Staff Discussion Draft on President's Proposal to Require Information Reporting on Electronic Payment Mechanism Reimbursements
  • Technical Explanation of Bipartisan Staff Discussion Draft
  • * Improvements Needed to Ensure Grant Funds for U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program Are Spent More Timely

    EPA Office of Inspector General: Improvements Needed to Ensure Grant Funds for U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program Are Spent More Timely. At a Glance PDF | Report PDF

  • "From 2005 to 2007, EPA took actions to implement timeframes for Border Program projects, reduce the scope of projects, and reduce unliquidated obligations of projects. However, EPA needs to make additional changes to the process it uses to manage the funds Congress appropriates for water infrastructure improvements along the U.S.-Mexico Border. In Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006, EPA awarded $35.1 million to the North American Development Bank to construct Border Program projects that could not be built until they were planned and designed, which takes about 2 years."
  • * Review of CBO's Activities in 2007 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    A Review of CBO's Activities in 2007 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, March 2008.

  • "The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 19951 (UMRA) established procedures for providing information to the Congress about the effects of legislative provisions on state, local, and tribal governments and on private entities. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is required
    to estimate whether the direct costs of intergovernmental and private-sector mandates contained in legislative proposals exceed statutory thresholds, which were set for 1996 at $50 million for intergovernmental mandates and $100 million for private-sector mandates. In 2007, those thresholds, which are adjusted annually for inflation, were $66 million and $131 million, respectively."
  • * GAO Testimony: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances

    Federal Compensation Programs: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances, by Anne-Marie F. Lasowski, acting director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-08-628T, April 1, 2008.

    * The Sunshine in Litigation Act: Does Court Secrecy Undermine Public Health and Safety?

    The Sunshine in Litigation Act: Does Court Secrecy Undermine Public Health and Safety? Senate Judiciary Committee, S. HRG. 110–263 [248 pages, PDF]. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 110th Congress, 1st Session, December 11, 2007. [via FAS]

    March 30, 2008
    * Treasury Secretary Proposes Overhaul of Financial Market Regulatory Process

    WSJ - Sweeping Changes in Paulson Plan: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson plans Monday to call for sweeping structural changes in the way the government monitors financial markets, capping a broad review aimed at revamping a system of regulatory oversight built piecemeal since the Civil War. If even only some of the changes get made, they would represent a major reworking of the U.S. regulatory system for finance. Such an outcome would likely take years and would also require major compromises from an increasingly partisan Congress."

    March 27, 2008
    * GPO: Authenticated Public and Private Laws

    GPO is pleased to announce the release of Authenticated Public and Private Laws for the 110th Congress on GPO Access: "Public and private laws are prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). GPO Access contains the text of public and private laws enacted from the 104th Congress to the present. The database for the current session of Congress is updated when the publication of a slip law is authorized by OFR. Documents are available as ASCII text and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files."

    March 25, 2008
    * Leahy, Specter Call For DOJ Investigation Into Passport Data Breach At State Department

    Follow up to State Department Acknowledges Unauthorized Access to Passport Records of Presidential Candidates, today's news release: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today urged the Attorney General to take immediate action to investigate reported breaches of the passport files of the three presidential candidates at the State Department. Attorney General Michael Mukasey stated last week that the Justice Department would await the outcome of an internal investigation at the State Department before taking action.

    “We both strongly believe that our government has a duty to protect the private information of its citizens,” wrote Leahy and Specter. “The Justice Department should not wait to be handed ‘a box full of evidence,’ as you said at your recent briefing, before determining whether Federal laws were broken.”

    See also Personal Data Privacy and Security Act and Summary of the Leahy-Specter data privacy legislation.

    March 24, 2008
    * NOAA Releases Report on Deep Sea Coral Program

    "NOAA released the first report to Congress on the Implementation of the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, called for in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA). Prepared under the auspices of NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and in consultation with the Nation's eight Regional Fishery Management Councils, the report provides information on steps taken by NOAA and its partners to identify, monitor, and protect deep sea coral areas. Sections provide a brief discussion of current knowledge and knowledge gaps about deep sea corals (also known as deep water or cold-water corals), NOAA's expertise and authorities to conserve deep sea coral communities, and summaries of management actions taken by NOAA, the Fishery Management Councils, other federal agencies, and international organizations in 2007. The final section highlights research priorities for 2009 and recommendations for addressing knowledge gaps. The report includes an initial list of areas known to contain deep sea corals that NOAA recommends the Regional Fishery Management Councils evaluate in considering zones to protect deep sea corals as allowed in discretionary provisions of the MSRA."

    March 23, 2008
    * Congressional Watchdog Site Launched

    "Change Congress is a movement to build support for basic reform in how our government functions. Using our tools, both candidates and citizens can pledge their support for basic changes to reduce the distorting influence of money in Washington. Our community will link candidates committed to a reform with volunteers and contributors who support it."

  • Principals: "Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Stanford Law School, is a leading thinker on technology and Internet policy. He is the founder of Creative Commons and author of Code, The Future of Ideas, and Free Culture and Joe Trippi, whom The New Republic called "the man who reinvented campaigning," is the founder of Trippi & Associates."
  • March 21, 2008
    * The Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans: Detailed Update for Fiscal Year 2008

    Congressional Budget Office: The Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans:Detailed Update for Fiscal Year 2008 - All Funding in Billions of 2008 Dollars

  • "This presentation updates the analysis of current defense plans contained in the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) April 2007 Web document The Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans: Detailed Update for Fiscal Year 2007 to account for changes incorporated in the President’s budget for fiscal year 2008 and in the 2008 Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). The presentation provides additional data not found in CBO’s December 2007 publication The Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans: Summary Update for Fiscal Year 2008. Both of those documents respond to standing requests from the Senate Budget Committee."
  • * Report to Congress on Financial Implications of U.S. Participation in the International Monetary Fund

    Department of the Treasury - Report to Congress on Financial Implications of U.S. Participation in the International Monetary Fund, March 21, 2008.

    March 19, 2008
    * CRS Report: Disability Retirement for Federal Employees

    Congressional Research Service, Disability Retirement for Federal Employees, March 18, 2008. Patrick Purcell, Specialist in Income Security, Domestic Social Policy Division: "Federal civilian employees earn 13 days of paid sick leave per year. Sick leave can be used because of the worker's own illness or injury or to care for an ill or injured family member. A worker's employing agency can advance up to 30 additional days of sick leave to an employee who has exhausted his or her accrued sick leave. A federal worker with a long-term disability can separate from service through a disability retirement. A federal employee who sustains a disabling injury on the job can receive benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA). FECA benefits consist of cash compensation, payment of medical costs related to the injury, vocational rehabilitation assistance, the cost of attendant care services, and burial benefits. A disabled federal employee may not receive a disability retirement annuity and FECA benefits simultaneously." [IWS News Bureau]

    * CBO: Analysis of FY2009 Budget, Testimony on Current and Projected Navy Shipbuilding Programs, Health Care Challenges
    March 14, 2008
    * Senate Appropriations Committee Examines Waste, Fraud and Abuse of American Tax Dollars in Iraq

    News release: "The Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing March 13, 2008 to examine the endemic waste, fraud and abuse that has resulted in the squandering of billions of American tax dollars in Iraq. With the cost of the war in Iraq projected to surpass $605 billion this year, the members of the committee heard a wide range of testimony from four witnesses who discussed how American funds are being spent and to what benefit. Testifying before the Committee were: The Honorable David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States; The Honorable Claude M. Kicklighter, Inspector General, Department of Defense; Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; and The Honorable Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, Former Commissioner, Commission on Public Integrity, Republic of Iraq." Major highlights of the hearing were as follows:

    • "Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in U.S. contracts in Iraq and within the Iraqi government were characterized by all witnesses as “significant,” “widespread,” “rampant,” and costing the United States taxpayers billions of dollars.
    • The Iraqi government’s ability to spend their budgeted funds has not improved and, in fact, most of it has not been spent. Iraq has a budget surplus while the United States this year will have one of the largest budget deficits in history due in part to the large amount of money we are spending on the war and failed reconstruction efforts in Iraq
    • U.S. government oversight has been lacking. Administration efforts to prosecute individuals responsible for the waste or theft of billions of taxpayer dollars have been grossly insufficient. Efforts need strengthening.
    • Corruption in Iraqi oil production is rampant and is feeding the insurgency which in turn is attacking U.S. troops.
    • Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in Iraq have resulted in a situation in which reconstruction is stymied - oil production still has not exceeded pre-war levels, and water and power are still not available to most Iraqis. At the same time, Americans are paying record prices at the gas pump.
    • Poor accountability has resulted in thousands of weapons provided by the United States to the Iraqi security forces being stolen, looted, or otherwise provided to insurgents and militias to use against U.S. troops. In one case alone, 190,000 pistols and rifles turned over to Iraq cannot be accounted for.
    • The U.S. Department of State has balked at implementing GAO recommendations to develop strategic and integrated accountability measures.
    • Several witnesses’ recommendations regarding war profiteering and contract accountability legislation were made that need to be carefully considered.
    • The former head of the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity reported that $11 million in U.S. funds (cash) given to him with no benchmarks or restrictions to establish an Iraqi Academy of Integrity were seized by Iraqi officials; the money has not been accounted for.
    • The most effective way to fight al-Qaeda and other insurgents in Iraq is to cut off their funding by implementing strict accountability measures over all monies - U.S. and Iraqi.
    • Testimonies (PDFs) and archived webcast

    March 13, 2008
    * Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism: Report Provided to the Congress

    Department of State - Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism: Report Provided to the United States Congress, March 2008.

  • Tom Lantos 1928-2008: "In memory of Tom Lantos, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, a leader of moral force and a champion of human rights. As the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, he attested with uncommon eloquence to a truth based on unspeakable experience: promoting tolerance is essential to building a world of freedom and peace. May every conscience remember that anti-Semitism is always wrong and is always dangerous, may every voice speak out against anti-Semitism, and may all of us have the civic courage to take action against anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance whenever and wherever they arise."
  • March 12, 2008
    * Judiciary Committee Members: Administration Has Not Made the Case for Telecom Immunity

    Follow up to March 11, 2008 posting, House Democrats Reject Telecom Immunity, "Today, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and 19 members of the House Judiciary Committee issued a statement regarding telecommunications immunity, as the House prepares to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Following a review of classified information relating to the warrantless surveillance program and immunity for telecommunications companies, the members reported their conclusion that the administration has not established a valid and credible case to justify granting blanket retroactive immunity at this time."

  • Members' statement on administration's surveillance and immunity
  • * Oversight Committee Releases Report - FDA and Fresh Spinach Safety

    "The House Government Oversight and Reform Committee released a report that found significant lapses in the FDA’s current inspection regime for packaged fresh spinach, which is the agency’s primary means of ensuring the safety of such products."

  • Report: FDA and Fresh Spinach Safety
  • * DOD Report to Congress: Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq

    Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, March 2008 Report to Congress, In accordance with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2008 (Section 9010, Public Law 109-289)...submitted pursuant to the section entitled “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq” of House Conference Report 109-72 accompanying H.R. 1268, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005, Public Law 109-13.

  • "The strategic goal of the United States in Iraq remains a unified, democratic and federal Iraq that can govern, defend and sustain itself and is an ally in the war on terror. This goal is being pursued along political, security, economic and diplomatic lines of operation. This report measures progress toward achieving that goal during the reporting period (December 2007 through February 2008) and challenges to the Iraqi and Coalition efforts to achieve their mutual objectives."
  • * Judiciary Makes Case for Fiscal Year 2009 Funding

    News release: "The federal courts are well-positioned to address an anticipated increase in immigration-related workload and other challenges facing the Judiciary, thanks to Congressional funding, representatives of the Judicial Conference today told House and Senate appropriations subcommittees. If the Judiciary is to maintain staffing levels in the courts and initiate several program enhancements, however, a 7.6 percent increase over fiscal year 2008 enacted appropriations is needed in fiscal year 2009. The Judiciary seeks $6.72 billion for fiscal year 2009, $4.97 billion of which would fund the courts' Salaries and Expenses account."

    * House Establishes Independent Ethics Board

    News release: "To increase the public trust in Congress, the House has just passed H.Res. 895, to strengthen congressional ethics enforcement with a new Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE)...The office would be led by a panel of six board members appointed jointly by the House Speaker and the Minority Leader...The commission would screen ethics allegations made against House members and pass matters along to the House Ethics Committee for their review. The OCE has the responsibility to make findings of fact regarding a potential ethics matter and to recommend to the House Ethics Committee whether the matter should be the subject of a further inquiry by the Ethics Committee. The OCE shall not offer conclusions regarding the validity of the allegations or the guilt or innocence of the person subject to the review – such matters are solely under the purview of the Ethics Committee."

    March 11, 2008
    * CDT: Commission Needed to Explore Revamping Privacy Act

    "The Privacy Act of 1974 is in need of improvements to ensure its relevance into the future, CDT Deputy Director Ari Schwartz said in testimony before a congressional panel today. The Act’s limitations are particularly apparent with regard to government use of commercially compiled personal information, Schwartz told the Information Policy, Census, and National Archives Subcommittee. Commercial information plays a key role in important government functions, like law enforcement and national security. However, agencies relying on that data should have clear guidelines on its use. The role Privacy Impact Assessments play in protecting privacy is essential. Two bills help bolster PIAs: S.2341 lays out "best practices" guidelines and HR 4791 requires PIAs for government use of commercial databases. CDT believes Congress should create a Commission to review the Act and suggest possible reforms. March 11, 2008."

  • Ari Schwartz testimony before a House Government Affairs Subcommittee [PDF] March 11, 2008
  • * House Democrats Reject Telecom Immunity

    House Democratic Majority Leader/AP: "Locked in a standoff with the White House, House Democrats on Tuesday maintained their refusal to shield from civil lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without a secret court's permission. But they offered the companies an olive branch: the chance to use classified government documents to defend themselves in court. House Democratic leaders unveiled a bill that they hoped would bridge the gap between the electronic surveillance bill passed by the Senate last month and a rival version the House approved last fall. Both bills are attempts to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law that dictates when the government needs court permission to conduct electronic eavesdropping inside the United States. The law has taken on particular importance in the global effort to thwart terrorists since the 2001 attacks on the United States.

    • Director of National Intelligence, March 11, 2008: "We understand that the leadership of the House of Representatives intends to introduce a new bill related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). Based on initial summaries of what the proposal contains, we are concerned that the proposal would not provide the Intelligence Community the critical tools needed to protect the country. The Senate already has passed a bipartisan bill that would give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to keep America safe. The bipartisan bill was carefully crafted to ensure important intelligence operations were not harmed by new legislation."

    • ACLU - New FISA Compromise Is an Improvement, Still Raises Concerns: "While we still have concerns about aspects of the new House FISA bill, the American Civil Liberties Union is encouraged by the new draft – particularly the language on state secrets, which would allow the cases to go forward while allowing the telecommunications companies to assert any defenses. We commend House leadership for keeping the courthouse door open. And in particular, we applaud the House for refusing to adopt the overreaching FISA Amendments Act, which would give the executive branch carte blanche to wiretap on US soil and grant complete retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that facilitated years of illegal surveillance. We are also heartened by the role retained by the FISA court in overseeing the program as well as the two-year sunset on the legislation."

    * Committee on Homeland Security Report Finds Diversity in Leadership at DHS Lacking

    News release: "Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, released a report entitled The Department of Homeland Security: Minority and Gender Diversity in the Workforce and Career Senior Executive Service, which examines the Department’s workforce and in particular, identifies inadequate diversity amongst the Department’s senior leadership ranks. This report marks the second in a series of reports examining the Department’s human capital program and workforce diversity."

    March 10, 2008
    * House Judiciary Committee Files Suit Against Administration to Enforce Subpoenas

    Follow up to previous postings on the U.S. Attorney firings, this news release today - "the U.S. House of Representatives General Counsel filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the House Judiciary Committee to enforce subpoenas issued by the committee seeking information on the U.S. Attorney firings. The defendants in the case are former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten who were cited by the House for contempt of Congress last month. Last week, the Justice Department refused to present the House-passed contempt citations to a grand jury, contrary to federal law. Based on the House resolution that also found Bolten and Miers in comtempt, the committee is now filing the civil lawsuit to enforce the subpoenas."

  • Civil Contempt Complaint (36 pages, PDF)
  • * House Oversight Chairman Calls for Blackwater Investigations

    "House Government Oversight Chairman Waxman sent letters to the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Labor to request investigations into whether Blackwater has violated federal tax, small business, and labor laws."

  • Related postings on Blackwater
  • March 09, 2008
    * DOJ Opens Contract Fraud Rule Review

    News release, March 6, 2008: "U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill...expressed her concern with a loophole included in a Bush Administration proposal that would exempt overseas federal contractors from being required to report criminal activity, including contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a letter to Jim Nussle, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, McCaskill conveyed concerns that this loophole, if not closed, would be a setback for efforts to improve contracting oversight and accountability...Well-documented reports of fraud, waste, and abuse by contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan highlight the need for more oversight...Nearly every Inspector General dealing with U.S. contracting overseas, including the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), has spoken out against efforts to implement this loophole. SIGIR has said it is “important for the loophole to be closed in order to ensure good government oversight.”

  • Summary: "The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) are proposing to amend the
    Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), at the request of the Department of Justice (DoJ), in order to require contractors to have a code of ethics and business conduct, establish and maintain specific internal controls to detect and prevent improper conduct in connection with the award or performance of Government contracts or subcontracts, and to notify contracting officers without delay whenever they become aware of violations of Federal criminal law with regard to such contracts or subcontracts." Federal Acquisition Regulation; FAR Case 2007–006, Contractor Compliance Program and Integrity Reporting. Agencies: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Action: Proposed rule. November 14, 2007.
  • * Salaries of Members of Congress: A List of Payable Rates and Effective Dates, 1789-2008

    CRS Report: Payable Rates and Effective Dates, 1789-2008, Updated January 8, 2008. Ida A. Brudnick, Analyst in American National Government, Government and Finance Division.

  • "Under the annual adjustment procedure, Members were scheduled to receive a 2.7% increase in January 2008. The increase was revised to 2.5%, resulting in a salary in 2008 of $169,300, to match the percent increase in the base pay of General Schedule (GS) employees. By law, Members may not receive an increase greater than the increase in the base pay of GS employees. Congress voted to deny the scheduled January 2007 adjustment. Members last received a pay increase (1.9%) in January 2006, increasing their salary to the rate of $165,200."
  • March 08, 2008
    * Levin, Warner Ask GAO to Review Iraqi Oil Revenues and Reconstruction Funding

    News release, March 7, 2008: "Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and senior Committee Member John Warner, R-Va., today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review Iraqi oil revenues and determine how much money the Iraqi government has contributed to security and reconstruction efforts in the country. The senators voice concern that the Iraqi government has tremendous resources sitting in banks around the world while not doing nearly enough to improve the quality of life of Iraqi citizens..." The full text of Levin and Warner’s letter to the GAO is included in this news release.]

  • See also this New York Times article today: "The request...estimates that Iraqi oil revenues could skyrocket above $56 billion in 2008, largely because of the rising price of oil. This enormous influx of cash comes as the United States has been reducing spending on the reconstruction effort. Since the invasion in 2003, the United States has invested close to $50 billion in reconstruction, but the effort has achieved at best mixed results when measured by improvements in the lives of Iraqi citizens."
  • March 07, 2008
    * Committee Holds Hearing on CEO Pay and the Mortgage Crisis

    "The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled, Executive Compensation II: CEO Pay and the Mortgage Crisis on Friday, March 7, 2008. The hearing examined the compensation and retirement packages granted to the CEOs of three corporations deeply involved in the current mortgage crisis. This was the Committee’s second hearing on executive compensation practices. On December 5, 2007, the Committee examined the role of compensation consultants in determining CEO pay."

  • Links to testimony

  • Majority Staff, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Supplemental information on CEO pay and the mortgage crisis, March 6, 2008 - "In preparation for the Committee's hearing, the Committee has received thousands of pages of documents from the three companies, including board minutes and internal company emails. The Committee staff also has reviewed hundreds of public Securities and Exchange
    Commission (SEC) filings and consulted with leading experts in executive compensation. This memorandum summarizes some of the questions raised by the materials reviewed by the Committee staff."
  • * Report on the August 6, 2007 Disaster At Crandall Canyon Mine

    News release: March 6, 2008 "Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released an investigative report entitled “Report on the August 6, 2007 Disaster At Crandall Canyon Mine.” The report discusses the findings of Chairman Kennedy's investigation into the events leading up to the mine collapse. Chairman Kennedy said, “The Committee’s investigation has revealed that the owner of Crandall Canyon mine, Murray Energy, disregarded dangerous conditions at the mine, failed to tell federal regulators about these dangers, conducted unauthorized mining and -- as a result -- exposed its miners to serious risks. MSHA also unconscionably failed to protect miners by hastily rubber-stamping the plan. This is a clear case of callous disregard for the law and for safety standards, and hardworking miners lost their lives. This deserves a full criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. The report’s findings greatly underscore the urgent need for mine safety reform. I am committed to working on a bill that would prevent other such disasters from happening."

  • Report on the August 6, 2007 Disaster At Crandall Canyon Mine - U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, March 6, 2008. See also Crandall Canyon Mine Exhibits.

    • "In the early morning hours of August 6, 2007, a large mountain “bounce” occurred in the Main West section of Crandall Canyon mine. “Bounce” is the technical term used to describe a collapse of this type in a mine, but it does not capture the force and explosive power of the event – “blast” would be much more apt. In such a powerful release of seismic energy, the coal in the pillars and walls of the mine, under extreme pressure, literally explode into mined out areas...This report does not examine the extensive and complex rescue effort which began on the morning of the collapse and effectively ended on August 31. Nor does it seek to determine the cause of the August 6 and August 16 fatal collapses. The Secretary of Labor has tasked an Accident Investigation Team with determining the proximate cause of these events – its work is ongoing. Instead, this report examines (1) how mine operating company Murray Energy Corporation (“Murray Energy”) conceived, designed, and tested its plans to mine the barrier pillars in the Main West section and (2) MSHA’s review of those plans and its monitoring of safety conditions during mining of the barrier pillars. These events stretch back a year prior to the accident to when Murray Energy purchased the mine in August 2006."

    March 06, 2008
    * Trio of Commerce Chairmen Call for Further Investigation Based on Latest Domestic Surveillance Allegations

    Electronic Frontier Foundation: "Three powerful House Commerce Committee Chairmen strongly urged their colleagues Thursday to defer acting on requests for retroactive immunity and to demand more information from the White House and the telecommunications companies in the wake of disclosures by another whistleblower that the government apparently has been granted an open gateway to customer information and calls by a major telecommunications company."

    • March 6, 2008 Dear Colleague letter, written by John Dingell, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Ed Markey, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet; and Bart Stupak, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: "..Yesterday another whistleblower stepped forward with troubling charges that at least one major wireless telecommunications giant may have given a Congressional entity access to every communications coming through that company's infrastructure, including every e-mail, Internet use, document transmission, video and text message, as well as the ability to listen in on any phone call."

    • Related postings on domestic surveillance program

    March 05, 2008
    * Bush Administration Delivers Annual Trade Report To Congress

    News release: "The Bush Administration Monday delivered to Congress the 2008 Trade Policy Agenda and the 2007 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program. The report highlights the Administration’s 2007 accomplishments of opening new markets, developing and implementing new policies, and enforcing U.S. trade agreements to ensure trade is free and fair."

  • 2008 Trade Policy Agenda and 2007 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program, March 4, 2008 (473 pages, PDF)
  • March 03, 2008
    * 2008 China Military Power Report

    American Forces Press Service: "China not only is a rising international economic power, but also is a rising military power with new and developing capabilities that have global implications, according to the 2008 China Military Power Report released today. The annual report mandated by Congress analyzes China’s military development and strategy and says that the country spent as much as $139 billion, more than three times its announced defense budget, modernizing its military forces last year. That amount dwarfs the military budgets of Russia, Japan and South Korea, and has been the driving force behind the country’s military transformation, fueled by the acquisition of advanced foreign weapons and far-reaching organizational and doctrinal reforms. Combined with what Defense Department officials call a lack of transparency, the military development poses risks to stability by increasing the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation, the report concludes."

  • 2008 China Military Power Report

  • News Conference Transcript
  • * The Administration's Medicaid Regulations: State-By-State Impacts

    Committee on Government Oversight and Reform press release: "Today Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a new report: The Administration’s Medicaid Regulations: State-by-State Impacts. The report details the state-by-state impacts of seven regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) that would make major, wide-ranging changes in Medicaid, the nation’s largest low-income health care program."