EconomyNews
1 of Every 5 Government Employees Has a 6-Figure Salary
The U.S. government pays employees a total of about $1 million per minute, according to a watchdog group’s report on the sprawling federal bureaucracy. Looking… Read More
EconomyCommentary
How Big Is Your State’s Share of $6 Trillion in Unfunded Pension Liabilities?
Despite a solid year for investment returns, the unfunded liabilities of state and local government pension plans increased by $433 billion, the most recent estimate… Read More
EconomyNews
Q&A: Former CFPB Employee on Why There Aren’t More Republicans in the Agency
Ron Rubin, a lawyer and writer who used to work for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, discusses the nature of the federal agency with The Daily… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Bloated Federal Agencies Have Become the Norm. Here’s the Key to Sizing Them Down.
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to spur a comprehensive reorganization of the executive branch. It instructed each federal department head to… Read More
InternationalCommentary
America Needs a Stronger State Department, Not an ‘Independent’ Foreign Aid Agency
President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to come up with a plan to reorganize themselves… Read More
EconomyNews
Citing National Debt, Need for Reform, 69 GOP Lawmakers Vote Against Disaster Relief Bill
Sixty-nine Republican lawmakers voted against a $36.5 billion bill for disaster relief, citing concerns about the growing national debt and the lack of reforms for… Read More
EconomyNews
Underreported: What Happened When Government Tried to Fix a Coal Town
PAINTSVILLE, Ky.—When Ben Larrabee heard about a new government-funded job training program for the digital age that promised to turn “coal country” into “code country,”… Read More
EconomyNews
Lawmaker Says Congress Will ‘Have to Be on Our Toes’ After Failing to Scrap $900 Million ‘Earmark’
After failing to stop what he called an “earmark,” one Republican lawmaker is preparing to fight the possible return of pork-barrel spending in Congress. Rep…. Read More
EconomyNews
Lawmaker Seeks to Derail $900M for Amtrak Project as Earmark
A North Carolina congressman is working to stop $900 million in a transportation funding bill bound for an Amtrak project in New Jersey that he… Read More
EconomyNews
Government Has No Clue How Much Land It Bought With $815 Million
Interior Department officials have no idea how much land they bought for $815 million, nor if the properties are being used for their intended purpose,… Read More
EconomyNews
EXCLUSIVE: $2 Million Obama-Era Program Gets 17 People Jobs
A government-funded job training program that promised to turn hundreds of residents of Kentucky’s coal country into computer coders so far has spent $2 million… Read More
EnergyCommentary
House Spending Bill Takes a Small Step Toward Reforming ‘Buy America’ Policy
The House Appropriations Committee is set to mark up its interior appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018. This markup could lead to a slight revision… Read More
EconomyNews
GOP Lawmakers Say Their Budget Plan Spotlights ‘Path Back to Solvency’
The House’s largest caucus of conservatives is throwing its weight behind a budget proposal that it says would cut more government spending and advance conservative… Read More
EconomyNews
From Cactus Theater to the Met, US Government Pours Hundreds of Millions Into Well-Heeled Arts
U.S. taxpayers have paid $90,000 for a theater “performance” in which people commune with a tall cactus for an hour in the middle of an… Read More
InternationalCommentary
This Trump Administration Move Could Have Led to Higher Costs, Fewer Fed From US Food Aid
A recent Reuters story reported that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order that would require 100 percent of U.S. food assistance to be… Read More
PoliticsNews
Why Conservatives Put Trust in Trey Gowdy as House’s Corruption Fighter
Conservative leaders say they’re confident the new chairman of a House of Representatives panel that targets corruption will dedicate himself to reviewing executive branch actions,… Read More
SocietyNews
ICE Spent Tens of Thousands of Dollars Sending Officials to Tolerance Seminar
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spent tens of thousands of dollars to send its officials to a “tolerance seminar” put on by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a… Read More
EconomyNews
Rex Tillerson Plans Major Staff Cuts in State Department Restructuring
The State Department is planning to reduce staffing by thousands as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson moves forward with efforts to streamline the agency that… Read More
EconomyNews
Federal Agencies Spent $13.5 Million on Vehicles They May Not Use
Two federal agencies spent $13.5 million to maintain 2,441 vehicles they may not need, a congressional watchdog reported Tuesday. “Given the billions of dollars spent… Read More
EnergyNews
Taxpayers Foot Bill for $14,799 in Gym Memberships
A Las Vegas-based Environmental Protection Agency official used his government credit card to purchase $14,799 worth of gym memberships. A conservative advocacy group released documents purporting… Read More
EnergyNews
Interior Employees Paid $6 Million While Facing Misconduct Investigations
Department of the Interior officials were paid $6 million while on extended administrative leave—often while under investigation for misconduct—without documented approval, a government watchdog reported… Read More
EconomyNews
VA Tried to Pay $10 Million for 25 Parking Spaces, and 20-Year Official’s Excuse Is That He’s New
Federal officials took six years to plan a new parking lot for a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in West Virginia that would cost $10… Read More
EconomyNews
What Georgia Could Teach Trump About How to Drain the Swamp
If the Trump administration wants to “dismantle the administrative state,” it might examine state-based efforts to tame the bureaucracy—the oldest being that of Georgia, where… Read More
EconomyCommentary
New Executive Order Shows Trump Is Serious About Cutting Federal Waste
Washington talks a tough game about tackling federal spending, but President Donald Trump is beginning to take real action. On Monday, Trump issued a new… Read More
EconomyNews
Foes of Government Excess to Pick ‘Champion of Waste’ in March Madness Parody
Two lawmakers have turned a government waste report into an online imitation of college basketball’s March Madness. Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Rand Paul, R-Ky.,… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
How to Change a Federal Agency From the Inside Out
As Washington’s departments and agencies bring on new staff at every level, I want to share advice from an FBI director about your job description…. Read More
EconomyNews
Trump Targets 3 Agencies With Ambitious Budget Cuts
President Donald Trump’s reported plan to gut federal spending by $10.5 trillion over the next decade includes eliminating three iconic agencies defended as cultural mainstays by many Democrats…. Read More
EconomyNews
House Republicans Delay Earmark Debate Until 2017 After Almost Voting to Revive Them
House Republicans were on the verge of bringing back earmarks Wednesday before Speaker Paul Ryan intervened to delay a decision until early next year. A… Read More
EconomyNews
Conservatives Warn GOP Not to Revive Earmarks in Wake of Trump’s Win
Conservative lawmakers and groups are speaking out in opposition to a House Republican proposal to revive the practice of earmarking in the next Congress. Earmarks… Read More
EconomyNews
House GOP Weighs Proposal to Bring Back Earmarks
One week after Donald Trump won the presidency on a promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington, House Republicans will vote on a proposal to… Read More
