Publications :  The Watcher :  OMB Watcher Vol. 5: 2004 :  February 23, 2004 Vol.5, No. 4 : 

In This Issue

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Join the OMB Watch Team! (02/23/2004)
OMB Watch is currently looking for three bright, talented, hardworking individuals to join our team. We are seeking a Communications Cooridinator to more effectively communicate our policy messages to key audiences and, to a lesser extent, raise the profile of the organization; our Federal Budget group is seeking a full or part time graduate or undergraduate intern to assist researchers with a wide range of activities including federal tax and budget analysis; and the Information Policy/Right-to-Know department is seeking an intern to work on freedom of information and right-to-know (RTK) issues.

Click here to go to our Jobs web page to get a full announcement.

U.S. Federal Debt Surpasses $7 Trillion (02/23/2004)
The U.S. Treasury recently announced that the federal debt subject to congressional limits has for the first time surpassed $7 trillion - approximately 62 percent of gross domestic product. In addition, in fiscal year 2003, over $300 billion was spent on paying interest on the debt.


Budget Battles Loom (02/23/2004)
As the 2005 budget resolutions process gets on its way, spending for domestic programs could actually come out lower than the already grim projections set by President Bush’s budget proposal. Given that it is an election year both the president and Congress’ use of "spin" and shenanigans to mislead the American public will proceed. A big election year issue is budget deficits and the skyrocketing national debt – peaking now at $7 trillion.

Economy and Jobs Watch: Another Administration Projection Bites the Dust (02/23/2004)
Yet another economic projection by the administration is falling short – and in record time. Just a couple weeks after the publication of the Economic Report of the President, which forecasted 3.8 million* new jobs would be created in 2004, administration officials appears to be backing off the job estimates. The forecast was for 320,000 new jobs every month – a number most observers agree is exceptionally high. Job growth has not reached even half this level in any month over the past three years, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

DHS Releases CII Rule (02/23/2004)
Months after receiving comments on the proposed rule, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finally published the interim final rule for Critical Infrastructure Information (CII) in the Feb. 20 Federal Register. Although an interim final rule with a public comment period open until May 20, the rule went into effect immediately.

Office of Special Counsel Scrubs Website (02/23/2004)
The new head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Scott J. Bloch, recently scrubbed the agency’s webpage removing references to protection from sexual orientation discrimination. The OSC is an independent agency with a primary mission to safeguard federal employees by protecting their workplace rights for activities such as whistleblowing.

Fighting Secrecy -- And Winning (02/23/2004)
Government secrecy has undermined the public’s ability to hold our leaders accountable for keeping our country secure and community safe. Yet the government’s claims that providing citizens with information harms national security may be overblown.

FEC Sets Stage for Showdown on Scope of Campaign Finance Regulation (02/23/2004)
On Feb. 18 the Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved Advisory Opinion 2003-37, which was requested by a Republican group Americans for a Better Country (ABC). It expands regulation of political committees registered with the FEC, but does not impact other groups, including 501(c)(3) organizations. However, the commissioners’ deliberations indicated that further consideration of a “range of options” for setting new boundaries of regulation would be considered in a rulemaking proceeding beginning in March.

Bill to Repeal Restrictions on Broadcasts During Election Season Introduced in House (02/23/2004)
On Feb. 11, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) introduced HR 3801, a bill to repeal “electioneering communications” restrictions in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) that ban broadcasts that refer to federal candidates 60 days before a general election or 30 days before a primary election or nominating convention.

Anti-War Conference Attendees Issued Subpoenas (02/23/2004)
A FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force subpoena was issued early this month to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The subpoena asked the university to produce all records relating to its November antiwar conference.

File Your Form 990 Electronically (02/23/2004)
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announces online filing for Form 990.

Leading Scientists Say Bush Administration Suppresses, Distorts Facts (02/23/2004)
More than 60 distinguished scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, blasted the Bush administration last week for suppressing and distorting scientific information that does not support its predetermined agenda.

Administration Asks Manufacturers for Regulatory Hit List (02/23/2004)
OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), headed by John Graham, is soliciting recommendations for regulatory revisions that would reduce costs for the U.S. manufacturing sector, brazenly putting special interests over the public interest.

Lawmakers Accuse USDA of Misleading Public on Mad Cow (02/23/2004)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) understated the risks of mad cow disease and misled the public, according to a bipartisan investigation by the House Government Reform Committee.

EPA Cancels Early TRI Release (02/23/2004)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has apparently abandoned plans to provide an early release of the 2001 Toxic Release Inventory, as OMB Watch reported in a previous Watcher article.

EPA Reviews TRI Burden Reduction Comments (02/23/2004)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to review the hundreds of comments it received on burden reduction proposals for the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program. EPA outlined the proposed changes in a 2003 white paper in Phase II of the TRI Stakeholder Dialogue.

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