Publications :  The Watcher :  OMB Watcher Vol. 7: 2006 :  February 7, 2006 Vol. 7, No. 3 : 

In This Issue

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CBO Again Finds Fiscal Policies Unsustainable (02/08/2006)
The recently updated Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Budget and Economic Outlook shows no significant improvement in the long-term fiscal health of the nation. In fact, the nonpartisan agency that provides Congress with budget and economic analysis found the situation worsening and reiterated that the current structure of taxation and spending is simply unsustainable.

Reform Bills Mount, Both Houses Plot Course of Action (02/07/2006)
As reform bills mount and calls for lobbying reform intensify, members of Congress are beginning to grapple with technical details and a timeframe for legislation.

Inquiry into Gov't Spying on Nonprofits Expands (02/07/2006)
On Feb. 1, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) expanded its inquiry into government spying on U.S. nonprofit groups by filing multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the Department of Defense (DOD), in order to determine the full extent of monitoring by the Pentagon. The new ACLU information requests seek information on four national groups and several local groups in six states. Further review of documents already released to the ACLU reveals that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has used reports by right-wing groups in its investigations.

Nonprofits Call for Withdrawal of Anti-Terror Financing Guidelines (02/07/2006)
Nonprofit leaders recently called on the Treasury Department to withdraw its anti-terrorism financing guidelines for charities and to replace them with principles developed by the charitable community. Treasury's Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based Charities, were initially issued in 2002 and revised on Dec. 5, 2005. Treasury sought comments on its revision, despite their having been operational since Dec. 5; it is unclear how the department will use the comments submitted by the nonprofits.

Blackout Period Begins for Some Nonprofit Broadcasts (02/07/2006)
For the first time ever, charities and religious organizations are among groups barred from broadcasting messages that refer to federal candidates within 30 days of a primary and 60 days of a general election. The Wisconsin Right to Life Committee (WRTL), a nonprofit organization that has challenged the ban, asked a special three-judge court to expedite its review of the constitutionality of the rule as it applies to grassroots lobbying broadcasts. The court will hold a status hearing for Feb. 27.

White House Adds Bricks to Its Congressional Stonewall (02/07/2006)
The Bush administration's pattern of doggedly withholding information from Congress seems to have garnered national attention as congressional oversight on critical issues has accelerated. The White House has refused to provide copies of internal legal documents regarding warrantless domestic spying by the National Security Agency (NSA), communications detailing when the administration learned of potential wide-spread damage from Hurricane Katrina, and information, including photos, related to the president's dealings with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The White House has even blocked key administration officials from testifying before Congress.

State, Local Officials Try to Halt Federal TRI Cutbacks (02/07/2006)
Numerous state and local governments are moving to strongly oppose the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposals to relax federal chemical reporting requirements under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program. In addition to comments criticizing the EPA proposal, there have been state legislation and city and county resolutions introduced to void EPA's proposed changes.

Chemical Safety Board Wants Improved Accident Evidence Gathering (02/07/2006)
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) recently proposed a new rule that would require plant owners and operators to preserve critical evidence after major spills or explosions. The agency believes that companies under investigation have, on occasion, altered or handled evidence from a chemical accident in a way that hampers a thorough investigation. CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating the root causes of industrial chemical accidents, and making safety recommendations, similar to the way that the National Transportation Safety Board investigates airplane crashes.

Openness: The Best Defense Against Bioterrorism (02/07/2006)
The National Research Council (NRC) concluded, in a recent report on biochemical research and bioterrorism safeguards, that an open and free exchange of scientific research and ideas is an important component of efforts to protect the country from a biochemical attack or accident. Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of the Life Sciences recommends several measures to reduce the risk of an attack using biological weapons or an accident involving biological agents and technology.

Update: Criticism of Domestic Spying Remains Steady (02/07/2006)
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended the Bush administration's policy of warrantless domestic surveillance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 6. The administration's authorization of warrantless eavesdropping by the National Security Agency (NSA) on international calls of U.S. citizens has come under fire since news of the program was first leaked to the press in December 2005.

Foxes in the Henhouse: OSHA, MSHA Nominees Appear Pro-Industry, Anti-Worker (02/07/2006)
Employing an all-too-familiar strategy, the White House has put forward two industry-insiders as its nominees for the top posts at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

Congress to Have Short Year; Appropriations Work Likely to Suffer (02/07/2006)
Each year the congressional leadership is responsible for setting Congress' legislative calendar, and this year that calendar will be tightly packed with the smorgasbord of issues Congress must tackle in the coming months. The legislative work Congress fails to finish, however, may be what makes headlines in 2006. This year boasts the fewest legislative days for Congress in twenty years, and this compressed election-year schedule is sure to make finishing appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, a task lawmakers find difficult even with more ample time, next to impossible.

Final Budget Bill Passed; Tax Bill Sent to Conference (02/07/2006)
A little over a month into 2006, Congress continues its effort to finish extraneous budget reconciliation bills from 2005. The reconciliation bills, which were laid out nearly a year ago in the April budget resolution, took up much of Congress' already-limited time last fall and winter and have laid out a number of extremely irresponsible fiscal policies.

Initial Analysis of the President's 2007 Budget (02/06/2006)
The president's Fiscal Year 2007 (FY 07) budget would set the nation on a dangerous fiscal path and does nothing to honestly address the federal government's looming budgetary challenges. The budget--totaling $2.77 trillion--would make permanent the president's first-term tax cuts, which primarily benefit the wealthy, and pay for those cuts in part by cutting some entitlement programs and drastically reducing domestic discretionary spending (outside of homeland security and defense). Despite the spending cuts, deficits will continue to rise each year after President Bush leaves office if this budget is enacted.

You're Doing a Heckuva Job, Georgie: Debunking the State of the Union (02/02/2006)

In his Jan. 31 State of the Union address, President Bush spoke on many issues vital to the country including foreign policy, the economy, and health care. As is often the case in the annual address, the president offered far fewer specifics and suggested fewer solutions than many Americans would have liked to hear. Still, the president did manage to articulate a few specific points, some suggesting policies and others spinning the facts. To follow is a look behind a few of the more misleading statements made by the president in the address.

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