CAGW Releases April 2015 WasteWatcher

WASHINGTON--()--Today Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released its WasteWatcher, a monthly dispatch to members of the news media, highlighting some of the most prominent fiscal issues affecting American taxpayers. The stories from its April edition of WasteWatcher are listed in part as follows:

Identity Crisis at the USPS
By Leslie Paige
On Wednesday, April 7, 2015, the United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its newest postage stamp, a commemorative tribute to the renowned and beloved poet and writer, Maya Angelou. The celebration attracted First Lady Michelle Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Oprah Winfrey, who is an Angelou mega-fan. Unfortunately, within hours of the stamp’s launch, it was revealed that the quote printed on the stamp was not written by Maya Angelou, but by another writer, Joan Walsh Anglund. Read the full story here.

A Budget Reconciliation Primer: No Peaches & Herb
By William M. Christian
The term “reconciliation” tends to evoke feelings of rapprochement and reunion. But unlike Peaches & Herb’s 1979 chart-topping hit, “Reunited (and it Feels So Good),” reconciliation has no romantic meaning when it pertains to the Federal budget. Read the full story here.

End the Pentagon Slush Fund
By Sean Kennedy
Created in 2001 to fund the war in Afghanistan and other associated costs of the Global War on Terror, the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account was intended to be a one-time emergency supplemental. Instead, it has been used as an annual funding measure, including in 2003, when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Read the full story here.

CO-OPs: Another ObamaCare Catastrophe
By Elizabeth Wright
As ObamaCare limps along, other expensive problems are beginning to bubble up to the surface. One program that is getting more scrutiny and raising great concern is the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OP), which have been created in 26 states. Read the full story here.

Providing Relief from Internet Taxes
By Deborah Collier
Legislation has been reintroduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that would make the ban on Internet access taxes permanent. With the economics of the Internet already coming under threat from the Open Internet Order passed by the FCC on February 26, 2015, every effort should be made to provide consumers with a safe haven from excessive taxes and fees on the Internet. Read the full story here.

Senator Reid Out, Yucca Mountain In?
By P.J. Austin
On March 27, 2015, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced that he will not seek reelection in 2016. Supporters of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository hope that the exit of one of its most powerful opponents will breathe new life into the long-stalled project. Read the full story here.

EPA: The Intersection of Invasive and Inefficient
By Curtis Kalin
There is no shortage of government agencies that fritter away hard-earned tax dollars by imposing hostile rules and regulations on businesses and individuals. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has practically cornered the market on invasiveness and inefficiency. Read the full story here.

CAGW is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

Contacts

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW)
Curtis Kalin, 202-467-5318

Release Summary

Today Citizens Against Government Waste released its WasteWatcher, a monthly dispatch to members of the news media, highlighting some of the most prominent fiscal issues affecting American taxpayers.

Contacts

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW)
Curtis Kalin, 202-467-5318