Budget Watchdog All Federal

In a world where regular order doesn’t exist.  And the biggest, baddest, spending bill on the block is an Apex Predator known as “Omnibus”.  The earmarks are out there my friends… and they are slippery suckers.  By some accounts… the appropriations earmarks in the $1.5 trillion fiscal 2022 omnibus bill that President Joe Biden signed last Tuesday might be perceived as both an exercise in restraint...

There is nothing so clarifying for policy and legislative vision, as the State of The Union.  On this episode of Budget Watchdog AF, Steve Ellis is joined by future Hall of Fame members of the Taxpayers for Common Sense team to clarify the fiscal message they would like to hear from President Biden. 

On this Valentine's Day 2022 Steve Ellis and the TCS team rekindle the romance for making government work.  Enjoy the sweet talk and hear the list of policies that the budget nerds love.

After 60 years, the nuclear power industry remains heavily dependent on taxpayer subsidies, faces costly and unresolved waste disposal challenges, and leaves a long trail of ongoing environmental liabilities, from uranium mining contaminants to water pollution. Host Steve Ellis is joined by TCS Senior Policy Analyst Michael Maragos for a briefing on the money pit situation with small modular nucle...

It’s 2022 and the 117th Congress rolls on.  But what’s really in the realm of the possible right now?  In this episode Budget Watchdog AF gives you the lay of the land in Washington D.C.  An honest assessment of where things stand on the Biden Administration’s signature social welfare legislation, Build Back Better, and the latest on the federal budget and the appropriations bills that go along wi...

It’s a story one hundred years in the making.  It’s about greed, naked political power, and the exploitation of American Taxpayers. TCS Vice President Autumn Hanna joins Budget Watchdog AF host Steve Ellis along with Senior Policy Analyst Sheila Karpf and Research and Data Analyst Mia Huang to explain how the oil and gas industry has secured $93 Billion in unwarranted federal subsidies, tax breaks...

A history lesson with special implications for our current debt limit fight about to kick-off in Congress. In times like these, wild things can be agreed to. And in the case of the Budget Control Act of 2011, Congress agreed to all of them… and adhered to none of them.  Host Steve Ellis is joined by TCS Senior Analysts Josh Sewell and Wendy Jordan for an episode that respects the admonition that,...

TCS President Steve Ellis is joined by Budget Watchdog AF’s very own Josh Sewell to reveal the secrets of the awe-inspiring, disappearing debt limit trick.  Magic or optical illusion? And the real truth about infrastructure and reconciliation.  

TCS President Steve Ellis and Senior Policy Analyst Josh Sewell investigate a mystery that should strike fear into the hearts of all taxpayers, “Extra Money.”  Plus, BWAF listeners will get an introduction to the not-so-distant relative of “Extra Money," “More Credit.” Hit play and learn how  American Taxpayers are confronted with the dual reality of needing urgently to increase the nation’s...

This week we learn that a federal judge ruled against the Biden Administration, saying that it is up to Congress to pause new oil and gas lease sales on federal land.  Plus, more than half a billion dollars in revenue is on the line for taxpayers when it comes to a major change in oil and gas royalty rates.  TCS President Steve Ellis explores all the issues and their impacts on revenue to taxpayer...

Are earmarks having a renaissance? Is the new system actually built for transparency and accountability?  And will President Biden's real FY '22 budget please step forward?  Budget Watchdog AF Host Steve Ellis is joined by TCS Senior Policy Analysts Josh Sewell and Wendy Jordan for an episode that can not be missed. Welcome to all American Taxpayers seeking common sense.  You've mad...

When it comes to climate change you don’t need to be steeped in the science. What you really need to understand are the staggering financial costs. Costs that one way or another find their way back to all of us – the taxpayers.  Join Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell for a readout on an important congressional hearing this week looking into housing resilience in the face of climate change. The National...

Every American Taxpayer needs to understand that trillions of your tax dollars will be spent in the coming decades on climate change costs –for damages, adaptation, and mitigation. On Earth Day 2021, Taxpayers for Common Sense breaks down the serious and avoidable financial threats posed by climate change.  TCS Vice President Autumn Hanna and Senior Fellow Ryan Alexander join Steve Ellis for a com...

After a decade of budget caps and mock budget discipline in President Trump’s budget requests, President Biden released his FY 2022 "skinny budget" request this week.  And it really lets the belt out a few – or a lot – of notches.  What’s the tale of the tape? Increases across the board! Every Cabinet Department sees a percentage increase in budget authority over fiscal year 2021.  TCS S...

President Biden's American Jobs Plan contains roughly $2.2 trillion in spending proposals across a broad swath of traditional and newly defined “infrastructure.” The 25-page plan is big on ideas and short on details.  What to make of it? Senior Policy Analyst Josh Sewell joins TCS President Steve Ellis for the kind of discussion you will only hear on Budget Watchdog AF. 

Is the F-35 too pricey to fail? Is the F-35 a platinum-plated spork?  Taxpayers for Common Sense Senior Policy Analyst Wendy J Jordan joins Steve Ellis for a readout of the TCS cut list of legacy weapons systems that President Biden, Congress, and the Department of Defense need to come to grips with this budget cycle.  Weapons systems recommended for cutting:  The Rockwell B-1 Lancer, The Northrop...

Get the skinny on HR 22: The Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2021 & a candid analysis of the COVID-19 relief package known as the American Rescue Plan as Josh Sewell, Senior Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, joins Budget Watchdog AF host, Steve Ellis. 

Learn the facts, implications, and opportunities behind the Biden Administration's pause on Federal Oil and Gas Leasing.  Autumn Hanna, Vice President and Energy & Natural Resources Lead at Taxpayers for Common Sense, joins Budget Watchdog AF host, Steve Ellis.