WASTEWATCHER from Citizens Against Government Waste

WASTEWATCHER is a monthly dispatch from Citizens Against Government Waste

December 2008

A Monthly Dispatch from Citizens Against Government Waste

Troubles with TARP
By Leslie Paige
Barely sixty days after its establishment, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is itself, well, in big trouble.

580,000-Square-Foot Money Pit
By Sam Leverenz and Sarah Maroney
On Tuesday, December 2, the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) opened its doors to its owners the taxpayers - for the first time. After six years of construction and countless revisions, what seemed like a never-ending project has finally reached completion. While the CVC provides new services for visitors and a nice view of the Capitol, it is the $621 million price tag that has been making news.

USDA Makes $49 Million in Payments to Ineligible Individuals
By John Frydenlund
In October, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report titled “Federal Farm Programs: USDA Needs to Strengthen Controls to Prevent Payments to Individuals Who Exceed Income Eligibility Limits.” The report was requested by Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

The Mayors’ Stocking Stuffers
By Leslie K. Paige
In anticipation of the rapid passage of a $1 trillion stimulus package as soon as President-elect Obama and the new Congress take office in January, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released its wish-list of what it called “shovel-ready” projects that the Conference claims can be completed in 2009 and 2010 and will create 847,000 new jobs. With taxpayers already experiencing the worst holiday season in years, this is another big lump of coal in their stockings.

CAGW’s Project: Privacy
By Sam Leverenz
CAGW’s Project: Privacy will examine government’s role in ensuring that every person’s information is protected and help citizens manage their privacy. Through education and coalition building, Project: Privacy will build a bi-partisan network of groups and individuals to recommend effective privacy policy at all levels of government.