108th Congress - OMB Watch

108th Congress: News Blog

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Regulatory Budgeting

Weakening Workplace Safeguards

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Overtime Amendment Stripped from Appropriations Bill 01/07/2005
An amendment to protect overtime rights and invalidate harmful changes to overtime regulations was defeated. Read more here from OMB Watch's Federal Budget & Tax weblog.

Saving Graces on Intelligence Reform Bill 12/14/2004
In a surprising move, congressional and White House negotiators agreed on intelligence reform legislation that created no major victories for the public interest but could have been much worse for open government and environmental protection near the nation’s borders. Read More

Superfund Lacks Funds to Cleanup Toxic Waste Sites 12/13/2004
Facing an increasing backlog of sites with the same meager budget, the Superfund program administrator thinks he’s found a new way to tackle the country’s most severe hazardous waste problems: Stop addressing them. Read More

Graham Defiant in Hearing, Dems Probe Mercury Rule 11/30/2004
The last regulatory policy hearing of a House Government Reform subcommittee was split into two disconnected halves, as committee Republicans considered the White House's policy of inviting industry to suggest rollbacks of regulatory protections while Democrats assailed the Environmental Protection Agency's pending rulemaking for mercury pollution. Read More

Critics Diagnose Systemic Maladies of FDA 11/30/2004
A Senate Finance Committee hearing on Vioxx and a series of studies by a leading medical journal reveal systematic breakdowns in FDA's evaluation of drug safety, prompting advocates to call for an independent agency to review drug safety. Read More

Dreier Pushes Amendment to Place DHS Above Law 11/02/2004
Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) is promoting an amendment to pending intelligence overhaul legislation that would exempt the Department of Homeland Security from all federal law in the course of securing the nation's borders. Read More

House Committee Blasts FDA for Delay on Antidepressant Warnings 10/04/2004
Food and Drug Administration officials were forced before a House committee to defend their choice not to respond with precautionary measures despite mounting evidence from as early as 1996 that antidepressants could be causing increases in suicidality (both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts) in children. Read More

Congress Defies White House, Saves Overtime for Millions 09/21/2004
Both the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House of Representatives have defied a White House veto threat and voted to save overtime rights for millions of workers. Read More

Republican Leadership Threatens More Regulatory Rollbacks 04/05/2004
Continuing the rollbacks of environmental, health, and safety protections will be foremost on the congressional agenda if President Bush and congressional Republicans are re-elected in November, vows House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). Read More

Weakening of Overtime Rules Imminent as Controversy Rages 04/05/2004
The Bush administration’s controversial effort to change the rules governing overtime pay, which could eliminate overtime rights for many workers, could be realized soon, although congressional Democrats and labor groups continue to try to stop the new rules before they can be issued.
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Congress Clears Way for Logging, Offers Little Help to Fire-Prone Communities 12/02/2003
Congress recently approved legislation that allows logging in old-growth forests and does little to limit wildfire risks in areas close to homes. Read More

House Votes to Block Bush Plan to Cut Overtime Pay 10/06/2003
Reversing course, the House recently voted 221-203 to block changes proposed by the Bush administration that would strip millions of workers of eligibility for overtime pay. The House narrowly defeated a similar amendment in July by a vote of 213-210, but this time around Democrats picked up eight new Republican votes. Read More

Senate Votes to Block Overtime Changes Despite Veto Threat 09/22/2003
The Senate recently voted to block changes that would strip millions of workers of eligibility for overtime pay, despite the threat of a presidential veto. Read More

Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Increase SUV Fuel Efficiency 02/10/2003
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced a bill (S. 265) that would require sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to meet the same fuel efficiency standards as passenger cars. Read More