Publications :  The Watcher :  OMB Watcher Vol. 8: 2007 :  March 6, 2007 Vol. 8, No. 5 : 

In This Issue

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War Spending Keeps Climbing, Says CBO (03/06/2007)
A new round of defense and emergency appropriations will raise the total amount of money spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to nearly $750 billion by the end of FY 2008, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Congress Set to Consider Largest Supplemental Funding Request in History (03/06/2007)
Congress will soon begin work on the largest supplemental funding bill ever requested — $99.6 billion — to continue to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with other items. The request was submitted to Congress by the president in early February, when the FY 2008 budget was released. If approved, this request would add $93.4 billion to the $70 billion Congress already appropriated for the "war on terror" in FY 2007 and bring the total cost of the wars to over $500 billion.

Legislators Introduce Competing Entitlement Commission Proposals (03/06/2007)
The 110th Congress is barely two months old, but several lawmakers have introduced proposals to create "entitlement commissions" that would be charged with formulating policies to address projected long-term fiscal challenges in Social Security and Medicare. The plans have surfaced just as there are increasing concerns on Capitol Hill about the fiscal gap — that is, the amount of spending reduction or tax increases needed to keep the national debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) at or below the current ratio.

ECAP Campaign Takes Positive Budget Message to States (03/06/2007)
The Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities (ECAP) has been promoting its "First Things First" agenda for the FY 2008 budget with local events all over the country since February.

Bush Continues Anti-Regulatory Efforts with Industry Nominee to CPSC (03/06/2007)
In nominating Michael E. Baroody Mar. 1 to be chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), President Bush demonstrated yet another example since the 2006 elections of his efforts to slow down or roll back government regulation. CPSC is the independent regulatory agency charged with protecting the public against injury and death from a wide range of consumer products.

Scientific Consultant Sparks Controversy over Conflicts of Interest (03/06/2007)
Recent findings indicate a consultant to a federal reproductive health sciences panel also has industry ties, creating a conflict of interest. The controversy raises concerns about scientific integrity in the federal regulatory process, as well as contractor transparency and responsibility.

In Congress, No Shortage of Fuel Economy Proposals (03/06/2007)
In Washington, legislators and White House officials continue to debate reform of the federal standard for vehicle fuel efficiency. Democrats and Republicans have questioned Bush administration officials on the president's proposal to alter the fuel economy standard for passenger vehicles. Members in both chambers of Congress have also proposed bills that would change the standard.

Whistleblower Protection Begins to Move in Congress (03/06/2007)
On Feb. 14, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee marked up and unanimously approved the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985), a bill that would extend whistleblower protections to more federal employees and require officials to more vigorously investigate retaliation. Whistleblower protection legislation has also been introduced in the Senate.

Legislation Criminalizes Disclosures of Classified Information (03/06/2007)
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) introduced an amendment Mar. 2 to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by congressional employees. The proposal is a scaled-back version of a previous ambitious attempt to criminalize all leaks of classified information, but the amendment still met with strong opposition from the public interest and open government community.

Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Uses Data Quality Act (03/06/2007)
A new Data Quality Act (DQA) lawsuit was filed Feb. 22 in a federal court in California. The suit claims that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are disseminating false and misleading information regarding the health benefits of marijuana. The lawsuit is another test of the judicial reviewability of DQA, which enables groups and members of the public to challenge the data quality of federal government information.

House Starts Moving on Lobbying and Ethics Reform (03/06/2007)
Lobbying and ethics rules changes are rapidly becoming a focal point of the 110th Congress. Since the Senate passed the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, the action has moved to the House, where a bill on executive branch lobbying recently passed the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and a Judiciary subcommittee addressed possible changes to the Senate bill.

Justice Department Refers Kinder USA's Harassment Complaint against FBI to FBI (03/06/2007)
For nearly three years, according to Kinder USA, the U.S. relief organization based in Dallas, TX, has endured harassment and surveillance of its board, staff and volunteers by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Dallas. In December 2006, Board Chair Dr. Laila Al-Marayati sent a letter to the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (IG) detailing the problem and asking for an independent investigation. She asked the IG to "take steps to terminate the wasteful and illegal governmental activities directed against a lawful charity managed and operated by United States citizens for needy children in areas of conflict." A month later, the IG's office wrote back saying the complaint had been referred to the FBI Inspection Division.

Patriot Act Drives Banking Problems for U.S. Muslim Charity (03/06/2007)
After a September 2006 raid by the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force, Life for Relief and Development (Life) of Michigan has had ongoing problems getting service from banks, even though at the time of the raid, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the investigation was not related to terrorism, and no charges have been filed. The only bank that will allow the humanitarian aid organization to make international wire transfers has required the group to comply with the Treasury Department's Voluntary Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines, which are supposed to be voluntary and flexible. However, Life officials say banks are reacting to the threat of litigation under unconstitutional provisions of the Patriot Act. Corrections filed March 7, 2007, indicated in italics.

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