Citizens Against Government Waste
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It functions as a think-tank, 'government watchdog', and advocacy group. Its stated goal is "to eliminate waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in the federal government." The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of CAGW, organized as a section 501(c)(4) organization, and therefore permitted to engage in direct lobbying activities. The organization has been accused of fronting lobbying efforts of corporations to give them the appearance of "grassroots" support.[1]
The CAGW's current President is Thomas A. Schatz.
History
CAGW was founded in 1984 by industrialist J. Peter Grace and syndicated columnist Jack Anderson.[citation needed]
Pig Book
The Congressional Pig Book Summary (Pig Book) is published each spring. This is CAGW's famous exposé of the most glaring and irresponsible pork-barrel projects in the years appropriations bills and their sponsors.
The 2006 Pig Book identified 9,963 projects in the 11 appropriations bills that constitute the discretionary portion of the federal budget for fiscal 2006, costing taxpayers $29 billion.[2] A "pork" project is a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures. To qualify as pork, a project must meet one of seven criteria that were developed in 1991 by CAGW and the Congressional Porkbusters Coalition.
- Seven Criteria to Qualify as Pork
- Requested by only one chamber of Congress
- Not specifically authorized
- Not competitively awarded
- Not requested by the President
- Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding
- Not the subject of congressional hearings
- Serves only a local or special interest.[3]
Prime Cuts
Prime Cuts is CAGW’s comprehensive list of recommendations for eliminating waste in the federal government. Prime Cuts 2007 makes 750 recommendations that would save $280 billion over one year and $2 trillion over the next five years. Targets for elimination include the White House’s National Youth Anti-drug Media Campaign (saving $512 million over five years), sugar subsidies (saving $800 million over five years), and the Advanced Technology Program (saving $721 million over five years).
Porker of the Month
Each month CAGW issues a press release naming its "Porker(s) of the Month", which it describes as a “dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.” Past “Porkers” include Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) for promising to filibuster legislation that would reduce earmarks and Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) for adding $25 million for spinach growers to the fiscal 2007 emergency supplemental bill. CAGW encourages the public to nominate candidates for the award.
Congressional Ratings
Congressional Ratings are one of the most popular features where one can view a member of congress' “Scorecard.”
Since 1989, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) has examined Congressional roll-call votes to determine which members of Congress are voting in what they view as the interest of taxpayers. CAGW makes public what legislators are engaging in "pork-barrel" spending based on 'key' votes for each congressional session.
For the first session of the 109th Congress, CCAGW rated 34 key votes in the House and 24 key votes in the Senate. From these votes a scorecard is developed.
| Scorecard Categories | |
|---|---|
| 100% | Taxpayer Superhero |
| 80% - 99% | Taxpayer Hero |
| 60% - 79% | Friendly |
| 40% - 59% | Lukewarm |
| 20% - 39% | Unfriendly |
| 0% - 19% | Hostile |
The House Scorecard and The Senate Scorecard are available on the group's site.
Government WasteWatch
Government WasteWatch is the group's quarterly newsletter, which is distributed to members of CAGW, Congress, and members of the media nationwide.
Wastewatcher
"Wastewatcher" is the group's monthly dispatch feature.
Influence of CAGW
- Victories
CAGW and CCAGW seek to influence public policy through public education, lobbying, and mobilization for email- and letter-writing campaigns. The organization points to a number of cases where it played a prominent role in changing public policy. Overall, CAGW claims to have helped save taxpayers $944 billion through the implementation of Grace Commission findings and other recommendations.
- CAGW was one of the earliest critics of the $23.5 billion Air Force plan to lease and then buy 100 refueling tankers from Boeing Co. Congress squashed the plan after it was revealed that an Air Force official inflated the price in exchange for an executive job at Boeing.
- CAGW was a prominent critic of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and his efforts to secure a record $2.3 billion federal loan for a railroad company that once employed him as a lobbyist. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) cited an “unacceptably high risk to taxpayers” in denying the loan to the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad (DM&E).
- CCAGW lobbied for an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 (S. 1). The amendment, which broadened the definition of “earmark” in new transparency rules, passed unanimously despite initial opposition from Senate Democratic Leadership, including Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
- Positive
- "I truly believe that the overwhelming 306-121 vote for the... amendment would not have been possible were it not for the work of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste." - Former Rep. Bill Luther (D-Minn.)
- "When CCAGW sends a letter to the Hill in support of an issue, it guarantees strong support on the House floor." - Former Rep. James Hansen (R-Utah)
- CNN Inside Politics - "(CAGW's Pig Book) finds congressmen bringing home more than their share of legislative bacon."
- Newsweek - "(CAGW's) annual Pig Book (is) a catalog of government excess."
- Associated Press - "(CAGW is) Congress' pork barrel patrol."
- Negative
- Senator Ted Stevens, (R- Alaska) "I am guilty of asking the Senate for pork and proud of the Senate for giving it to me."
- Senator Robert Byrd (D- West Virginia) "Let me thank the good senator (Stevens) from Alaska for being a good servant of his people. I have been in the same boat with the senator in many ways, and I have no apologies to make. What's one man's pork is another man's job."
- Note: CAGW has termed Stevens as "top porker per capita in the U.S. Congress."
- Senator Ted Stevens, (R- Alaska) on CAGW - "All they are is a bunch of psychopaths." -- December 26 1999 Associated Press
- Note: CAGW has termed Byrd as the "King of Pork" with a regular feature called, "Byrd Droppings" as he was the first in their database to obtain more than $1 billion in pork for his state.[4]
- "They call me 'The Pork King,' they don't know how much I enjoy it." - Sen. Robert Byrd
- Senator Robert Byrd (D- West Virginia) on CAGW - "You might as well slap my wife as take away the highway money from West Virginia."-- December/ January 2001 George Magazine
Controversies
Microsoft's Antitrust Case (Litigation)
The Los Angeles Times reported that at least two dead people sent a form letter by CAGW opposing the antitrust case against Microsoft to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. According to the Times, family members crossed out the names on the form letters and signed for them. This brought about the "Microsoft Supported by Dead People" controversy[5] from Microsoft's and CAGW's opponents and the CAGW's response that they were not tied to Microsoft or to ATL[6].
"Freeware Initiative"
CAGW put out a press release[7] opposed to what they called the "Freeware Initiative", which they claimed would have required all Massachusetts IT expenditures in fiscal 2004 and 2005 to be made on an open source/Linux format (and revised to mandate that state agencies use only open source and open standard software by January 1 2007).
Responding to the press release, the state's secretary for administration and finance, Eric Kriss, denied the existence of a 'Freeware Initiative' and said the state was simply considering ways to integrate disparate systems using open standards such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), XML (Extensible Markup Language) and Java. "I never heard that term. I never said it. We're not pursuing any kind of 'Freeware Initiative' and anyone who is saying that is making inaccurate statements," he said.[8]
CAGW and tobacco
The St. Petersburg Times reported that CAGW "got at least $245,000 from the tobacco industry", and subsequently lobbied on its behalf.
Asked about his group's tobacco work, CAGW president Tom Schatz said, "We have always welcomed contributions to support the issues we support. Many of them have to do with fighting higher taxes and more regulations."[9]
Other controversies
Throughout its history, CAGW has been charged with being a front group for a multitude of interests. In part, this is because CAGW has accepted donations from Phillip Morris, the Olin Foundation, the Bradley Foundation, Merrill-Lynch, and Exxon-Mobil.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Pig Book has been used to benefit corporate donors, specifically health clubs who donated to CAGW. The Pig Book listed federal grants to YMCAs who compete with those health clubs as waste. CAGW's president countered that "The Ys are there because they qualify as pork. Period."[1]
A Senate Finance Committee investigating ties between CAGW and other non-profits and Jack Abramoff in 2006 stated in a report that the non-profits: 'probably violated their tax-exempt status "by laundering payments and then disbursing funds at Mr. Abramoff's direction; taking payments in exchange for writing newspaper columns or press releases that put Mr. Abramoff's clients in a favorable light; introducing Mr. Abramoff's clients to government officials in exchange for payment; and agreeing to act as a front organization for congressional trips paid for by Mr. Abramoff's clients."'[10]
References
- ^ a b For price, watchdog will be an advocate, St. Petersburg Times, April 2, 2006
- ^ http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2006
- ^ http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2007#criteria
- ^ Byrd Droppings. Citizens Against Government Waste. Retrieved on December 19, 2006.
- ^ Olavsrud, Thor (August 23 2001). Microsoft Supported by Dead People. InternetNews.com. Retrieved on December 19, 2006.
- ^ Schatz, Thomas A. (August 23 2001). CAGW Criticizes LA Times Story. politech. Retrieved on December 19, 2006.
- ^ http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=news_NewsRelease_09302003b&JServSessionIdr007=xdomc1du42.app26a
- ^ http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/10/03/HNmassopen_1.html
- ^ When tobacco needed a voice, CAGW spoke up and profited, St. Petersburg Times, April 2, 2006
- ^ "Senate Report: Five Nonprofit Groups Sold Clout to Abramoff", Washington Post, October 12, 2006.
External links
- Home Page cagw.org
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