by Congressional Quarterly

he Senate showed restraint in its earmarks for fiscal 2009 spending bills, while the House has increased its total slightly from last year, according to an analysis released Monday by a group that advocates curbing the practice. Of the bills that are publicly available, Taxpayers for Common Sense found that earmarks have decreased by more than 15 percent in the Senate bills and increased by almost 7 percent in the House, compared to the fiscal 2008 bills. In terms of number of projects, the House has increased its total from 4,149 in fiscal 2008 to 4,367 in fiscal 2009. The Senate decreased its total number of earmarks, from 4,313 in fiscal 2008 to 4,093 in fiscal 2009. The organization noted, however, that the steps made to reduce earmarks could be undercut by the fact that fiscal 2009 spending likely will be enacted in a massive omnibus rather than individual appropriations bills. “So any earmark reductions we are seeing in August are likely to be negated by an avalanche of earmarks that always accompanies major omnibus spending bills,” the group wrote. House Republicans and President Bush have made a concerted effort to reduce the number of earmarks. The support in the Senate for an earmark moratorium was more tepid than in the House. Earlier this year, the Senate defeated, 29-71, a proposal by Sen. Jim DeMint , R-S.C., to impose a one-year earmark moratorium and effectively killed the issue for the year. Bush has threatened to veto bills that did not reduce earmarks in half, though it seems unlikely he will be put to the test on that threat on more than one or two bills. Bush has made clear he will veto bills that exceed his request, as he did last year.

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   by Congressional Quarterly

The IRS has received generally high marks from auditors for its handing of the rebate checks provided by the economic stimulus package President Bush signed in February. But the Treasury Department’s inspector general did find some room for improvement, which might come in handy if Congress orders another round of rebates. “Although the IRS’ planning for the stimulus payments was generally sufficient, we noted areas where improvements were needed,” the inspector general’s office said in a report released Monday. “Management addressed our concerns in a timely manner, which helped to ensure the accuracy and consistency of information provided externally and internally and reduced the risk of errors when stimulus-only returns were processed and payments were issued,” the report said. For instance, the IRS Web site said that taxpayers filing returns solely to claim the rebate had to fill out only a few items on Form 1040A, but Taxpayer Assistance Center employees were asking people for additional information. The IRS subsequently corrected the guidance to the taxpayer centers. There was also inconsistent guidance regarding processing of some “stimulus only” tax returns. The IRS directed employees to send returns back to individuals if certain information regarding self-employment income was not explained, even though the instructions to the public did not make clear such information was necessary. The IRS expects to issue more than $100 billion in payments to 130 million households under the economic stimulus law. Democratic leaders hope to start drafting a second stimulus plan after the August recess. Some, including Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, have called for another round of rebates. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., has said Republican support will be necessary to enact any further stimulus measures, but the White House and GOP leaders in Congress have been cool to the idea.

House Republicans Return For More Empty-Floor Protests

August 4, 2008

   by Congressional Quarterly

A small group of House Republicans returned to the chamber Monday to resume their protest against Congress starting its August recess without first addressing high gas prices. Republicans began the effort midday Friday after Congress had shut down for the month. They hammered away at Democratic leaders for failing to take up GOP energy legislation to expand drilling and prodded Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., to call the House back into session. Monday, they picked up on the same themes. “What you are about to witness is the beginning of a sustained effort to demand that Speaker Pelosi bring this Congress back to Washington, D.C., and give us an up or down vote on an energy bill that includes more access to American oil,’’ said Mike Pence , R-Ind., an organizer of the protest effort. On Sunday, Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri issued a joint statement announcing plans to continue to monopolize the idle floor. About 25 GOP members were planning to take part Monday. Leaders were scheduled to return to Washington on a rotation during the week. Led by Pence and Lynn Westmoreland and Tom Price of Georgia, Friday’s talk-a-thon started shortly before noon and stretched on for five hours and 45 minutes. Republicans have proposed to end an offshore drilling ban and permit drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But Democrats have opposed those moves, arguing that tens of millions of acres of federal land and ocean floor are already available for drilling. Democrats have proposed that companies lose those leases unless the land becomes productive, under legislation nicknamed “use it or lose it.” On Monday, lights in the chamber were dim, the microphones were off, and there were no cameras, except for those in lawmakers’ mobile phones. Pelosi’s office issued a statement Monday, making the case that House Republicans have refused to support a number of Democratic initiatives “to bring down energy costs, promote renewable fuels and energy efficiency and to promote oil production right here in America.”

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