Senate Heeds CAGW Call for Clean Spending Bills

In April, CAGW issued our “Ten Principles for Emergency Spending” to taxpayers, Congress, and the Trump administration.  Since then, the Senate has been steadfast in advocating for clean spending bills that focus on targeted and temporary spending to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.  The Senate has also consistently rejected the multi-trillion dollar bills passed by the House.  The bipartisan relief bill recently passed by Congress was less than one-third of the cost of Nancy Pelosi's $3.3 trillion HEROES Act passed by the House on May 15, which included hundreds of billions of dollars for projects unrelated to pandemic relief and recovery.  This is one of CAGW’s most significant victories for taxpayers in many years.  Read the ten principles.

CCAGW Members Impact Washington Policy

CCAGW’s Action Alert campaigns continued to empower Americans to make their voices heard on how their tax dollars are spent.  CCAGW members and supporters sent more than 100,000 letters to lawmakers on important tax and spending issues in 2020.  This year’s grassroots campaigns generated more than 55,000 letters opposing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s attempt to exploit the coronavirus pandemic, and 15,000 letters demanding lawmakers slash government waste, using CAGW’s Prime Cuts 2020 as a guide.  Take part in CCAGW’s current Action Alert campaigns.

CAGW Launches Earmark Database

In April, CAGW unveiled our new Earmark Database.  Since 1991, CAGW has chronicled in our annual Congressional Pig Book how lawmakers have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on pork-barrel spending through the process of congressional earmarking.  CAGW’s Earmark Database collects almost 30 years of work identifying wasteful spending projects and makes information available about all 111,114 earmarks costing taxpayers $375.7 billion online in one searchable database for the very first time.  The database is a powerful tool for lawmakers, citizens, and researchers alike.  Search the Earmark Database.

CCAGW Releases First State Ballot Measure Guide

In October, CCCAGW released its first-ever State Ballot Measure Guide examining 2020 ballot initiatives important to taxpayers.  This election year, CCAGW weighed in on proposed measures in California, Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, and South Dakota, covering issues ranging from excise taxes to budget issues to search and seizure warrants.  Read about the top issues facing states in 2021. 

CAGW’s Schatz Recognized as “Top Lobbyist”

For the 11th year in a row, The Hill newspaper named CAGW President Tom Schatz one of the “Top Lobbyists of 2019.”  Tom has said that this is not an individual award; it is a tribute to both the high visibility and clout of the hard-working team at CAGW and the dedicated support of our more than one million members and supporters.

And in the states …

CCAGW’s lobbying efforts continued to make an impact at the state level in 2020.  In a victory for independent contractors, California voters voted to exempt app-based gig economy workers like Uber, Lyft, and Instacart drivers from AB 5, a law that turned these workers into employees rather than independent contractors.  During the coronavirus pandemic, states made efforts to reform occupational licensing.  CCAGW wrote letters on several of these bills including in Ohio and Utah.  CAGW staff was also present at a White House event on July 16 for “Rolling Back Regulations to Help All Americans.”  CCAGW additionally fought for temporary telemedicine expansion in the states for all patients during the pandemic and suggested that these changes be made permanent.