|
CAGW Recommendations Included in Trump Budget
In March, President Trump released his fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget, and Citizens Against Government Waste’s (CAGW) recommendations comprised 74 percent of the proposed savings in 16 federal departments and agencies. The adoption of CAGW’s proposals came after a top White House official asked CAGW to provide budget-cutting recommendations in late 2018. Read more about CAGW’s waste cuts in President Trump’s budget.
CCAGW-Backed Trump Trade Deal Passes House
On December 19, the House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – the most significant trade deal in 25 years. The major victory came after the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) led a lobbying and grassroots campaign that resulted in more than xx letters in support of the deal to House members. The USMCA is projected to generate more than $68 billion in new economic activity and create at least 176,000 new American jobs. Read more about how the USMCA will benefit the U.S. economy.
CCAGW Helps Enact Law to Put Taxpayers First
On July 1, President Trump signed the Taxpayer First Act into law. Championed by CCAGW for two years, this IRS reform measure reorganizes the IRS to better serve taxpayers, reins in abuses by overhauling the agency’s enforcement tools, and updates the IRS’s technology infrastructure to protect taxpayers from cyberattacks and identity theft. Read more about the Taxpayer First Act.
CAGW Cheers Regulatory Rollback
CAGW’s ongoing efforts to help President Trump lift the heavy hand of overbearing government that has stifled economic growth and swelled the federal bureaucracy resulted in the elimination of another 150 outdated, unnecessary, or duplicative regulations in FY 2019, saving American businesses and families from $13.5 billion in regulatory costs and bringing total regulatory savings during the Trump Administration to $50.9 billion. Read more about the rollback of the regulatory state.
CAGW Makes Progress in Effort to End Earmarks
The embarrassment of being called out in CAGW’s annual Congressional Pig Book continued to make an impact in the battle against wasteful and corruptive earmarks. In May, the Senate Republican Conference voted to replace its 2011 earmark moratorium with a permanent ban, while House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) announced in February that the House would have to forgo earmarking in the FY 2020 appropriations process since “the necessary bipartisan, bicameral agreement” to allow earmarks did not exist. Read more about the Senate Republican earmark ban.
Army Heeds CAGW’s Call for Procurement Reform
This past spring, the Army acted on CAGW’s call for a fair and open bidding process and awarded a multibillion-dollar contract to upgrade its intelligence-gathering software system to Palantir, a private data analytics company. This marks the first time the Department of Defense has chosen a non-defense contractor to lead an acquisition program of this caliber and is a groundbreaking achievement in CAGW’s drive to break up the monopolistic hold Establishment defense contractors have on Pentagon procurement, which results in lengthy project delays and skyrocketing costs. Read more about CAGW’s progress on procurement reform.
CAGW Receives Widespread Media Coverage in 2019
CAGW once again received widespread media coverage in 2019, with appearances on television, radio, and in newspapers and newsmagazines from coast to coast. From nationally televised interviews on C-SPAN, FOX Business Network, and FOX News Channel to hundreds of stories on local ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates and articles in the Houston Chronicle, Las Vegas Review-Journal, National Review, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, to name just a few, CAGW made Washington’s runaway spending one of the top news stories in America.
CAGW’s Schatz Recognized as “Top Lobbyist”
For the 10th year in a row, The Hill newspaper recognized CAGW for its high visibility and clout on Capitol Hill by naming CAGW President Tom Schatz one of the “Top Lobbyists of 2019.”
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 110,000 e-mails to lawmakers on important tax and spending issues in 2019 – more than twice as many as in 2018. This year’s grassroots campaigns generated more than 30,000 letters opposing the Green New Deal, more than 27,000 letters opposing a taxpayer-funded bailout of all student loan debt, and almost 26,000 letters opposing Medicare for All. Take part in CCAGW’s current Action Alert campaigns.
And in the States …
CCAGW’s lobbying efforts continued to make an impact at the state level in 2019. In a victory for both federal and state taxpayers, California abandoned its high-speed rail route from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a project that CCAGW had criticized for being 13 years behind schedule and more than $60 billon over budget. After CCAGW Technology & Telecommunications Policy Director Deborah Collier testified before the Texas House of Representatives in April, the governor signed a bill into law that eliminates the double taxation of telecommunications services. CCAGW also helped defeat excise tax increases in Montana and Utah and won battles on issues ranging from energy to healthcare in Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington.
|
