Citizens Against Government Waste
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States. It functions as a think-tank, 'government watchdog', and advocacy group for fiscally conservative causes. 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. According to their web site, "CAGW is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization representing more than one million members and supporters nationwide. CAGW's mission is to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government."
History
Located in Washington, DC, CAGW was founded in 1984 by industrialist J. Peter Grace and syndicated columnist Jack Anderson, former members of the Grace Commission or President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control.[1] CAGW's current President is Thomas A. Schatz. Schatz has been president since 1992.[2]
Publications
CAGW produces a number of publications critical of what it calls "pork-barrel" projects. The Congressional Pig Book Summary (Pig Book) is an annual list of such projects and their sponsors.
The 2008 Pig Book identified 10,610 projects in the 11 appropriations bills that constitute the discretionary portion of the federal budget for fiscal 2008, costing taxpayers $17.2 billion.[3] Related publications include Prime Cuts, a list of recommendations for eliminating waste in the federal government and Porker of the Month, a monthly press release.
Also, 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.
Activity of CAGW
CAGW and CCAGW seek to influence public policy through public education, lobbying, and mobilization for email- and letter-writing campaigns. CAGW claims to have helped save taxpayers $944 billion through the implementation of Grace Commission findings and other recommendations.
CAGW was one of the critics of the 2001 $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.[4]
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) in 2007.[5]
CAGW named Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) its June 2008 Porker of the Month for accepting a preferential mortgage deal from Countrywide Financial which stood to benefit from a mortgage bailout bill he was pushing through Congress.[6]
See also
- Boondoggle (project)
- Bridge to nowhere
- Other people's money
- Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Act
- Regulatory capture
- Tax choice
- Unused highway
- X-inefficiency
References
- ^ "Remarks on Receiving the Final Report of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control in the Federal Government". President Ronald Reagan Speech October 28, 1985. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ "A Hole in the Government's Pocket". FrontPage Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ "'Pig book' puts pet spending in spotlight". MSNBC. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ "Right-Left Coalition Denounces Boeing Corporate Welfare Deal". CommonDreams.org. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ "Sen. Thune avoids being named 'Porker of the Year'". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ CAGW Names Sen. Dodd Porker of the Month