A group of cities and counties in southern Virginia have hired a Washington lobbyist as part of their push for a $4 billion highway project that local leaders hope will bring jobs and growth to their rural area.
Continue readingOpenGov Voices: Bringing transparency to earmarks buried in the budget
Researchers at the University of Chicago spent the summer training computers to extract all the earmarks from the hundreds of pages of mind-numbing legalese found in each budget.
Continue readingWhat it takes to be a major player in policymaking
What makes an organization like AARP so influential on Capitol Hill? It takes more than lobbying and campaign contributions to have a voice in policymaking.
Continue readingErring on the side of shady: How calling out “lobbyists” drove them underground
Recent disclosure measures were supposed to provide more accurate reporting of who lobbyists were and what they did. Instead, they just drove lobbying underground, making it harder to track than ever.
Continue readingLet them eat earmarks
Jonathan Rauch is the latest to insist that dishonesty and good government go hand-in-hand. What he doesn't realize is that corruption is alive in Washington — and letting it flourish won't solve our problems.
Continue readingDarkmarks: Are largest defense contractors benefiting from programmatic requests?
Of the roughly 1,040 Pentagon procurement programs–the $99.3 billion part of the Defense budget devoted to purchasing new equipment–some 212... View Article
Continue readingDarkmarks: Defense programs can have one beneficiary
By making a programmatic request asking for additional funding for line 3 of the Army aircraft procurement budget, a member... View Article
Continue readingDarkmarks: Has Congress found a way to fund pet projects?
The instructions are written in obscure Washingtonese that only an insider could understand: “Please include the applicable account and line... View Article
Continue readingAs earmark lobbyist gets out of jail, former colleagues still on the trail
Paul J. Magliocchetti, the former House Appropriations staffer who went on to be a top lobbyist for earmarks, got out of prison today. Magliocchetti pled guilty to charges that he made illegal campaign donations. He was served a 27-month sentence for admitting to funneling more than $380,000 to House and Senate campaigns through straw donors.
PMA Group, Magliocchetti's firm, boasted a stable of lobbyists who had gone through the revolving door, some 33 in all, including 7 who worked for the congressional appropriations committees or their members. Of those, 28 are still registered to lobby the federal government ...
Continue readingSunlight’s Priorities for the Next Administration
Regardless of who wins the presidential election, the next administration will have enormous power to say how open our government will be. We have organized our priorities for the next administration below, to share where we think our work on executive branch issues will be focused, in advance of the election results. From money in politics to open data, spending, and freedom of information, we'll be working to open up the Executive Branch. We'd love to hear any suggestions you might have for Sunlight's Executive Branch work, please leave additional ideas in the comments below. (We'll also be sharing other recommendations soon, including a legislative agenda for the 113th Congress, and a suite of reform proposals for the House and Senate rules packages.) Sunlight Reform Agenda for the Next Administration:
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