On
January 10, 2012, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) released a report on
state and local government defined benefit pension plans in which he
detailed the risks associated with the nation’s $4.4 trillion public
pension debt, calling the defined benefit pensions structure “inherently
flawed in the state and local government setting” …

The Elephant in the Room
By Luke Gelber

Every
summer, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) combs through the
dozens of budget proposals drafted by Presidents past and present,
senators, representatives, think tanks, and nonprofits in an effort to
come up with a list called Prime Cuts that would hack away at government
bloat and lighten the load for taxpayers. CAGW staff takes this
project seriously, leaving no stone unturned and sparing no agency.
Last year, for the first time since 1993, CAGW produced a Prime Cuts
Summary detailing the federal government’s most wasteful and outdated
programs …

Obama’s Proposal to Merge Agencies Merits Thorough Review
By PJ Austin

As
part of a larger proposal to shrink and streamline government, the
Obama administration announced on January 13, 2012 that it is seeking
congressional approval to merge federal agencies. The President’s plan
would not allow Congress to modify administration proposals, but the
adoption of any plan would be subject to an up-or-down vote …

Lifeline/Link-Up Reform on FCC Agenda
By Deborah Collier

The
Lifeline program is part of the Universal Service Fund’s (USF)
low-income support services, providing subsidized telephone services to
low-income households. The low-income support program also includes the
Link-Up program, which provides a discount off the initial installation
fee for one traditional, wire line telephone service at a primary
residence, or the activation fee for one wireless telephone …

Food Stamp Expansion and Fraud
By Jonathan Buono

The
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to
as food stamps, has grown dramatically under President Obama’s
administration. At the start of his term, in January 2009, there were
approximately 32 million Americans receiving federal assistance from
SNAP, costing more than $3.6 billion per month. According to the most
recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are
now more than 46 million individuals receiving SNAP benefits, or roughly
one in every seven Americans …