Weekly Wastebasket

The NDAA is mostly bad news, but taxpayers did secure two important victories.

Jul 17, 2025|

Our Take

The FY25 reconciliation bill expands carbon capture tax credit that will cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars

Jul 15, 2025|

Rolling Analysis

May 23, 2025|

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Taxpayers for Common Sense

Protecting taxpayers from government waste since 1995.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“IGs (Inspectors General) play a critical role in preventing and detecting fraud, waste and abuse, promoting economy and efficiency and ensuring agencies are held accountable to the public. Really the original sort of DOGE, if you will. That’s why it’s critical that we support IGs and prevent them from being politicized.”

— Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA), speaking in support of an amendment to protect IGs from political interference during the House Armed Services Committee markup of the NDAA.

Agriculture

Agriculture

Washington wastes billions of taxpayer dollars annually on inefficient and outdated agriculture policies that do not address the realities of 21st-century agriculture, modern economies, or our nation’s current financial challenges.

Budget & Tax

Budget & Tax

Budget, tax, and spending decisions are about more than numbers, they are reflections of our priorities.

Disaster

Disaster

Taxpayers for Common Sense advocates for smarter use of taxpayer dollars by promoting pre-disaster investments, reforming programs like the National Flood Insurance Program, and scrutinizing federal emergency management practices.

Energy & Natural Resources

Energy & Natural Resources

We work to bring transparency to federal land and asset management, and to push Congress and Administrations to establish rents, royalties, and fees for private development of public land so taxpayers receive a fair return.

National Security

National Security

We monitor presidential, agency, and congressional spending requests, looking for duplications, over budget and unaffordable weapons systems, and projects driven by parochial or industry concerns rather than by sound security strategy.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Transportation & Infrastructure

Taxpayers for Common Sense opposes projects where the national benefit doesn’t outweigh the cost and advocates for a fix-it-first approach. We work to shift more of the financial costs and risks off federal taxpayers and onto the actual project beneficiaries themselves.