Transparency and Government 2.0

Women Who Tech TeleSummitMay 12, 2009

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Nancy WatzmanConsultant, Sunlight Foundation

Sheila KrumholzExecutive Director, Center for Responsive Politics

Ryan AlexanderPresident, Taxpayers for Common Sense

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Pizza again?

Bridge to Nowhere

You say you want a revolution?

• Technology innovation is moving so fast there is no longer just evolutionary change.

• It’s creating revolutionary change in the way our institutions operate, survive and more importantly what our expectations from them are and will be.

Data.gov

• Are the citizens in communities across America getting the local information they need to know whether the stimulus is serving them?

The old way of doing things

Digitize, digitize, digitize

It’s Party Time!

Connecting dots

• Who are the lobbyists?

• How much in campaign contributions?

• What did plant get from Capitol Hill?

• How much did company profit?

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Money’s Role in U.S. Politics:Shining light on power and influence

Sheila KrumholzExecutive Director, Center for Responsive Politics

OpenSecrets.orgThe 2008 election cost $5.2 billion (including funds raised for the presidential and congressional races)

More than the GDP of Belize ($1.2 billion)

Less than what Americans spent on Valentine’s Day in 2008 ($17 billion)

The presidential race alone cost $2.24 billion

OpenSecrets.orgOur mission is to provide greater transparency in government, specifically about the role of money and elite influence on policy and elections, to provide the public the help they need to hold their elected officials accountable.

…because “People govern themselves based on the quality of information they get. If they’re left out in the dark and don’t know who’s pulling the strings, they can’t participate in a democracy fully.” – Celia Wexler

Fundraising Profiles

Industry Profiles

Get Local

Who’s Giving? Very Few…

Donor Lookup

Lobbying Database

Tracking Lobbying by Industry

Tracking Lobbying by Company/Client

Tracking Lobbying by Client or Firm

A Spin Through the Revolving Door

Speaking Freely…

“I'm free! My year is up!”-Former U.S. Senator Trent Lott, upon the

expiration of a 12-month ban on lobbying that he faced throughout 2008 as a former senator

Personal Finances

PACs and 527s

Widgets, APIs and OpenData

Pass S.482!

•Last year alone electronic filing would have saved 340,000 sheets of paper, or six tons of trees.

•By e-filing, Senators would save taxpayers $250,000 annually.

Sunshine: Grading Your Government

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Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director

202.354.0104 / sheila@crp.org

Earmarks, Bailouts, and SpendingBringing transparency to the public

Ryan AlexanderPresident

Taxpayers for Common Senseryan@taxpayer.net

www.taxpayer.net

www.taxpayer.net

TCS: Who we are and what we do

• Our mission is to achieve a government that spends taxpayer dollars responsibly and operates within its means.

• We work with individuals, policymakers, and the media to increase transparency, expose and eliminate wasteful and corrupt subsidies, earmarks, and corporate welfare, and hold decision makers accountable.

www.taxpayer.net

What is Government Waste?TCS’s 10 common sense principles on government waste:

1. If it doesn't work, don't fund it.2. Eliminate redundant expenditures. 3. Stop helping those who don't need help.4. Get a fair price for taxpayer assets or government services.5. Don't encourage irresponsibility.6. Don't burden future generations with unfair or hidden debts. 7. Level the playing field and use the power of the market.8. Eliminate unnecessary federal involvement.9. Everyone should pay their fair share.10. Fund projects based on their merits and only after open review.

www.taxpayer.net

What are the problems with earmarks?

• Decisions made on political muscle, not project merit.

• Present unique opportunities for corruption.• Divert resources from more important priorities.• Divert lawmakers and staff time away from

central policy debates.• At the current volume, there is no possibility of

adequate review.• Distribution of resources reflects neither priority,

need, or population.www.taxpayer.net

What gets funded through earmarks?

• Local economic development

• Specific geographic assignment of funds that could be allocated programmatically.

• Contracting decisions

• Infrastructure

• Research and Development

www.taxpayer.net

Bridge to Nowhere• Gravina Island Bridge started as a $200M

project proposed by Representative Don Young and Senator Ted Stevens.

www.taxpayer.net

TCS Earmark Analysis

• Complete excel database of all earmarks available at www.taxpayer.net

• Includes House request, Senate request, sponsors, final amount, description, place of performance

• Defense bill also includes beneficiaries and links to request letters.

www.taxpayer.net

Earmarks on taxpayer.net

www.taxpayer.net

Earmarks in Continuing Resolution/Mini-Bus Appropriations Bill

Bill Account Amount Description State/ Country Location House Requester Senate Requester President

Defense AP,A $2,400,000 Air Warrior-Joint Service Vacuum Packed Life Raft (AW-JSVPLR) Young, Don

Defense AP,A $1,600,000 Aircraft Component Remediation Sessions

Defense AP,A $1,600,000 CAAS—Pilot Vehicle Interface Hinchey Grassley; Harkin; Schumer

Defense AP,A $1,600,000 Cockpit Air Bag System (CABS) Pastor

Defense AP,A $1,600,000 Forward Looking Infrared System for New York National GuardArcuri; Gillibrand; Hall, John; Israel; King, Peter

Schumer

Defense AP,A $8,000,000 HH-60A to HH-60L Upgrades for the 204th TN ARNG Alexander

Defense AP,A $32,600,000 Light Utility Helicopter Cochran; Wicker

Defense AP,A $1,600,000 UH-60 Improved Communications (ARC 220) for the ARNG Bishop, Rob; LathamBennett; Grassley; Harkin; Hatch; Landrieu

Defense AP,A $1,600,000 UH-60 MEDEVAC Thermal Imaging Upgrades Capps; Hooley Smith, Gordon; Wyden

Defense AP,A $5,000,000 UH-60A Rewiring Program Granger

Defense AP,A $800,000 Vibration Management Enhancement Program Graham

Defense AP,A $2,500,000 Vibration Management Enhancement Program Feinstein

Defense AP,A $2,000,000 Vibration Management Enhancement Program (Note: For SC ARHG) Clyburn

Defense AP,AF $1,600,000 C-130 Active Noise Cancellation System (ANCS) Tiahrt

Defense AP,AF $5,000,000 Civil Air Patrol Tiahrt Roberts

Defense AP,AF $2,400,000 F-15 Improved Radio Communications (ARC 210)Grassley; Harkin; Hatch; Landrieu; Smith, Gordon; Wyden

Defense AP,AF $5,000,000 F-15C/D MSOGS Retrofit Grassley; Harkin

Defense AP,AF $1,440,000 F-16C Fire Control Computers for the 114th Fighter Wing Herseth Sandlin Johnson; Thune

Defense AP,AF $3,200,000 Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure for MC-130P aircraft Martinez

Defense AP,AF $7,200,000 RC-26B ModernizationBishop, Sanford; Granger; Lampson; Rogers, Michael D.

Bingaman; Murray; Nelson, Bill; Shelby

Defense AP,AF $400,000 Scathe View for NV AHG Berkley; Porter Reid

Defense AP,AF $7,000,000 SENIOR SCOUT Beyond Line-of-Sight SATCOM Data Link Cannon Bennett; Hatch

Defense AP,AF $1,600,000 Smart Bomb Rack Unit (S-BRU) Upgrade Herseth Sandlin Johnson; Thune

Defense AP,AF $800,000 USAF Senior Scout Digital Rio Raton EUNT System Hobson

Defense AP,N $4,000,000 AAR-47 Missile Advanced Warning System Young, C.W. Bill Nelson, Bill

Defense AP,N $1,600,000 Advanced Helicopter Emergency Egress Lighting System Alexander; Melancon Landrieu; Vitter

Defense AP,N $1,200,000 Advanced Skills Management (ASM) System Dicks; Inslee Cantwell; Murray

Defense AP,N $5,000,000 AN/AVS-7 Day Heads-Up Display (DayHUD) Granger Bond

Defense AP,N $4,000,000 C4ISR Operations and Training Murtha

Defense AP,N $2,800,000 Common ECM Equipment (ALQ-214) Lugar

Defense AP,N $1,600,000 Crane NSWC IDECM Depot Capability Ellsworth Bayh

Defense AP,N $3,200,000 Direct Squadron Support Readiness Training Program Byrd

Earmarks databases

www.taxpayer.net

Bailout

www.taxpayer.net

Bailout

www.taxpayer.net

Bailout

www.taxpayer.net

What changes have we seen? • Greater earmark disclosure, but still needs

improvement.– 2007 was the first year of any disclosure– This year we are seeing requests as well as final

earmarks, but not centralized.• Bailout had weaker oversight and transparency

than we would have liked to see.• Stimulus has a number of mechanisms in place

that reflect the criticisms of the transparency community

www.taxpayer.net