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Non-profit

Citizens Against Government Waste

Website:

www.cagw.org
Location:

Washington, DC
Tax ID:

52-1363925
President:

Tom Schatz
Type:

Taxpayer Watchdog Organization
Formation:

1984

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a right-of-center organization that opposes wasteful and corrupt government spending. Since 1984, CAGW has served as a taxpayer watchdog organization and has published reports exposing politicians that aim to pass questionable financial legislation. 1 Through its advocacy, publications, and rating systems like the Congressional Pig Book, “Porker of the Year,” “Porker of the Month,” and “Prime Cuts,”2 CAGW claims to have reduced the burden on taxpayers by $1.9 trillion. 3

CAGW claims to be nonpartisan and has castigated both Republicans and Democrats for irresponsible spending. It reported in 2021 that President Joe Biden’s executive order, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” will cost Americans trillions while barely affecting the climate. 4 In 2020, it opposed President Donald Trump’s executive order to limit prescription drug prices, claiming that the price control that would stifle research and development. 5

The group’s nonpartisanship does not extend to political contributions, which go almost entirely to Republican candidates. 6 Its 2019 “Porker of the Year” award for bloated government spending went to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) due her proposed $93 trillion Green New Deal legislation. 7 CAGW produces a lifetime rating system that ranked former Vice President Mike Pence a 94 on spending and ranked Vice President Kamala Harris a 2 based on their Congressional records. 8

Background

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan called upon the Grace Commission to “work like tireless bloodhounds to root out government inefficiency and waste of tax dollars.” The commission, funded by voluntary private contributions, worked for two years with thousands of volunteers and produced a report that recommended 2,478 cuts that would produce taxpayer savings of $424.4 billion over three years. That effort inspired the founding of Citizens Against Government Waste by J. Peter Grace and Jack Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize recipient. 9

Citizens Against Government Waste maintains a political activist branch, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, that lobbies, endorses, and donates to candidates. It produces the annual Congressional Ratings that measure congressional leaders’ voting records on spending bills. 10

Publications

The Congressional Pig Book

The Congressional Pig Book is an annual publication that reports on “pork” projects in the federal budget. CAGW defines pork projects as those which bypass the normal budgetary approval process and meet one of the seven measures CAGW created in 1991. 11 These include projects that are sought by a single chamber of Congress, are not authorized specifically, are not awarded competitively, are not made at a presidential request, represent an excessive increase over prior year’s funding or budget requests, only benefit a special or local interest, and are not parts of congressional hearings. 12

The 2020 Congressional Pig Book reported a record value for earmarks despite an earmark moratorium, counting 274 earmarks with a value of $15.9 billion. The report has listed 111,417 earmarks with a value of $375.7 billion since 1991. CAGW decries earmarks as a means for powerful congressional leaders to “buy” electoral support for their re-election campaigns by directing federal funds to their districts. The politicians in influential committee seats represent 15% of congressional membership, but their legislation makes up 51% of the earmarks and 61% of congressional expenditures. 13

The Pig Book also reports on unusually large spending projects. These include the F-35 fighter project, which is over budget by $195 billion, behind schedule by 8 years, and on target to cost $1.2 trillion. 14 Congress has also spent $400 per gallon on 20,000 gallons of algae-based biofuel ordered by the Department of Defense (DOD). 15 The Army Corps of Engineers received almost 7,000 earmarks at a cost of over $12 billion. 16 Other large expenditures include $863,000 to eliminate certain species of snakes in Guam, $13.8 million for wild horse and burro control, and a $9 million fruit fly quarantine program. 17 Five U.S. Representatives and two Senators requested nearly $3 million for shrimp aquaculture research, equaling a total taxpayer charge of nearly $78 million. Over $6 billion in earmarks went to anonymous national defense projects. 18

Prime Cuts

“Prime Cuts” is an annual CAGW publication that provides guidance on eliminating spending. Recommendations made by CAGW that have been adopted have resulted in taxpayer savings of over $1.4 trillion. CAGW has called for the privatization of the United States Postal Service after it reported losses of over $10 billion. 19 The organization also encouraged cutting dairy, peanut, and sugar programs and reducing excess Medicare payments by 50%, performing an audit of Medicare and proposing cuts that would save $24 billion. 20 The 2020 report forecast $3 billion in savings if Congress agreed to honor the Pentagon’s request to not fund upgrades for the M1 Abrams tank. 21 The 2019 report advised the removal of 620 expenditures that would save $3.9 trillion in taxpayer funding over five years. 22

Lifetime Achievement Award

CAGW named former Senate Democratic Leader Robert Byrd (D-WV) the “Emperor Palpatine of Pork” and “awarded” him a lifetime achievement award for 48 years of allegedly wasteful spending. Byrd populated his home state of West Virginia with federal funding for projects including two Robert C. Byrd Federal Buildings, the Robert C. Byrd Institute, the Robert C. Byrd Freeway, and the Robert C. Byrd Expressway. 23 Byrd’s prolific spending justified CAGW creating a “Byrd Droppings” report that listed more than 30 roads and facilities named after Sen. Byrd. 24

Porker of the Year Award

The Porker of the Year Award is an annual event that recognizes allegedly corrupt or wasteful government officials. CAGW publishes the nominees, and the public votes to determine the winner. 25

In 2007, former U.S. Representative Jack Murtha (D-PA) earned the Porker of the Year for threatening colleagues and spending over $149.2 million in federal funding in his district. CAGW claimed that Rep. Murtha allotted earmarks in a part of the House floor that became known as “Murtha’s corner.” 26 In 2008, Murtha delivered another $159 million in pork projects to his district. 27

In 2015, CAGW named then-Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen as Porker of the Year for obstruction and incompetence. Koskinen was accused of stonewalling and misleading members of Congress who were investigating the IRS’s targeting of conservative organizations. CAGW claimed that the IRS erased Lois Lerner’s 24,000 emails from backup tapes. Koskinen also refused to commit the IRS to never targeted specific groups again and failed to implement controls to avoid targeting. 28

In 2020, CAGW recognized Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York with the distinction for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and wasteful spending. CAGW president Tom Schatz labeled Cuomo’s pandemic response as an “insult to New Yorkers” because over 39,000 people died and criticized him for politicizing the vaccine and its deployment. 29

Then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) received the Porker of the Year award in 2018 for proposing that federal tax dollars should subsidize home rentals, with estimated costs for the program sitting at least $76 billion per year. 30

CAGW named Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Porker of the Year twice, first in 2008 for financial irresponsibility and again in 2017 for deliberately misrepresenting the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). 31 32

Porker of the Month

The Porker of the Month award goes to government officials that allegedly show disinterest for taxpayer interests. Porkers of the Month become the nominees for Porker of the Year. Former Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) earned the in June of 2008 for questionable dealings with Countryside Financial Corporation. Sen. Dodd accepted a personal special mortgage from Countryside while acting as Chairman of the Banking Committee in the U.S. Senate and sponsoring a mortgage bailout for the company. Sen. Dodd made the company’s “Friends of Angelo” list named after Countrywide’s CEO, Angelo Mozilo. The bailout legislation aimed to alleviate mortgage companies, including Countrywide, of $300 billion of risky mortgages, placing the burden onto American taxpayers. 33

Then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) made Porker of the Month in January 2002 for supporting taxpayer subsidies to bail out the mismanaged Amtrak train system. 34

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) received the September 2020 Porker of the Month for mismanagement of the city budget and his demands for $5 billion from taxpayers. CAGW reported that 90% of city workers receive free healthcare and earn 75% more than the average wage for non-governmental employees. Tom Schatz described Mayor de Blasio’s pandemic response as, “unfocused, confusing, and sometimes downright wrong.” 35

The January 2021 Porker of the Month award went to California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) for his COVID-19 response, which CAGW called ineffective and hypocritical. Schatz claimed Gov. Newsom failed to help Californians and picked winners during the pandemic. 36

Taxpayers Tricks or Treats Report

Since 2000, CAGW has produced its “Taxpayer Tricks and Treats” compilation of allegedly beneficial and corrupt government actions. The 2020 release listed “tricks” like the House of Representatives stealing $3 trillion from the American taxpayers to pay for COVID-19 relief and cited an ongoing threat of the implementation of socialist policy including Medicare-for-All, government-sponsored college and childcare, and the Green New Deal. CAGW forecast that the national debt would explode from 2020-2030 from $27 trillion to $39.8 trillion. CAGW’s report also anticipated that President Joe Biden would nationalize a California law that requires companies to give independent contractors employee benefits, costing millions of jobs. CAGW also criticized the Department of Defense for being the only federal agency to have never run a clean audit of its $800 billion budget. 37

The report also listed “treats,” or beneficial policies implemented by the federal government. These included the slashing of over 850 regulations and the building of robust broadband networks that aid the United States in pandemic recovery. CAGW also praised the Federal Communications Commission’s move to release additional spectrum to promote 5G deployment, which will net close to $5 billion for taxpayers and offer competitive advantages over rivals like China. CAGW also praised the 2017 creation of the Pentagon Chief Management Officer, which has purportedly saved over $22.3 billion. 38

Congressional Ratings

CAGW maintains a lobbying arm named the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW). It produces an annual congressional ratings report which ranks politicians based upon their voting records on government spending on a scale between 0-100. In 2019, Republican Senators averaged a score of 64, while Democratic Senators’ averaged a grade of 4. Republican Representatives averaged a score of 89, while Democratic Representatives earned a 2. 39

During President Biden’s tenure as a senator, he received an “unfriendly” lifetime rating of 22, scoring a 0 in 2007. 40 Former President Barack Obama received an 18, while former U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) earned a lifetime rating of 88. 41

The WasteWatcher

The WasteWatcher is the CAGW official blog that provides regular and timely analysis about government financial dealings. 42

The WasteWatcher reported in 2009 that the Social Security Administration delivered 10,000 checks to deceased people. One recipient that died in 1975 had not been an American citizen since 1933, before President Franklin Roosevelt created Social Security. Another person who died in 1967 received a check. 43 In 2020, the IRS sent the deceased another 1.1 million payments, totaling $1.4 billion. 44

The WasteWatcher responded to President Biden’s Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act executive order, claiming that the order would not offer more affordable choices to consumers, but rather undermine cost savings. 45  CAGW has also criticized President Biden’s executive orders on climate change, alleging that the plan will cost taxpayers trillions, in addition to the billions already lost by the Obama administration’s failed environmental investments. 46

The WasteWatcher reported that, by signing the executive order “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis,” President Biden went against his campaign mantra of Build Back Better. CAGW argued that the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline eliminated close to 60,000 jobs, worth billions of dollars to Canadian and American interests. The group also claimed that the move damaged commitments to use renewable energy and indigenous partnerships. CAGW described the actions as “unfortunate and dangerous,” turning the United States away from becoming the world’s largest natural gas and oil exporter by 2022 and instead returning to an era in which the country depends on hostile nations for energy. 47

Policy Analysis

Postal Banking

Citizens Against Government Waste reviewed initiatives of the Biden-Sanders task force which included a proposal to extend the United States Postal Service’s mission to include banking services. CAGW argued that the poor financial health of USPS, including  $78.5 billion in losses and $132 billion in unfunded liabilities, should prohibit it from managing citizen funds. Moreover, CAGW has claimed that the entry into banking would eliminate competition, damaging taxpayers. CAGW has claimed that the USPS and other federal agencies like the Department of the Treasury and the Government Accountability Office have rejected the idea of banking through USPS. 48

National $15 Minimum Wage

In response to the introduction of legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, CAGW released analysis opposing the bill, arguing that increasing the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour will decrease employees’ real income, decrease hours, and cause widespread layoffs. CAGW has argued that states and cities know the local compensation circumstances better than a remote central authority and should therefore have discretion over the minimum wage. 49

Biden Administration 2021 Budget

CAGW has encouraged Congress to reject the 2021 budget proposed by the Biden administration, which increases the pandemic stimulus to over $5.7 trillion and grows the national debt by 50% over ten years. CAGW has argued that COVID-19 aid packages remain unspent by states like California, which has a $15 billion surplus as of February 2021. CAGW has further claimed that the pandemic situation is improving, noting that the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that the pre-pandemic economic growth rate will return in mid-2021 and predicts a complete labor force recovery by mid-2022 without the additional expenditures. 50

Taxpayer-Funded College Tuition

CAGW opposes universal student loan forgiveness and taxpayer-funded public college for all, suggesting that legislators instead focus on the skyrocketing costs of tuition. CAGW president Schatz cited research arguing that for every dollar in aid students receive, colleges raise tuition prices by sixty cents. Through 2015, college costs increased by 64%, equaling a four-year average cost of $80,000 at public colleges and $140,000 at private colleges. Projections portray costs will increase in 20 years to $100,000 and $400,000 respectively. Universal taxpayer-funded public college is estimated to cost at least $2.2 trillion, which CAGW has criticized as wasteful spending. 51

Schatz also claimed forgiving $640 billion in loans would help the top 40% income earners, rather than delivering on promises to help the poor. CAGW has also claimed that legislation for universal student loan forgiveness would be unfair on the grounds that taxpayers have already paid for their own educations and will have to pay again for others that refuse to pay their loans. 52

Amazon Pentagon Contract

CAGW joined four conservative groups in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget requesting that the Trump administration halt discussions with Amazon for a $10 billion solely sourced cloud computing contract for the Pentagon. The groups alleged that the proposal process was skewed towards requirements that gave Amazon an advantage. The letter expressed security concerns of one vendor controlling the entirety of the Pentagon’s data rather than a more resilient multi-vendor solution. Oracle Corporation sued the Pentagon, claiming that the bid process was manipulated for Amazon’s benefit and that two defense officials were offered employment and other perks by Amazon to gain their cooperation with the contract. 53

Controversy

Chinese Professor Banned Ad

During the Obama administration, Citizens Against Government Waste produced a political commercial called the “Chinese Professor” to increase public awareness of the high risks of surging national debt and government spending. At the time, the national debt stood at $13.7 trillion, part of which was held to the Chinese government. The advertisement featured a Chinese professor in the year 2030 lecturing his class on how debt destroyed the United States and how Americans now worked for the Chinese. The ad was inspired by the 1986 production of “The Deficit Trials,” an advertisement that networks banned as too controversial. CAGW quoted Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who described national debt as the single-biggest threat to our national security. 54

Television networks including The History Channel, ABC, and A&E banned the commercial as “too controversial,”55 and the left-of-center Washington Post labeled it the “most inflammatory” advertisements related to China. Tom Schatz defended the advertisement against charges of xenophobia, arguing that  it did not portray China, but American politicians as the antagonist. 56

McCain Presidential Campaign

The Washington Post reported on the relationship between CAGW and then-Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in 2008, describing CAGW’s support as “murky” and possibly improper. The Post focused its claims on a costly advertising campaign CAGW paid and produced that indirectly defended McCain for a deal with military contractor Northrop Grumman. 57

CAWG also came under fire because of its connection to Orson Swindle, a McCain campaign volunteer that also sat on the CAWG and CCAGW boards of directors. While Swindle was at CCAGW, it donated 20 times more to the McCain campaign than it did to any other political candidate. Swindle was a personal friend of Sen. McCain, having met when they were both Prisoners of War in North Vietnam. 58

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigated CAGW, alleging that the organization created public relations materials for clients of a lobbyist named Jack Abramoff in exchange for donations. The committee found that Abramoff’s e-mails proved groups including CAGW were culpable. CAGW disputed the allegations. 59 CAGW reported that Sen. McCain faulted then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) for supporting earmarks that “led directly to the Abramoff scandal.” 60

Paycheck Protection Program

The group was criticized for receiving between $150,000 to $350,000 in bailout funds from legislation it opposed. Reuters claimed the bill’s dispensation rules prevented CAGW from participating. 61 A Seattle Times commentator categorized groups like CAGW as joining the socialist movement by lining up for government aid. 62

References

  1. Staff, CAGW. “FAQs.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 17, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/faqs.  
  2. Staff, CAGW. “FAQs.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 17, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/faqs.  
  3. Staff, CAGW. “Financial Information.” Citizens Against Government Waste, August 16, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/financial-information.  
  4. Wright, Elizabeth. “Back to the Future on Green Energy.” Citizens Against Government Waste, January 30, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/back-future-green-energy.  
  5. Schatz, Thomas. “SCHATZ: Price Controls Have Never Worked, And They Won’t Work On Drug Prices.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, December 2, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2020/10/02/schatz-price-controls-have-never-worked-and-they-wont-work-on-drug-prices/.  
  6. “Citizens Against Government Waste PAC Profile.” OpenSecrets. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/citizens-against-government-waste/C00391490/summary/2020.  
  7. “Citizens Against Government Waste Names Ocasio-Cortez 2019 Porker of the Year.” LaCorte News, January 9, 2020. https://www.lacortenews.com/n/citizens-against-government-waste-names-ocasio-cortez-2019-porker-of-the-year.  
  8. Abrams, Alexandra. “CCAGW Lifetime Ratings: Mike Pence 94, Kamala Harris 2.” Citizens Against Government Waste, August 12, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/ccagw-lifetime-ratings-mike-pence-94-kamala-harris-2.  
  9. Staff, CAGW. “FAQs.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 17, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/faqs.
  10. Staff, CAGW. “Mission/History.” Citizens Against Government Waste, August 16, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/mission-history.  
  11. Staff, CAGW. “2020 Congressional Pig Book.” Citizens Against Government Waste, July 24, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/reporting/pig-book.  
  12. Staff, CAGW. “FAQs.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 17, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/faqs.  
  13. Vernuccio, Frank. “Washington Drowns In Red Ink.” Townhall, December 28, 2020. https://finance.townhall.com/columnists/frankvernuccio/2020/12/28/washington-drowns-in-red-ink-n2582201.  
  14. Schatz, Thomas. “SCHATZ: Here Are A Few Ways Trump And Congress Could Stop Increasing The National Debt.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, September 25, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2019/10/01/schatz-trump-congress-debt/.  
  15. Vespa, Matt. “Matt Vespa – Friendly Reminder: Pork Barrel Spending Jumped 55 Percent From Last Year.” Townhall. Townhall.com, May 13, 2015. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2015/05/13/friendly-reminder-pork-barrel-spending-has-jumped-55-percent-from-last-year-n1998546.  
  16. Thomas, Cal. “Porking out with Your Money.” Townhall. Townhall.com, July 20, 2017. https://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2017/07/20/porking-out-with-your-money-n2357014.  
  17. Chandak, Neetu. “Congress Passed Largest Total Earmarks In Almost A Decade In 2019.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, June 12, 2019. https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/12/congress-earmarks-moratorium/.   
  18. Thomas, Cal. “Pigs at the Trough.” Townhall, April 15, 2010. https://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2010/04/15/pigs-at-the-trough-n733450.  
  19. Kalin, Curtis. “CAGW Releases Prime Cuts 2015.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 8, 2015. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/cagw-releases-prime-cuts-2015.  
  20. Kalin, Curtis. “CAGW Releases Prime Cuts 2015.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 8, 2015. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/cagw-releases-prime-cuts-2015.  
  21. Kalin, Curtis. “CAGW Releases Prime Cuts 2015.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 8, 2015. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/cagw-releases-prime-cuts-2015.  
  22. Schatz, Thomas. “SCHATZ: Here Are A Few Ways Trump And Congress Could Stop Increasing The National Debt.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, September 25, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2019/10/01/schatz-trump-congress-debt/.  
  23. Gillespie, Nick. “Let’s Not Forget Sen. Byrd’s Negative Legacy.” Reason.com. Reason, June 28, 2010. https://reason.com/2010/06/28/lets-not-forget-sen-byrds-nega/.  
  24. Staff, CAGW. “Article I: Effective Oversight and the Power of the Purse.” Council For Citizens Against Government Waste, January 18, 2018. https://www.ccagw.org/legislative-affairs/congressional-testimony/article-i-effective-oversight-and-power-purse.  
  25. Abrams, Alexandra. “Citizens Against Government Waste Announces 2020 Porker of the Year Nominees.” Citizens Against Government Waste, December 9, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/citizens-against-government-waste-announces-2020-porker-year-nominees.  
  26. Discover The Networks. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/jack-murtha.  
  27. Staff, CAGW. “Murtha Named Porker of the Year.” Citizens Against Government Waste, October 11, 2017. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/murtha-named-porker-year.  
  28. Schoffstall, Joe. “Study: Taxpayers Targeted at Higher Rates Under Democratic Presidents.” Washington Free Beacon. Washington Free Beacon, January 25, 2016. https://freebeacon.com/issues/study-taxpayers-targeted-at-higher-rates-under-democratic-presidents/.    
  29. [1]Miller, S.A. “New York Gov. Cuomo Named ‘Porker of the Year’ by Spending Watchdog for Botched COVID-19 Response.” The Washington Times. The Washington Times, January 14, 2021. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jan/14/andrew-cuomo-named-porker-year-spending-watchdog-b/.
  30. Staff, CAGW. “CAGW Names Kamala Harris 2018 Porker of the Year.” Citizens Against Government Waste, December 12, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/porker-of-the-month/cagw-names-kamala-harris-2018-porker-year.  
  31. Discover The Networks. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/nancy-pelosi/.  
  32. “Citizens Against Government Waste Names Nancy Pelosi 2017 Porker of the Year.” Citybizlist. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://dc.citybizlist.com/article/458903/citizens-against-government-waste-names-nancy-pelosi-2017-porker-of-the-year.  
  33. “Breaking News, Press Release Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, Public Relations and Investor Relations Services, Multimedia and Press Release Optimization, Enhanced Online News, and Regulatory Filings.” Business Wire. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080624005211&newsLang=en.  
  34. Kalin, Curtis. “January 2002 Porker of the Month.” Citizens Against Government Waste, August 13, 2013. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/january-2002-porker-month.
  35. Staff, CAGW. “CAGW Names NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio September 2020 Porker of the Month.” Citizens Against Government Waste, September 29, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/porker-of-the-month/cagw-names-nyc-mayor-bill-de-blasio-september-2020-porker-month.  
  36. Staff, CAGW. “CAGW Names Gov. Gavin Newsom January 2021 Porker of the Month.” Citizens Against Government Waste, January 25, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/cagw-names-gov-gavin-newsom-january-2021-porker-month.  
  37. Abrams, Alexandra. “Taxpayer Tricks and Treats for Halloween 2020.” Citizens Against Government Waste, October 23, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/taxpayer-tricks-and-treats-halloween-2020.  
  38. Abrams, Alexandra. “Taxpayer Tricks and Treats for Halloween 2020.” Citizens Against Government Waste, October 23, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/taxpayer-tricks-and-treats-halloween-2020.  
  39. “2019 Congressional Ratings.” CCAGW Annual Ratings. Accessed February 11, 2021. https://www.ccagwratings.org/.  
  40. Staff, CAGW. “CCAGW Issues Biden/Ryan Vote Rating and Budget Comparison.” Council For Citizens Against Government Waste, January 2, 2013. https://www.ccagw.org/media/press-releases/ccagw-issues-bidenryan-vote-rating-and-budget-comparison.  
  41. Balan, Matthew. “Would You Hire Them? On A Bet?” Media Research Center, December 13, 2011. https://www.mrc.org/commentary/would-you-hire-them-bet.
  42. Staff, CAGW. “FAQs.” Citizens Against Government Waste, April 17, 2019. https://www.cagw.org/about-us/faqs.  
  43. Staff, CAGW. “Stimulating the Dead.” Citizens Against Government Waste, October 13, 2017. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/stimulating-dead.  
  44. Leach, Cody. “The IRS Continues to Send Checks to Ghosts.” Citizens Against Government Waste, January 26, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/irs-continues-send-checks-ghosts.  
  45. Wright, Elizabeth. “Biden Executive Order on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.” Citizens Against Government Waste, February 5, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/biden-executive-order-medicaid-and-affordable-care-act.   
  46. Wright, Elizabeth. “Back to the Future on Green Energy.” Citizens Against Government Waste, January 30, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/back-future-green-energy.   
  47. Wright, Elizabeth. “Back to the Future on Green Energy.” Citizens Against Government Waste, January 30, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/back-future-green-energy.  
  48. Schatz, Thomas. “Joe Biden’s Bad Ideas Include Postal Banking.” Citizens Against Government Waste, July 10, 2020. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/joe-bidens-bad-ideas-include-postal-banking.   
  49. Floresca, Frances. “The Raise the Wage Act Will Kill Jobs, Provide Less Pay, and Hurt States.” Citizens Against Government Waste, January 27, 2021. https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/raise-wage-act-will-kill-jobs-provide-less-pay-and-hurt-states.  
  50. Schatz, Tom. “Biden’s Budget Breaks the Bank.” TheHill. The Hill, February 5, 2021. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/537470-bidens-budget-breaks-the-bank.  
  51. Schatz, Thomas. “SCHATZ: Blame ‘Free’ Tuition Programs For Rising College Costs.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, July 29, 2019. https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/29/schatz-free-college/.  
  52. Schatz, Thomas. “SCHATZ: Blame ‘Free’ Tuition Programs For Rising College Costs.” The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, July 29, 2019. https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/29/schatz-free-college/.  
  53. Easley, Jonathan. “Conservatives Ask White House to Abandon Amazon Talks over Pentagon Contract.” TheHill, May 17, 2019. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/444323-conservatives-ask-white-house-to-abandon-amazon-talks-over-pentagon?rl=1.  
  54. Staff, CAGW. “The ‘Chinese Professor’ Returns.” Citizens Against Government Waste, September 30, 2015. https://www.cagw.org/media/press-releases/%E2%80%9Cchinese-professor%E2%80%9D-returns.  
  55. Van den Hoven, Paul. Getting Your Ad Banned to Bring the Message Home? A Rhetorical Analysis of an Ad on the US National Debt, December 2012. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273140091_Getting_Your_Ad_Banned_to_Bring_the_Message_Home_A_Rhetorical_Analysis_of_an_Ad_on_the_US_National_Debt.  
  56. Pomfret, John. “A Fearful View of China.” The Washington Post. WP Company, October 29, 2010. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/28/AR2010102807303.html.  
  57. O’Harrow, Robert. “McCain Campaign Calls; A Nonprofit Steps In.” The Washington Post. WP Company, May 31, 2008. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/30/AR2008053003121_2.html?sid=ST2008053003281.   
  58. O’Harrow, Robert. “McCain Campaign Calls; A Nonprofit Steps In.” The Washington Post. WP Company, May 31, 2008. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/30/AR2008053003121_2.html?sid=ST2008053003281.  
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  60. Staff, CAGW. “Article I: Effective Oversight and the Power of the Purse.” Council For Citizens Against Government Waste, January 18, 2018. https://www.ccagw.org/legislative-affairs/congressional-testimony/article-i-effective-oversight-and-power-purse.
  61. [1] Sullivan, Andy. “Small-Government Advocates, Lobbyists Tap $660 Billion U.S. Pandemic-Aid Fund.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, July 6, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ppp-lobbying-idUSKBN2472V1.
  62. Westneat, Danny. “Local Anti-Tax Groups Find Even They Need Big Government Aid Sometimes.” The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company, July 7, 2020. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/local-anti-tax-groups-find-even-they-need-big-government-aid-sometimes/.  
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Citizens Against Government Waste


Washington, DC