Trending claims

Export-Import Bank helps finance foreign purchase of U S goods has been involved in numerous scandals

Former Rep Joe Scarborough of Florida described logrolling that led to passage of bloated 2002 farm bill

Members with safe seats often raise excess campaign money from special interest groups offer it to other members for support on bills

Dairy subsidies had support of members from Maine Pennsylvania and Vermont

President and congressional leaders can counter pro-spending biases by using party discipline

Advanced Technology Program gives grants to companies for technology research costing more than $100 million annually

Committee chairpersons often buy votes by including funds for projects in districts of committee members

Recipients include Brewers Association Pet Food Institute Sunkist Growers Welch's Food and Wine Institute

The two projects get approved even though each imposes net costs on society and benefits only a minority of voters

Members should proactively comb through 1800 subsidy programs and terminate lower-priority activities

Projects A and B would fail with stand-alone votes McConnell Cochran and Collins enter agreement for mutual support

Federal government spends more than $3.5 trillion annually

Pro-spending bias of congressional voting is strengthened by logrolling

The key to program's political success is benefits are more geographically concentrated than costs

The project gains a majority vote assuming legislators vote in narrow interests of their districts

A hypothetical project creates $40 in benefits costs taxpayers $50 is a loser for the nation

Table 1 shows how Congress can pass special interest legislation where costs outweigh benefits

CFDA is an official listing of all federal aid or subsidy programs

Federal programs deliver subsidies to particular groups and businesses harming taxpayers and damaging the economy

1970 had 1019 federal subsidy programs