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04/16/2013

Cause of Action Report Finds Millions in Federal Tax Dollars Used for Lobbying

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                               

APRIL 16, 2013                                                                                       

Cause of Action Report Finds Millions in Federal Tax Dollars Used for Lobbying

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work Program Became a Front for Cronyism, Propaganda, Lobbying, and Big Government

 

WASHINGTON – Cause of Action (CoA), a government accountability organization, today released “CPPW: Putting Politics to Work”, an investigative report exposing the endemic lack of oversight and accountability within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which led to the misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars by eight recipients of grants from the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program. Appropriated with $373 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the CPPW program was intended for job creation and public education on tobacco use and obesity prevention. $94.4 million of the CPPW funds were allocated to grantees included in this report.

CoA’s nineteen-month long investigation revealed that CPPW money supported lobbyists and public relations companies who used taxpayer dollars to push laws and agendas that would lead to tax increases on tobacco and sugar sweetened products—violating federal law as well as HHS and Office of Management and Budget guidelines.

Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein explained the consequences of these findings:

“Cause of Action has uncovered that the Department of Health and Human Services, the largest grant-issuing agency in the federal government, by failing to conduct effective oversight of the CPPW program, allowed taxpayer dollars to be misused, in some cases violating federal statute. With a program whose funding is expected to grow into the billions, how much more lobbying will the taxpayers be on the hook for before Kathleen Sebelius decides that it’s time to be accountable?”

Upon learning that the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) had issued a report in June 2012 on the alleged misconduct of CPPW grantees in Florence County, South Carolina, CoA expanded its own investigation. CoA is the first organization to report findings of federal money being dedicated for lobbying in these seven other communities:

  • Pima County, AZ
  • Mobile County, AL
  • Jefferson County, AL
  • Miami-Dade County, FL
  • DeKalb County, GA
  • Los Angeles County, CA
  • Santa Clara County, CA 

$2 billion in annual funding is currently scheduled for disbursement under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s Community Transformation Grants program to fight obesity use at the local, state, and federal level.

Click here to read a copy of the full report.

 

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04/11/2013

Cause of Action Statement on Senate’s confirmation of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior

Cause of Action on the Senate’s Confirmation of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior

Yesterday, the Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior.

Executive Director Dan Epstein:

“As the new Secretary of the Interior, we expect Sally Jewell to bring the accountability, transparency and oversight the Department of Interior desperately needs. We have seen the overreaching effects from Secretary Salazar’s decision to shut down the Drakes Bay Oyster Company and we ask that Secretary Jewell re-evaluate the future of this sustainable, family-run business. The Department of Interior cannot continue a pattern of corruption and abuse of power and we hope Secretary Jewell can hold this agency accountable going forward.”

For more information on Drakes Bay Oyster Company and their lawsuit against Secretary Salazar, the National Parks Service, and the Department of the Interior, click here.

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04/2/2013

Cause of Action Commends House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oversight Agenda

Cause of Action Commends House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oversight Agenda

WASHINGTON – On April 2, Gibson Dunn released their assessment  of the submitted oversight agendas of the 113th Congress.  Gibson Dunn outlined key areas of oversight that they considered noteworthy in these submissions, including the Department of Energy.

Cause of Action has repeatedly drawn into question the accountability at the Department of Energy, particularly with the Loan Guarantee Program which has awarded more than $9 billion in grants.

Dan Epstein, executive director:

“Under the Department of Energy, millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on grants and loans to companies that failed to produce the promised results, were not innovative in technology, and in some cases ultimately declared bankruptcy. We believe that the DOE engaged in arbitrary and capricious methods when awarding loan guarantees through the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program and that certain qualified candidates—like XP Vehicles—were not evaluated on their merits, and were essentially overlooked for less qualified and politically-connected candidates.  As Cause of Action continues our investigation into how these loans were awarded, we look to OGR to continue their oversight of the DOE Loan Guarantee Program, and look forward to helping them fulfill their mission to work, ‘in partnership with citizen-watchdogs, to deliver the facts to the American people and bring genuine reform to the federal bureaucracy.’”

To learn more about Cause of Action, and their lawsuit against the Department of Energy, click here.

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03/21/2013

Cause of Action Statement on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Nomination of Sally Jewell

 

Cause of Action on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Nomination of Sally Jewell

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to move the nomination of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior forward to a full Senate vote.

Dan Epstein, Cause of Action’s executive director expressed concerns with Mrs. Jewell’s past alliances:

“As a former board member of the National Parks Conservation Association, we have serious concerns about Mrs. Jewell’s plans for the Department of the Interior. We saw Secretary Salazar’s overreach and abuse of power concerning Drakes Bay Oyster Company and we want the Senate to find out what Mrs. Jewell’s plans are for the future of this sustainable farm. The culture of corruption, and disregard for scientific integrity at the Department of the Interior needs to end. Will the Senate hold Mrs. Jewell accountable for her political connections and how they may impact her decisions as Secretary?

For more information on Drakes Bay Oyster Company and their lawsuit against Secretary Salazar, the National Parks Service, and the Department of the interior, click here.

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03/18/2013

Senator David Vitter questions DOI Nominee on plans for the direction of the department

Senator David Vitter questions DOI Nominee on plans for the direction of the department

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03/13/2013

Cause of Action releases “Grading the Government” report

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03/8/2013

Cause of Action Pledges to Fight Court’s Denial of Transparency of FCIC Records

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                CONTACT:      

MARCH 5, 2013                                                                                     Mary Beth Hutchins, 202-400-2721

Jamie Morris, 202-499-2425

Cause of Action Pledges to Fight Court’s Denial of Transparency of FCIC Records

 

Judge Grants National Archives’ Request for Dismissal, Denies Access to Records About the 2008 Financial Crisis

 

 

WASHINGTON – Cause of Action (CoA), a government accountability group, pledged today to appeal the March 1, 2013 decision from Judge Jeb Boasberg of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia dismissing the lawsuit CoA brought against the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) seeking release of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) records.

 

The FCIC was established by Congress to assess the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.  However, this Commission was mired in controversy and the President has signed into law regulations, like Dodd-Frank, without the American people fully understanding what caused our economic meltdown or what went into the creation of the FCIC’s report.

 

Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein offered this comment:

 

“We remain committed to transparency for American taxpayers and demand that NARA reveal what went into the report that shaped the nation’s response to the 2008 financial crisis. Cause of Action is appealing this case because we believe the public has a right to know whether the taxpayer-funded FCIC fully investigated the causes of the financial crisis.  Judge Boasberg’s decision – which holds that the FCIC records are not subject to FOIA – is a misapplication of the law and CoA will continue to fight to shed light on the workings of our government.”

 

On October 3, 2011, Cause of Action requested via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from NARA “all documents, including e-mail communications, memoranda, draft reports, and other relevant information and/or data contained in the records transfer of Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission documents stored at NARA to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at the U.S. House of Representatives.” After exhausting administrative appeals to NARA’s denial of the documents, CoA filed suit in the US District Court against NARA on August 14, 2012. NARA filed a request for a dismissal of the case and Judge Boasberg granted NARA’s request for dismissal on March 1, 2013. CoA will be filing an appeal to this decision.

 

 

About Cause of Action:

Cause of Action is a nonprofit, nonpartisan government accountability organization that investigates, exposes, and fights job-killing federal government regulations, waste, fraud, and cronyism. Cause of Action, uses investigative, legal, and communications tools to educate the public on how transparency and accountability protects taxpayer interests and economic opportunity. For more information, visit www.causeofaction.org.

 

To schedule an interview with Cause of Action’s Executive Director Dan Epstein, contact Mary Beth Hutchins, mary.beth@causeofaction.org or Jamie Morris, Jamie.morris@causeofaction.org.

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