Budget Watchdog All Federal
The podcast dedicated to making sense of the budget, spending, and tax issues facing the nation. Cut through the partisan rhetoric and talking points for the facts about what's being talked about, bandied about, and pushed in Washington. Budget Watchdog AF is brought to you by Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Episodes
79 episodes
What Happened with the CR
A just-in-time CR extending current funding levels until March 14, 2025, narrowly averted a government shutdown. So what's in it? Steve Ellis and Jos...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 79
•
27:55
Reality Check: Can Elon Musk's Team Really Cut $2 Trillion in a Year?
Get the reality check on America's daunting fiscal challenges and why both parties must face hard truths about spending, taxes, and debt. TCS President Steve Ellis ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 78
•
29:40
Lame Duck, Big Bucks: Congress's Last-Minute Spending Sprint
With critical deadlines looming and major legislation hanging in the balance, TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Policy Josh Sewell dive into what's at stake during Congress's lame duck session. They break down the pressing December 20th...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 76
•
25:21
Pumping Profits or Storing Carbon? Oversight Gaps in Carbon Capture Subsidies
Taxpayers for Common Sense explores the 45Q tax credit for carbon capture and storage, its expansion, and concerns ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 75
•
19:28
Helene's High Cost
TCS Director of Research & Policy Josh Sewell joins Steve Ellis to help answer the multi-billion dollar question: Who Pays When Disaster Strikes?
•
Season 1
•
Episode 74
•
25:13
USACE Boondoggle
When a wasteful government program like the Yazoo Area Pump Project is killed, it oughta stay dead. But the ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 73
•
26:46
Dear Elon
We hear you! Hit play for the merits of the Elon Musk-style commission on government efficiency. TCS stalwarts Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell emphasize the need for bipartisan support, tackling both spending and revenue issues, and going beyond ju...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 72
•
21:02
Pentagon's Unsustainable Spending: The Sentinel ICBM and Next-Gen Fighter Dilemma
Pentagon spending plans are spiraling out of control. From ICBMs to next-gen fighters, costs are skyrocketing while strategic benefits remain unclear. Dive into the fiscal chaos as we unpack the Air Force's budget woes and question whether thes...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 72
•
17:22
CBO Bombshell
The Congressional Budget Office just released a bomb with their latest projections for the federal budget deficit. They're projecting a federal budget deficit of nearly $2 trillion for fiscal year 2024. That's about $400 billion more than...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 71
•
11:55
Pentagon Budget Update (NDAA & UPLs)
Join host Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, and policy analyst Gabe Murphy as they dive deep into the murky waters of Pentagon budgeting on the latest episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal. Steve and Gabe expose the partisa...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 70
•
18:14
Farm Bill
In this revealing episode of Budget Watchdog AF, Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell dive deep into the House Agriculture Committee's recently passed Farm Bill. With a $1.5 trillion price tag, the bill is loaded with loopholes and giveaways for special...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 69
•
25:57
National Defense Authorization Act Update
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) caps national security spending at $895 billion in 2025, but changes to the Pentagon's budget request may not hold as the budget process moves forward. TCS policy analyst Gabe Murphy joins host Stev...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 68
•
15:50
Earmarks Update
Lawmakers in the 118th Congress again have the power to “bringing home the bacon” with federal dollars to specific projects in their home states and districts. Has transparency worked to provide scrutiny and limit potential abuse? TCS Dir...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 67
•
31:54
Who Pays When Disaster Strikes?
What is the role of the federal government in responding to disaster, particularly when the tragedy is manmade? TCS President Steve Ellis is joined by Michael Surrusco and Chris Howe-Smith for a discussion about the Baltimore bridge collapse an...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 66
•
22:15
FY '25 Budget Request
Budget Watchdog AF considers President Biden’s $7.3 Trillion Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request. A budget that proposes a 4.5% cut in discretionary spending from the previous fiscal year and a reduction in budget deficits by nearly $3 trillion ove...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 65
•
25:22
Impasse
The impasse in the divided and chaotic U.S. Congress over funding of the federal government has reached another inflection point. Join TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell for a look at the costs and implica...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 64
•
22:17
2024 Farm Bill Update
Are farm subsidies wasteful spending? What impact will new economic data have on the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization? TCS Director of Research Josh Sewell and Senior Policy Analyst Sheila Korth get their hands dirty coming up with answers.&n...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 63
•
26:12
War Footing: National Defense Industrial Strategy
The Biden administration's National Defense Industrial Strategy will significantly impact taxpayers. Is the aim to strengthen US defense capabilities or put America on a permanent war footing? The NDIS contains contradictions, especially consid...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 62
•
18:13
Back to the Brink
On Jan. 19th, 2024, funding runs out for roughly 20 percent of the U.S. Government — including essential programs like some veterans assistance and food and drug safety services. The funding for the rest of the government runs out on Feb....
•
Season 1
•
Episode 61
•
21:05
Crop Insurance Subsidies
It’s never too late to harvest savings for taxpayers. On this episode of Budget Watchdog AF, we dig deep and root out the egregious taxpayer subsidies being sent to foreign insurers and large mega-farms.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 60
•
22:30
Fiscal Commission
Admitting you have a problem is the first step. And Houston, we have a problem. America’s fiscal health is in grave danger. Host Steve Ellis is joined by Josh Sewell and Mike Surrusco to consider the creation of a bipartisan, bicameral fiscal c...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 59
•
28:54
Budget Crisis
In what might be considered a victory, the passage of another continuing resolution comes with its own kind of damage. TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell joins host Steve Ellis for a discussion about how taxpayers stand to lo...
•
Episode 58
•
23:35
Halloween Special
All Hallows’ Eve is upon us! And 2023 has been uncommonly spooky. Disappearances. Hauntings. Bloodletting. So, if you dare look deeper - if you seek to hear more. Enter the haunted dome of Capitol Hill and come face to face with the real ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 57
•
11:09
National Security Spending Update
TCS National Security Analyst Gabe Murphy joins Steve Ellis with an important update on America's military budget an...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 56
•
26:20
Shutdown Avoided or Postponed?
It turns out that avoiding the self-inflicted fiscal damage of a government shutdown was merely the beginning of a historic and even more highly chaotic period in the US House of Representatives. Just before noon on Tuesday, October 3rd a...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 55
•
19:06