Mark Tapscott on Muck Rack

Mark Tapscott

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Northern Region
Covers:  For Epoch: Senate and House dailies, plus national political issues, First Amendment and FOIA.
Jesus is Lord. HillFaith Founding Editor, Sr. Congress Analyst for The Washington Stand, FOIA Hall of Fame, Reaganaut, Okie/Texan. Retweets not endorsements.

Mark Tapscott’s Journalist Portfolio

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US Firms Are Profiting From Uyghur Forced Labor: Expert

US Firms Are Profiting From Uyghur Forced Labor: Expert

Epoch Times — A parade of witnesses told the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on March 10 that it's all but impossible for U.S. firms to buy goods or services from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that aren't produced with forced labor.

Free Speech Advocates Laud Supreme Court for Requiring Official Accountability for Violating Indi...

Free Speech Advocates Laud Supreme Court for Requiring Official Accountability for Violating Indi...

Epoch Times — The Supreme Court's 8-1 decision on March 8 to require accountability for public officials violating individuals' constitutional rights has huge significance beyond the college campus where the case originated, according to one of the plaintiff's attorneys.

Officials hurriedly gave $200k to plan labor centennial in under a month | WashingtonExaminer.com

Officials hurriedly gave $200k to plan labor centennial in under a month | WashingtonExaminer.com

Washington Examiner — Government officials spend billions of dollars annually for countless reasons, but it's likely not often that a federal department pays a contractor more than $200,000 to decide the requirements for being selected for the same award. That's what the Department of Labor did as part of its centennial celebration, according to a government watchdog. The first task was to develop a work plan that would include a list of steps for project tasks, discussion of content and deliverables, and a timeline for accomplishment of the project tasks and deliverables, the Department of Labor Inspector General said in a Nov.

FEMA unsure of major disaster costs | WashingtonExaminer.com

FEMA unsure of major disaster costs | WashingtonExaminer.com

Washington Examiner — Billions of tax dollars are spent helping victims of major disasters, but a government watchdog says Federal Emergency Management Agency officials don't track spending and can't say whether their most expensive efforts accomplish their purposes. We estimate that, between 1994 and 2013, FEMA obligated and spent more than $4 billion in administrative costs and more than $1 billion in salaries for the seven Long Term Recovery Offices, said the Department of Homeland Security Inspector in a report made public Nov. 14, 2014. These offices were responsible for 26 major disaster declarations totaling $66 billion in obligated funds.

IG: FAA has done little with major reforms approved in 1995 | WashingtonExaminer.com

IG: FAA has done little with major reforms approved in 1995 | WashingtonExaminer.com

Washington Examiner — Congress exempted the Federal Aviation Administration from major civil service and procurement rules 19 years ago but the Department of Transportation inspector general says little has been accomplished as a result. Since 1995, FAA has completed several personnel and organizational reforms, undergone multiple reorganizations, and implemented measures aimed at improving its internal operations and reducing costs, DOT IG Calvin Scovell III told Congress Nov. 18 in testimony before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Despite these reforms, the agency's total budget, operations budget, and compensation costs have nearly doubled, while productivity at its network of air traffic facilities has decreased substantially, Scovell said.

IRS sued for details about church political advocacy snooping | WashingtonExaminer.com

IRS sued for details about church political advocacy snooping | WashingtonExaminer.com

Washington Examiner — A right-leaning nonprofit watchdog group has filed a federal civil suit to force the IRS to disclose documents and details about its monitoring of political advocacy by churches. Judicial Watch filed its suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking information about the federal tax agency's apparent coordination with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, an atheist non-profit that targets what it believes to be illegal religious activity in government and civil society. The suit is the latest eruption in an increasingly hot debate in Congress, the news media and federal courts on whether the IRS or other federal officials have authority to regulate political expression by priests, pastors and other church spokesmen.

IG report may be a problem for possible Kasich 2016 presidential run | WashingtonExaminer.com

IG report may be a problem for possible Kasich 2016 presidential run | WashingtonExaminer.com

Washington Examiner — Ohio Gov. John Kasich is often mentioned as a potential 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, but there could be an unexpected roadblock for him, a new Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report said. Although Ohio took steps in recent years to improve its management of funds awarded under the Homeland Security Grant Program, [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] cannot be assured that Ohio effectively managed grant funds from fiscal years 2010 through 2012, the IG said in a report made public Nov. 18, 2014.

House Appropriations Committee Chief Makes Return of Earmarks Official; Every Congressman Gets 10

House Appropriations Committee Chief Makes Return of Earmarks Official; Every Congressman Gets 10

Epoch Times — House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) confirmed late on Feb. 26 that earmarks -which she termed "Community Project Funding"-are again part of the congressional spending scene. "Members want Congress to help their communities, particularly now as the pandemic exposed so many inequalities and needs," DeLauro said in a statement announcing the return.

Texas Winter Storm Power Outages Prompt Bitter Fight Between Fossil Fuel, Clean Energy Advocates

Texas Winter Storm Power Outages Prompt Bitter Fight Between Fossil Fuel, Clean Energy Advocates

Epoch Times — When Old Man Winter hit Texas with a rare week of snow, ice, and subfreezing temperatures, the state's energy industry reeled as power sources of all kinds froze, leaving millions of Texans shivering.

WORKING ON THE HILL: 123 Hill Aides, Contractors Have Now Tested Positive For Covid Or Are Being ...

WORKING ON THE HILL: 123 Hill Aides, Contractors Have Now Tested Positive For Covid Or Are Being ...

hillfaith.blog — A total of 123 congressional aides and contractors have either tested positive for the Covid virus or are being presumed to have the disease, according to Roll Call, quoting Ashley Phelps, a spokesman for Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Administration.

WORKPLACE ISSUES: There Are Multiple Staff-Related Provisions In The Congressional Reform Package

WORKPLACE ISSUES: There Are Multiple Staff-Related Provisions In The Congressional Reform Package

hillfaith.blog — A path to bigger personal staffs for House Members could be cleared if the bipartisan recommendations from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress are adopted. All House staff members would be paid twice a month instead of the monthly compensation schedule they have worked on for decades, under the recommendations.

CO-OP FLOP: The Biggest Obamacare Disaster You've Never Heard About

CO-OP FLOP: The Biggest Obamacare Disaster You've Never Heard About

The Daily Caller — It's an Obamacare story with everything but mainstream media have all but ignored it.

Washington Post Reporter Spiked Info About Podesta Conflict Of Interest

Washington Post Reporter Spiked Info About Podesta Conflict Of Interest

The Daily Caller — Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post withheld information about former White House official John Podesta's close financial ties to a Democratic mega-donor.

$3M asbestos scam at heart of Silver scandal shows trial lawyer abuses continue

$3M asbestos scam at heart of Silver scandal shows trial lawyer abuses continue

Washington Examiner — When federal authorities arrested Sheldon Silver in January, journalists covering the story focused mainly on the bribery and public corruption charges against the former New York Assembly Speaker and the Empire State's second-most powerful Democrat.