Taxpayers Tab

November Snapshot

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) presents a monthly overview of the bills we scored in November, including cost estimates and sponsorship data. Please note that the estimates are preliminary and that NTUF revises estimates as new data becomes available. Links to each Member's BillTally report are for the previous Congress. For more information on how NTUF scores legislation, BillTally's methodology is available here.

By The Numbers

During the month of November, NTUF analysts scored 309 bills to determine their impact on the federal budget. Of those, 176 were House bills with 110 introduced in the past month. In the Senate, 133 bills were able to be scored, including 77 bills drafted in November. In an effort to include as many savings proposals as possible in the Taxpayer's Tab: Super Committee Failure Edition, NTUF endeavored to finalize estimates for dozens of potential savings bills. Many of those bills included across-the-board spending limits and caps.

The 176 House bills scored in NTUF in November would decrease spending by $316.7 billion a year. Totals exclude offsetting provisions.

The largest spending increase proposals include:

• H.R. 12, to extend payroll tax cuts and provide funding for unemployment programs at a five-year cost of $172.1 billion.
• H.R. 3490, to provide school districts with building modernization grants, resulting in $30 billion in new spending.
• H.R. 3502, to repair foreclosed and abandoned residential and commercial properties, which would authorize $14.7 billion over five years.

House savings legislation includes:

• H.R. 2041, to establish federal spending caps at a savings of $562 billion over two years.
• H.R. 2319, to cap federal spending and create an agency sunset commission at a net savings of $406.5 billion over four years.
• H.R. 3243, to eliminate certain federal health programs and limit the expansion of other health initiatives, saving $167 billion over five years.

Senators proposed $450 billion in net savings. Totals exclude offsetting provisions.

The largest spending increase proposals include:

• S. 1769, to establish an infrastructure financing authority and fund "shovel-ready" short-term projects at a five-year cost of $40.7 billion.
• S. 1321, to reopen offshore oil drilling and award state and local energy efficiency grants, resulting in $6.8 billion in new spending over five years.
• S. 1861, to increase unemployment program spending, costing $4.7 billion over three years.

Senate savings legislation includes:

• S. 162, to make budgetary cuts to 46 federal entities at a savings of $406.2 billion over one year.
• S. 1290/S. 1340, to establish spending caps on all federal outlays at a savings of $354.6 billion in two years.
• S. 178, to return federal spending to 2008 levels and terminate certain programs at a net savings of $341.8 billion over five years.

Know Your Cut Bills

House Stats

• Most Bills Overall: 28 by Walter Jones (R-NC)
• Most Spending Bills: 6 by Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
• Most Cut Bills: 7 by Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
• Most No Cost Bills: 9 by Walter Jones (R-NC)

Senate Stats

• Most Bills Overall: 14 by Mark Begich (D-AK), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Al Franken (D-MN)
• Most Spending Bills: 6 by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and John Kerry (D-MA)
• Most Cut Bills: 8 by Mike Johanns (R-NE)
• Most No Cost Bills: 8 by Mark Begich (D-AK), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Friendship Circle

Most Friended House Bills

• Spending Increase Bill: H.R. 12, American Jobs Act of 2011 - 99 cosponsors - sponsored by John Larson (D-CT)
• Spending Cut Bill: H.R. 674, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the imposition of 3 percent withholding on certain payments made to vendors by government entities, to modify the calculation of modified adjusted gross income for purposes of determining eligibility for certain healthcare-related programs, and for other purposes - 269 cosponsors - sponsored by Wally Herger (R-CA)
• No Cost Bill: H.R. 3421, Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - 197 cosponsors - sponsored by Bill Shuster (R-PA)

Most Friended Senate Bills

• Spending Increase Bill: S. 1769, Rebuild America Jobs Act - 23 cosponsors - sponsored by Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
• Spending Cut Bill: S. 1340, Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 - 39 cosponsors - sponsored by Mike Lee (R-UT)
• No Cost Bill: S. 720, Repeal the CLASS Entitlement Act - 42 cosponsors - sponsored by John Thune (R-SD)

Additional Savings Bills As highlighted in the Taxpayer's Tab: Super Committee Failure Edition, legislation already exists to reach the $1.2 trillion in savings that the Committee was charged with producing. Below are additional savings bills that were scored in the last month that could save taxpayers even more money. S. 360/S. 439 would establish discretionary spending limits and modify how budgets are organized ($109.4 billion first-year savings) S. 1611 would institute a system of attrition on the federal workforce ($69.5 billion five-year savings) H.R. 1848/S. 1316 would require a one percent in spending reductions per fiscal year ($67.3 billion two-year savings) H.R. 2190/S. 1206 would impose rebate requirements on drug makers for low-income individuals ($50 billion five-year savings) H.R. 3264/S. 1164 would change the method funding of highway projects ($26.6 billion five-year savings)

Support NTUF

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation is able to produce timely reports and analysis for policymakers and taxpayers with the help and support of foundations, small businesses, and Americans who wish to stay informed of their government's spending. With donations from Tab subscribers and members, NTUF will be able to continue to simplify important entitlement reform plans, examine budgets, and score legislation. Please consider making a tax-free contribution to NTUF.