Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group

1. White House releases 2010 financial disclosures for staffers

   By Anupama Narayanswamy Jul 1, 2010 12:16 p.m.

   Last week we requested personal financial disclosures for a few senior White House staffers. These documents list the assets officials own--property, stocks and mutual funds. The documents can be requested on the White House website by clicking here..

   Read all about it

2. Podesta's lobbying ties

   By Anupama Narayanswamy Jun 22, 2010 12:26 p.m.

   Last week we pointed out several fundraisers that BP lobbyists planned for lawmakers since 2008. At least nine of the eleven fundraisers invites we collected had Tony Podesta of the Podesta Group listed as a host.

   Read all about it

3. In six months, House offices spent $673 million on salaries, equipment, expenses

   By Anupama Narayanswamy Jun 9, 2010 5:46 p.m.

   In the final month of fiscal year 2009, House committees and offices went on a shopping spree, spending more than $60 million left in their budgets before it disappeared. More than $12 million went towards purchasing computer hardware, which could include new laptops and desktops.

   Read all about it

4. Oil Spill: Wildlife data shows several species may be affected

   By Anupama Narayanswamy May 27, 2010 3:14 p.m.

   As the millions of gallons of oil continues to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, the Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Services has started an uphill battle with their rescue efforts. The agency has deployed a 200-person workforce in the area who are reviewing the natural habitats affected by the oil spill.

   Read all about it

5. Senate expenditures go online at OpenSecrets.org

   By Anupama Narayanswamy May 14, 2010 3:42 p.m.

   The Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets site just added expenditures by Senate campaigns to their site. The data was released by the Federal Election Commission for the first time last week. CRP has a detailed listing of all the expenses incurred by the committees, the recipients and the dates of the expenditures. For instance, we know that in the 2010 cycle Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., spent more than $31,000 for catering at the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse.

   Read all about it

6. Financial reform fundraising: Are lobbyists for Wall St. firms hosting hundreds of events for lawmakers?

   By Anupama Narayanswamy May 11, 2010 1:31 p.m.

   Sam Geduldig, a lobbyist for high profile financial firms, banks and credit card companies who has the ability to "kill legislative threats to his clients," is listed as a host on 18 invitations to fundraisers for Republican members of Congress and their leadership committees, a Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group review of Party Time data from January 2009 to the present has found.

   Read all about it

7. Civil rights groups want details on immigrant fingerprint program

   By Claritza Jiménez Apr 29, 2010 9:42 a.m.

   As Arizona turns up the heat on illegal immigrants, civil rights groups are demanding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) release details about a rapidly expanding federal program that helps local police identify illegal immigrants for potential deportation. The Center for Constitutional Rights and two other groups filed a lawsuit on April 27 attempting to force ICE to turn over data about its “Secure Communities” program after failing to get the information through a Freedom of Information Act request.

   Read all about it

8. OGD: Labor releases five enforcement datasets

   By Anupama Narayanswamy Apr 9, 2010 4:27 p.m.

   "I now realize that I must have had my first glimmer of the need for preventive journalism as a young West Virginian who would hear of a mine disaster, then read heartbreaking stories of weeping widows and indignant editorials demanding effective safety regulations. But in the years that followed, no reporter went down into the mines to see if they were safer. We only found out they were not after the next disaster when a new round of heartbreaking articles and indignant editorials would appear." -- Charles Peters, Understanding government.com

   Read all about it

9. Other dangerous mines? Federal data can't tell you

   By Anupama Narayanswamy Apr 6, 2010 1:28 p.m.

   Monday’s explosion that killed 25 miners at Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia came at a mine that had been flagged by inspectors for a series of violations – 3000 since 1995 and more than 500 in 2009 alone.

   Read all about it

10. Introducing Recovery Explorer

    By Anupama Narayanswamy Apr 1, 2010 5:09 p.m.

    More than a year has passed since President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Federal agencies have been distributing some $787 billion appropriated by the act to jump start the economy. According to Recovery.gov, the Web site that tracks spending under the act, about 40 percent of that money has been spent, sent around the country in the form of contracts, grants, loans, tax benefits and entitlements.

    Read all about it

11. Stimulus Spotlight: What we're finding in Recovery.gov data

    By Anupama Narayanswamy Apr 1, 2010 12:42 p.m.

    A research group that played a key role in the Manhattan Project is one of the biggest recipients of contracts from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

    Read all about it

12. After health care vote, <del>Stupak 11 request billions in earmarks</del> members turn to earmark requests

    By Anupama Narayanswamy and Bill Allison Mar 26, 2010 11:14 a.m.

    [Note: this post has been corrected and revised]

    Read all about it

13. New Ways and Means head courted by tax lobbyists

    By Anupama Narayanswamy Mar 4, 2010 4:48 p.m.

    The Ways and Means committee skipped the seniority process and appointed Rep. Sander Levin to the helm of the powerful tax committee, and lawyers and lobbyists that specializes in tax issues will have an early opportunity to congratulate him.

    Read all about it

14. How are House members spending taxpayer money?

    By Anupama Narayanswamy Mar 2, 2010 4:56 p.m.

    The House of Representatives released its tabulations of members' office expenses--including personnel costs, travel, district office expenses and vehicle expenses--last Friday, and the Sunlight Foundation turned the 3,000 page PDF into a searchable database, enabling reporters and curious constituents to do easy aggregation.

    Read all about it

Investigations by Sunlight Foundation reporter Anupama Narayanswamy