About Green Scissors

Federal spending is the true reflection of a nation’s priorities.

In 1994, the Green Scissors campaign was founded to identify and eliminate projects that are both environmentally harmful and wasteful. The center of the Green Scissors campaign is the Green Scissors database report, which outlines ways to eliminate harmful projects in agriculture, energy, infrastructure and public lands.

The Coalition

Friends of the Earth and Taxpayers for Common Sense have been working, in collaboration with other environmental, taxpayer and consumer groups, to publish Green Scissors since 1996. The R Street Institute joined the Green Scissors campaign for the release of Green Scissors 2012. U.S. PIRG and Environment America rejoined the coalition for the 2021 edition.

The coalition continues fighting today to make environmental and fiscal responsibility a priority in Washington. Eliminating the subsidies and programs identified in the Green Scissors reports will allow the federal government to protect our natural resources, reduce growth in government spending and make a significant dent in the budget deficit and national debt. With the country facing a multi-trillion dollar debt, many political pundits and members of Congress are calling for radical cuts — while ignoring the huge tax giveaways to polluting industries.

The president and Congress must get tough with the special interest groups that jeopardize our natural resources and waste our valuable tax dollars. It will require tackling some of the richest and most powerful corporations in the country. Yet this is what is needed if we are going to protect the environment, regain fiscal and environmental responsibility and get our spending back on track.

The good news is there are plenty of giveaways we can end that will benefit both the environment and our country’s bottom line. The Green Scissors Campaign has identified hundreds of billions of dollars worth of wasteful programs and policies that cost us upfront, create financial liabilities down the road, and threaten our nation’s fragile land, air and water.