War Rations
Plus: Pete Hegseth spends millions on lobster tail and rib-eye steak, oil prices go for another roller-coaster ride, no inflation increase, and more...
Government Waste
Minnesota's Fraud Scandal Isn't an Immigration Problem. It's a Spending Problem.
Health care fraud is an all-too-common feature of the U.S. health care system, not only in Minnesota.
DHS Spent $220 Million on Ads Featuring Kristi Noem. Both Parties Grilled Her About It in the Senate.
Noem faced tough questions about an ad campaign that secretly awarded millions to a company with close ties to the homeland security secretary.
Zohran Mamdani's $70 Million Grocery Gamble
Amid a $5.4 billion budget deficit, the mayor of New York City is pushing forward with a proposal that has historically yielded terrible results.
It's the Spending, Stupid!
The truest measure of government in our lives is the federal budget, which is out of control.
How Much Is Kristi Noem's Alleged Adultery Airplane Costing You?
If the DHS secretary is actually having a high-flying affair with Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, the taxpayers are the ones getting screwed.
States and Local Governments Are Still Sitting on Billions of Dollars of 'Emergency' COVID Relief
The Biden administration said the $350 billion bailout was urgent and necessary. Five years later, that doesn't seem true.
Blame Overregulation for High Child Care Costs
Politicians like New York’s Mayor Mamdani promise to solve a problem that they created.
Dumping State Income Taxes Could Mean High Sales Taxes—or an Opportunity for Smaller Government
A new report warns that some plans for replacing income tax revenue rely on unrealistic assumptions.
There Are No Good Reasons To Subsidize Sports Stadiums. Governments Keep Doing It Anyway.
“If we stop funding all sports stadiums tomorrow, then the world wouldn't change hardly at all," says one economist.
South Carolina Gave $1.3 Billion to Scout Motors. It's Already $150 Million Over Budget.
The company is backed by Volkswagen but still received considerable funding from state taxpayers.
The Real Reason You Pay for NFL Stadiums
Economist J.C. Bradbury breaks down why taxpayer-funded stadiums are a bad idea, how team owners market them to politicians, and why another stadium building boom may be coming.
Congress Is Aiming To Avoid Another Shutdown by Spending More on Almost Everything
The bill includes $1 million for new elevators at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, among other wasteful earmarks.
Why Can't New York Get Rid of 2-Person Subway Crews?
Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill mandating two-person subway crews, but union contracts and bipartisan support ensure New Yorkers will keep paying for them anyway.
The Postal Service's 'Next Generation' Electric Delivery Vehicles Cost $22,000 More Than Other Electric Vans
With commercial off-the-shelf vehicles readily available, cheaper, and already used in its fleet, why did the USPS decide to commission its new trucks from Oshkosh Defense?
The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Medicaid fraud has been endemic at the state and federal levels for decades. Focusing on a single official or state misses a deeper lesson.
Photos: What Is the National Guard Doing in D.C.?
Uniformed and armed men and women can be seen all over the city wielding leaf blowers, hoses, and brooms as they do municipal chores.
The Minnesota Welfare Fraud Story Is Really About a Broken Medicaid Bureaucracy
Federal Medicaid policy creates little incentive for states to stop potential fraudsters. Fixing that should be the priority, not demonizing Somali immigrants.
Mamdani's $6 Billion Child Care Expansion Would Be a Handout to Wealthy New Yorkers
The more the government intervenes in the market, the more New York parents pay for child care.
Almost a Year After It Launched, DOGE's Legacy Is Mixed
Has the Department of Government Efficiency delivered on promises to downsize federal employment, cut regulations, and reduce federal spending?
The Real Villain in Minnesota's $1.5 Billion Fraud Scandal Isn't Somalis—It's the Feds
In America, we judge people according to the content of their character, not the behavior of a narrow minority of their coethnics.
Auditors Submitted 24 Fake Applications for Subsidized Health Insurance. Only 1 Was Denied.
A new GAO report suggests the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges are rife with fraud.
Chicago Is the Latest Example of How Public School Spending Doesn't Prioritize Students
Misused pandemic funds, luxury travel, and declining achievement reveal a crisis of priorities—one only school choice can fix.
Trump Slammed Biden's $52 Billion CHIPS Act. Then He Used It To Buy a Federal Stake in Intel.
Biden said "companies are investing in America again." Instead, America is investing in companies—and getting little in return.
Why DOGE Mattered
It didn't meaningfully cut spending or reduce the size of government, but the DOGE project proved that politicians shouldn't be scared of doing those things.
Taxpayers Still Paying for Hurricane Sandy Relief Mismanagement 13 Years Later, New Report Finds
A recent Transportation Department audit of Hurricane Sandy relief funds found $95 million in questionable costs and $2.9 billion in unspent money.
This College Dropout Thinks His AI Startup Can Do What Elon Musk Couldn't: Expose Fraud
Alex Shieh, creator of Bloat@Brown, co-founded the Antifraud Company to investigate and publicize corporate fraud in critical government programs.
Alligator Alcatraz Was Built on Secrecy, Expansive Emergency Powers, and an Unprecedented State Power Grab
Shadowy deals and unilateral powers created Florida's notorious immigration detention camp.
The White House Just Defunded a Federal Watchdog
The decision to close two federal watchdog agencies has drawn criticism from a pair of Republican senators.
Mamdani's Fare-Free Buses Wouldn't Be NYC's First Wasteful Public Transit Boondoggle
A previous pilot program found free access slowed down buses in New York City, which already has the slowest buses in the nation.
Department of Veterans Affairs
In 16 Years, the V.A. Turned This $450 Million Hospital Project Into a $1.6 Billion Boondoggle
What began as a simple hospital project has become yet another example of bureaucratic failure at the Department of Veterans Affairs
Florida Applies for Federal Reimbursement for 'Alligator Alcatraz' Costs Despite Court Warning
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised that the federal government would reimburse the state for the costs of "Alligator Alcatraz," but doing so would make the detention facility subject to environmental reviews Florida ignored.
Before Trump Had Elon Musk, Nixon Had Howard Phillips
Nixon's director of the Office of Economic Opportunity set out to shrink government, mostly failed, and was gone in less than a year. Sound familiar?
$500 Million To Paint the Border Wall? 5 of Trump's Strangest, Most Expensive Vanity Projects
Donald Trump is no stranger to wasteful spending. But these examples are especially egregious.
ICE's Tricked-Out Trucks Might Boost Recruitment, but They Won't Make America Any Safer
The agency has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on custom SUVs, trucks, and recruitment ads.
Congress Spent At Least $27,500 on Poster Displays in 2 Months. Here Are 4 Ridiculous Examples and 1 Good One.
It's a drop in the bucket compared to the national debt, but any wasteful government spending should be eliminated.
Media Outlets Shouldn't Get Public Funds, No Matter Their Political Bias
It shouldn't matter whether NPR leans right or left. Cutting its federal funding was the right move.
If Trump Wants American Businesses To Thrive, He Should Get Rid of Government Subsidies
Federal subsidies undermine American companies, breed dependency, and stifle competition.
Did USAID Really Save 90 Million Lives? Not Unless It Raised the Dead
A Lancet study’s inflated numbers are being used to push a partisan narrative, not inform public policy.
The CEO of NPR Made the Best Case for Defunding It
The notion that NPR can somehow become unbiased is about as believable as the IRS sending you a fruit basket to commend you for filing your taxes.
The Trump Administration Is Spending $130,000 To Burn $800,000 Worth of Food Meant for Hungry Children
If the president truly cares about cutting waste, he should not be paying to set taxpayer dollars on fire.
NASA Gets a $10 Billion Windfall From the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Rather than reducing government's role in space travel, the bills shovels more taxpayer money into an agency that is being outperformed by the private sector.
Taxpayers Are Supposed To Shell Out $150 Million for Next Year's July 4th Celebrations
Yet another wasteful expense in the "big, beautiful bill."
The $4 Trillion 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Breaks the Bank and Violates Congress' Own Budget Rules
This is what Washington calls compromise: The House proposes $1, the Senate proposes $2, and somehow, the government ends up spending $3.
Add It to the Tab
Plus: Trade deal with Vietnam, Romanian right-wing presidential candidate sent to trial, and more...
Why Do Republicans Support the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit?
Publicly funded homes in some cities are costing taxpayers more than $1 million per unit, but Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would increase funding for these inefficient projects.
Trump's Immigration Crackdown Is Overwhelming ICE Facilities and Running Up Huge Bills
The cost of Trump's immigration crackdown keeps going up.
