Government Waste
DOGE Shut Down This Agency. Now Its Employees Are Back on the Payroll With Nothing To Do.
Shutting down the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the right thing to do, but the Trump administration's approach allowed a dozen federal employees to collect paychecks for a year.
America Hits a New Debt Record at $40 Trillion and Counting
President Donald Trump has surpassed Barack Obama's record for most debt amassed by a president.
The Trump Administration Paid Federal Workers $9.5 Billion To Skip Work
How's that for efficiency?
Trump and Vance's Plan To Bribe Voters With $5,000 Checks Shows MAGA Is Out of Ideas
By quickly endorsing Trump's ridiculous plan to bribe voters in the midterms, J.D. Vance reveals something about the future of Trumpism. There isn't one.
How Much Will Andy Burnham's 'No. 10 North' Cost British Taxpayers?
Taxpayers have already paid $14,300 for branding the new office—and more than $1,300 for moving a replica Downing Street door to Manchester, according to a Freedom of Information request.
Planned New Battleships Come With a High Price Tag and an Uncertain Future
Large warships could prove to be expensive drone sponges without a clear mission.
DOGE Claimed $110 Billion in Spending Cuts That Couldn't Be Verified, Audit Finds
The DOGE project was the second Trump administration's best idea. Unfortunately, it was terribly executed.
Senators Want To Claw Back Trump's Spending Power. They Should Just Pass a Real Budget Instead.
The Senate’s funding bill stops the Trump administration from handing political appointees control over federal grants, but Congress isn’t eager to rein in spending.
Homeland Security Is Spending $1 Billion on 'Autonomous' Border Surveillance Towers
The department plans to triple the number of surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border over the next decade.
One Federal Agency's Unused Office Space Costs 'Hundreds of Millions of Dollars' Per Year
According to a new report, nearly 90 percent of the Department of Transportation's owned or leased buildings are more than half-empty.
Congress Wants To Keep Funding a Pentagon That Won't Account for Its Spending
The only federal agency that has never passed an audit could soon get another $60 billion, even as it buries reports on the spiraling costs of its programs.
Dispatch From COGE: A Bureaucratic Meeting About Cutting Bureaucratic Bloat
Don't expect much from Zohran Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency.
States Will Soon Face Huge Penalties for Their Food Stamp Mistakes
More than $1 of every $10 in SNAP benefits went to people who didn't qualify in 2025.
The New Transportation Bill Puts Special Interests Above Safety
Some safety recommendations are treated as essential—while others become negotiable once influential people object.
Terrorists and Criminals Reportedly Got $37.5 Billion From COVID Relief and Other U.K. Aid Programs
Britain has long wasted taxpayer money on frivolous projects. A secret dossier suggests it has now outdone itself.
The Feds Wasted $186 Billion on 'Improper Payments' Last Year
That total is a low-ball estimate because some federal agencies didn't report their totals to the Government Accountability Office.
Trump Cut Nuclear Red Tape. Now His Administration Is Picking Winners.
The Trump administration can build on its success in the nuclear industry by getting out of the way.
Review: A Sci-Fi War Movie About the Pentagon's Inscrutable Budget
The Pentagon's budget is so vast that a soldier believes the extraterrestrial machine shooting lasers at them might be taxpayer–funded.
Jeff Bezos Is Right: Taxing Billionaires Won't Solve the Affordability Crisis
Before demanding more money from America’s wealthiest, lawmakers should account for the billions of dollars the federal government wastes each year.
America's Highway Fund Is Running Out of Money. Congress Wants To Spend New Funds on Not Fixing Highways.
Congress’ new infrastructure bill commissions a costly review of Amtrak’s food and beverage offerings and a study of yellow paint.
Taxes and Government Fees Make Up 25 Percent of Car Rental Fees
Travelers make easy targets for revenue-hungry officials.
Congress' Energy Crisis Solution: Bring Back an Office That Funded Women's Empowerment Initiatives Overseas
Instead of holding the president accountable, lawmakers are trying novel ways to reduce energy prices caused by Trump’s war in Iran.
California Spent $450 Million on a Failed 911 System. Now, the State Is Restarting the Project.
The state’s attempt to overhaul its antiquated 911 system resulted in delays and lost calls.
Canada's New 'Sovereign Wealth Fund' Is Actually a Debt-Fueled Spending Scheme
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is marketing his new Canada Strong Fund as a "sovereign wealth fund," but it is one of many ways the government can waste taxpayer money.
By Dropping Her Criminal Probe of Jerome Powell, Jeanine Pirro Confirms Its Political Motivation
Even Republican critics of the Federal Reserve chairman's performance rejected the notion that he had broken the law by lying about the renovation of the central bank's headquarters.
ICE Is on a $45 Billion Building Spree. Can Small Towns Support These New Migrant Warehouses?
The government is selling the policy with the same arguments you’d expect for subsidized factories or sports stadiums.
One Thing Every Modern President Has in Common: They All Spent More Than the Last Guy
The vibe shift that really matters—a reduction in the size, scope, and spending of government—hasn't happened, and America is worse off for it.
The U.K. Is Set To Spend $183 Billion on Pensions This Year. Nigel Farage Vows To Keep Hiking Payments.
The leader of Reform U.K. pledged to keep the "triple lock" mechanism in place, which is driving the state pension program to financial unsustainability.
Trump's Call for a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Is Irresponsible, Wasteful, and Unrealistic
The proposal is "an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars and would make Americans less, not more, safe." Thankfully, Congress is unlikely to adopt it.
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...
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.
