CBP Paid a Contractor $13.6 Million to Hire 2 Agents
$13.6 million might be a drop in the bucket. But this is still incredibly wasteful.
Government Waste
The Air Force Spent Over $300,000 on 391 Special Coffee Mugs
As it turns out, the 3D-printed solution costs 50 cents
Mike Pence's National Anthem Stunt Cost More Than $300,000
That's quite a lot of money to prove your loyalty to a song. And why are we paying to send politicians to football games anyway?
Rep. Justin Amash Slams 'Pathetic' Spending Bill, Reminds Trump of His Pledge
Trump will "now be put to the test," Amash says.
FEMA Director Brock Long Racked Up $151,000 in Unauthorized Travel
One of his unauthorized trips included a tour of a pineapple plantation with his family.
Report: Federal Low Income Housing Program Lacks Basic Anti-Fraud Safeguards
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program is on the receiving end of yet another negative government watchdog report.
A $280 Million U.S. Aid Program Was Supposed To Help 75,000 Afghan Women. It Helped 60.
The "largest women's empowerment program" was supposed to benefit 75,000 women.
FEMA's Administrator Is Under Investigation for His Travel Habits
FEMA confirmed the investigation just one day after admitting to leaving nearly a million water bottles for storm victims on an airstrip.
FEMA Is Almost Certainly Not Ready for Hurricane Florence
If FEMA's prior record when it comes to disaster response is any indication, the agency is not going to handle this well.
The $1.7 Billion Federal Job Training Program Is a Massive Failure
The program's goals might be admirable, but the reality is a whole different story.
Trump Suggests Buying More Jet Fighters With Money Saved By Postponing Military Parade
Trump says it's D.C. politicians' fault his military parade got postponed. But at least now we can afford more jet fighters!
Trump's Ridiculous Military Parade Is Already Three Times Over Budget
Which is actually not too bad by Pentagon standards.
Report: DMV Worker Sleeps 3 Hours a Day at Work for 3+ Years, Keeps Job
Her supervisors have been aware of the problem for a while.
Taxpayers Spent Nearly $250,000 on the Trump Sons' Business Trips
The costs incurred by the Secret Service to protect President Trump's two oldest sons is astounding.
The Bill Is Finally in for Tom Price's Private Plane Trips
Federal officials are supposed to travel in a cost-efficient way. The former secretary of health and human services rarely did.
Senators Demand an Explanation After the F-35 Savings Estimate Is Off By $600 Million
The Senate asks the Pentagon's F-35 program to explain its sizable discrepancy in savings estimates.
Ben Carson Spent $31K on a Dining Table, and 5 Other Times Trump Cabinet Members Wasted Your Money
Hey, big spenders, spend a little...less of our money on yourselves?
One Pentagon Agency Lost Track of $800 Million—But Now We're Spending Even More on Defense
Because national defense is our government's top priority, Pentagon spending demands close scrutiny
The Corrupt Politics of Low-Income Housing
State officials gleefully line their own pockets at taxpayers' expense.
Republicans Have Made Two Arguments for Bringing Back Earmarks. They're Both Wrong.
Republicans took control of Congress in 2010, in part, by promising to kill earmarks. They might lose Congress in 2018 by bringing them back to life.
Congressional New Year's Resolutions
Read bills before voting, and other ways Congress can be less terrible in 2018.
University of California President Janet Napolitano Offers Weak Apology for Major Misconduct
The former Homeland Security secretary interfered with a state audit of the university's finances.
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Blew $690,000 on Parking Spaces No One Was Using
And another $840,000 subsidizing parking spaces, despite federal rules meant to limit commuting by car as a way to protect the environment.
States Fight Back Against USDA Rules That Cause School Food Waste
Bad mandates result in uneaten foods. Schools figure out how to respond.
Government Should Get Out of the Way of Disaster Response
Here, as usual, the private sector outperforms the public sector.
How Congress Can Use an Obscure Law From the 1880s to Limit Wasteful Government Contracts
The federal government spent more than $477 billion on contractors in the last fiscal year, but not all that money is used wisely.
Fake Scandal: 'DeVos Uses Private Jet for Work-Related Travel'
Real scandals: Tom Price charters five flights in a week and Steven Mnuchin wants a military plane for his honeymoon.
The Federal Government Has Been Subsidizing Phone and Internet Access for Dead People
A bipartisan group of senators wants an investigation into the government's latest disastrous internet intervention.
On Health Care, Private Sector May Show Congress the Way
Just because Congress can't fix health care doesn't mean it can't be done.
Local Governments Spend Big On Lobbyists
In many states, local governments spend more on lobbyists than both business and unions.
America's Cities Double Down on Trolley Follies
Streetcars continue to see cost overruns while failing to produce promised economic development.
TIGER, Pork Included in the Senate's Transportation Sausage
The wasteful, supposedly temporary economic recovery program lives to fight another day
Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes: The Story of Government
Programs that don't work as intended ought to be cut.
Stossel: Departments Grow and Cherries Rot
Most folks have no idea what federal agencies do. John Stossel reports on wasteful programs like the Agriculture Department forcing farmers to let cherries rot.
Phoenix Taxpayers Lose $200 Million on Sale of Largest Hotel in Arizona
A city's sad foray into the hotel business
Los Angeles is Spending $16 Million on a Bridge That Was Supposed to be Free
The Atwater Bridge was supposed to be a free gift to the city from a philanthropic investor.
Department of Homeland Security
Books Spared TSA Screening, But DHS Promises Other Enhanced Security Measures
The Department of Homeland Security is replacing its laptop ban with more sweeping security measures for all U.S.-bound flights.
D.C.'s Dysfunctional Metro System Is a National Embarrassment
The D.C. Metro has perfected the art of replicating the traffic woes above ground in the tunnels below.
Wisconsin Ordinance Would Waste Tax Dollars on Public Art
Madison won't be the first town to do this.
The Community Development Block Grant Program Is Awful and Should Be Cut
HUD program a significant source of corruption and cronyism, and much less about helping the poor
Incompetence and Cronyism Plague U.S. Attempts to Counter ISIS Online
WebOps, the U.S. online counter-propaganda program, appears to employ Arabic analysts who barely speak Arabic.
IRS Agents Rented Million-Dollar Townhomes, Spent Hundreds of Nights in Luxury Hotels Last Year
Taxpayers paid for "excessive and inappropriate" lodging and travel costs, including for one employee who managed to travel 381 days of the year.
Bouncy Houses and American Idol: How Local Governments in Pennsylvania Blew Drilling Tax Revenue
The money is supposed to offset environmental consequences of natural gas drilling, but some localities used it as a slush fund for pet projects and parties.
Pentagon Buried Report Finding $125 Billion in Bureaucratic Waste
Rather than face reality, Defense Department wants to continue to peddle the fiction that it is underfunded.
Cincinnati Streetcar Is Exactly the Spectacular Shitshow Everyone Expected It To Be
Bomb threats, broken ticket kiosks, and contract disputes with streetcar managers have plagued Cincinnati Bell Connector's opening week.
