All articles tagged with #wasteful spending
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to curb wasteful federal grantmaking, increase oversight, and ensure taxpayer dollars fund projects that benefit Americans, while eliminating grants supporting controversial or harmful initiatives.
Senator Joni Ernst has sent a letter to the Department of Government Efficiency, co-chaired by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, suggesting cuts to various government programs to reduce wasteful spending and address the national debt. Ernst's recommendations include eliminating funding for vacant buildings, auditing the IRS, and cutting back on excessive spending in areas like infrastructure and government bonuses. She highlights the urgency of addressing these issues as the national debt continues to grow.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by President-elect Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, plan to cut federal government jobs to reduce wasteful spending. They aim to eliminate certain agencies and significantly reduce federal contractors, potentially saving $100 billion annually. However, this initiative faces challenges, as cutting federal jobs could impact services and face resistance from Congress, which is often reluctant to cut local jobs and services.
The U.S. Navy's littoral combat ship (LCS) program, which was intended to be a technical marvel capable of combatting enemies at sea, hunting mines, and sinking submarines, has turned into one of the military's biggest boondoggles. The LCS program has been plagued by overpriced and underperforming ships, with rampant mechanical failures and a failure to carry out its intended missions. ProPublica's investigation reveals that top Navy leaders repeatedly dismissed or ignored warnings about the ships' flaws, while defense contractors lobbied Congress to build more ships. The LCS program has cost billions of dollars and may reach a lifetime cost of $100 billion or more, leaving taxpayers with fewer than 30 limited-survivability, single-mission ships.
It now costs more than 10 cents to mint a nickel, prompting Congressional action from lawmakers who say the boondoggle epitomizes wasteful spending in Washington. Coin use had been decreasing for years but deposits to the Federal Reserve Banks plummeted by nearly 50% since April 2020 as much of the nation went into COVID-19 lockdown and very few coins exchanged hands. Mint officials have now proposed using an 80/20 copper to nickel ratio instead of the current 75/25 ratio on nickels, dimes, quarters and 50 cent pieces to save taxpayers $12 million a year. The report prompted lawmakers to reintroduce the Coin Metal Modification Authorization and Cost Savings Act on Thursday.
US volunteers who fought in Ukraine have been plagued by infighting, wasteful spending, and lies about their military backgrounds, according to a New York Times report. Some volunteers have left the war effort after questions arose about their backgrounds, while others have been accused of illegally exporting military technology or defecting to Russia. One volunteer, a home-improvement contractor from Connecticut, admitted to falsifying his military record and revealing his unit's location on the battlefield. The spotlight on the role of volunteers has grown as the conflict has moved past the one-year mark.