Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul released a report Monday outlining more than $1 trillion in government waste over the past year.
2024 “Festival” report He highlighted various examples of wasteful federal spending, including a pickleball facility in Las Vegas and an on-ice cabaret show. This year marks Paul’s 10th annual report.
“This year, I would like to highlight the staggering amount of $1,008,313,329,626.12,” Paul wrote in the report. “This equates to over $1 trillion in government waste, including things like an ice-skating drag queen, a $12 million Las Vegas pickleball facility, and $4,840,082 to a Ukrainian influencer. Even though we are wasting money, politicians keep asking for more money.”
(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Department of the Interior (DOI) spent $12 million on a pickleball facility in Las Vegas, according to the report. DOI also spent $720,479 on the Mexico Duck Wetland Conservation Project.
“We have a lot on the table when it comes to federal spending, and now is the time to hear it all,” Paul said in his report.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded Bearded Ladies Cabaret a $10,000 grant to support an ice skating cabaret show focused on climate change, according to a report. The NEA also spent $365,000 promoting circuses in city parks, according to the report.
The State Department spent $500,000 to expand the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia’s social media campaign “#USInvestsInEthiopians” into a larger national public relations campaign, according to the report. The State Department also sent $253,653 to Bosnia to combat “misinformation,” $2.1 million for border security in Paraguay and “girl-centered climate action” in Brazil, according to the report. It is said to have cost $3 million.
According to the report, the Department of Health and Human Services spent $419,470 to find out whether lonely rats seek cocaine more than happy rats.
The National Science Foundation spent $288,563 to provide bird watching groups with safe spaces, also known as “affinity groups,” according to the report.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on November 12 that he has chosen Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to co-chair the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to reduce wasteful government spending. (Related: It’s crazy! Biden’s Christmas gift to America will burn a hole in family finances)
“As always, the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but I, like DOGE, have been fighting government waste since before DOGE got cold,” Paul wrote in the report. “And I plan to continue the fight against government waste this holiday season.”
Throughout President Joe Biden’s term, many Americans have faced high costs amid high inflation, with inflation peaking at 9.1% in June 2022. Although the inflation rate has eased somewhat since June 2022, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows that prices remain high. , an indicator of prices of daily necessities, rose 2.7% year-on-year in November. According to Based on a Dec. 11 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some experts say that massive government spending under the Biden-Harris administration is accelerating inflation. The national debt stood at $36.16 trillion as of Tuesday. According to Go to the U.S. Treasury Department’s fiscal data.
A spokesperson for Mr. Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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