Government Waste

Why the Price of the F-35 Keeps Soaring

By Ciro Scotti

The most costly fighter ever built is getting even more expensive. A new General Accounting Office report says the Pentagon will spend an additional $3.9 billion over the next five years on “...
What a Waste—Senate Health Care Debate Squanders Time and Millions for Nothing

By Rob Garver and Eric Pianin

For Republican leaders in the Senate, watching their first two attempts to pass a health care bill this week fail badly in floor votes must have been extra painful as they plainly knew in advance...
The Pentagon Skips Out on a $10 Billion Debt

By Eric Pianin

By law, the free-spending Defense Department is required to implement a plan to achieve at least $10 billion in administrative cost savings within the next two years. But the Government...
Can Congress Finally Stop Wasting $100 Billion a Year in Erroneous Payments?

By Eric Pianin

In response to repeated prodding by the General Accounting Office and other government watchdogs, the House Budget Committee is calling for creation of a special commission to crack down on...
Homeland Security Did Not Report $3.5 Million Spent on Conferences

By Eric Pianin

The behemoth Department of Homeland Security violated federal rules when they neglected to report nearly two dozen conferences sponsored by the agency in 2014 and 2015 at an overall cost of more than...

The Latest FBI Mess: The $2 Billion Project to Build Its New Headquarters

By Eric Pianin

The FBI’s once imposing fortress-like headquarters in downtown Washington is in shambles today, with netting hanging from the façade to prevent broken concrete from hitting passing tourists. Inside,...
The Navy’s Argument for Building Another $500 Million Combat Ship Doesn’t Hold Water

By Ciro Scotti

Under pressure from the White House, the Navy agreed to add a second Littoral Combat Ship to its 2018 budget despite grave concerns about the capabilities of the vessel. The stated reason was to save...
How a No-Show Worker Scammed the VA Out of $100,000

By Eric Pianin

A former research investigator at a VA health facility in Oklahoma City scammed the government out of more than $100,000 by claiming thousands of hours of work while he was drawing a salary at a...
Ouch! Mylan May Have Overcharged the US More Than $1 Billion for EpiPens

By Rob Garver

The federal government appears to have shelled out more than $1.27 billion in overpayments to the drug company Mylan, which holds the patent on the widely-used EpiPen, an auto-injector for...
How Bad Is Drug Theft at VA Hospitals? Feds Pursue Dozens of New Cases

By Eric Pianin

In the last few months, the VA inspector general’s office opened 36 criminal investigations into alleged drug theft by employees at veterans hospitals, bringing the number of open criminal...

Watchdog: Almost $500 Million at Risk in Afghanistan

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

The U.S.’s $104 billion-and-counting efforts to rebuild Afghanistan are under constant scrutiny for falling short on coordination and oversight, which has put much of that money at risk. The federal...
The Flawed F-35: Why the Pentagon Will Never Shoot It Down

By Ciro Scotti

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a plane that is supposed to be a game-changer for aerial combat and lead to supremacy in the sky for America, has had a troubled history of massive cost overruns,...
VA Wastes Millions, But Still Wants More as Vets Wait for Care

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald says his department is so cash-strapped that it’s struggling to accommodate the massive number of veterans seeking treatment from the health system. At the...
Why Kansas-Style Welfare Crackdowns May Not Work

By Teresa Wiltz, Stateline

Kansas’ new law that restricts welfare recipients from using their benefits to get a tattoo, consult a psychic or take a cruise has made for endless fodder on the late-night talk show circuit...
11 Insanely Overpaid Public Employees

By Marine Cole

The highest-paid public employee in your state is likely to be a football or basketball coach. While their salaries are often controversial -- Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama’s...

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