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...

The Crime Americans Fear Most Costs $445 Billion a Year

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

Trick or treaters looking for a hauntingly scary Halloween costume this year might want to pass on the Freddy Kruger mask and dress as a hacker instead. That’s because Americans are more scared of...
Obscene Campaign Spending on 2014 Midterms Nears $4B

By Eric Pianin

Nearly $4 billion will be spent on the midterm elections before they draw to a close next week, yet from the looks of things that record amount still isn’t enough to satisfy the needs of Republicans...
Another Report Blasts Federal Disaster Response

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

Over the past few years, federal auditors have issued a pile of scathing reports that raise serious concerns about the way the federal government responds to major disasters like hurricanes and...
Fiscal Warrior Coburn’s Parting Shots at Washington

By Eric Pianin

When he issued his final government “Wastebook” this week, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) offered a valedictory of sorts on his long career on Capitol Hill – and a troubling and damning assessment of the...
Outrage! EPA Pays Over $1.5M for Storing Old Paper

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

The federal agency tasked with protecting the environment and promoting a “go green” initiative doesn’t always follow its own advice. Earlier this year, federal auditors flagged the EPA’s National...

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