Connecting unserved and underserved communities across the country to high-speed internet has long been a laudable goal. But after a May 10, 2023, Government Accountability Office (GAO) report exposed more than 133 broadband related programs across 15 federal agencies, now-Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr said that up to $800 billion was available for […]
Kids in the lower-income households of Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas may find their Easter baskets a little less sweet this year. Across the country, state policymakers are pushing legislation requesting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to restrict what Americans receiving federal food assistance can buy with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program […]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has confirmed that the state proposals for funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program are projected to save more than $20 billion and could reach $22 billion after the last remaining state, California, submits its final bid. Texas alone saved more than $2 billion of […]
The establishment of well-intentioned programs that fail to achieve their objectives and waste taxpayer dollars is an unfortunately frequent occurrence in the federal government. A prominent example of such an outcome is the 340B program, created by Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act of 1992, which requires pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in Medicaid to […]
The 340B Drug Discount Program was created in 1992 and requires pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in Medicaid to sell drugs to “Covered Entities” (CEs), including non-profit hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic, at discounts of 20 to 50 percent. The program grew from $9 billion in 2014 to $66 billion in 2023, making it the second-largest federal […]
Federal healthcare programs are often well-intended but end up costing more than expected and become subject to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. One of the best (or worst) examples of such a result is the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The lack of clear intent […]
The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program was intended to provide discounts on drugs to patients but the lack of a clear intent and patient definition, along with inadequate oversight, has led to the program being exploited by hospitals and contract pharmacies to generate millions of dollars in profit. The discounts are supposed to be provided […]
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) applauds a major victory for taxpayers, consumers, and rapid broadband deployment to close the digital divide as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) rescinds broadband price controls and other non-statutory guidance following a strong push for these changes by CAGW. On June 6, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information […]
District of Columbia (D.C.) Mayor Muriel Bowser and the City Council are proposing to give a billion-dollar taxpayer handout to the Washington Commanders for a new football field to replace Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Stadium. While Mayor Bowser is championing the deal as a defining achievement of her administration, giving more than $1 billion to […]
Welcome to This Week in Waste, a series by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) that highlights how taxpayer dollars are being wasted in the federal, state, and local levels of government and effort to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. The F-35 Alternate Engine Should Not Be Revived There should be no third bite at […]
