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 efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. California’s High-Speed Failure The California High-Speed Rail project, originally approved in 2008 to connect San […]
California’s High-Speed Failure
Since it was approved by Golden State voters in the 2008 Proposition 1A bond measure, the California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) project, which was intended to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles by passenger rail, has shoveled more than $111 billion into the furnace of government waste. The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) was tasked […]
This Week in Waste – June 27, 2025
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 efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. House Oversight Hearing Proves USPS Privatization is Dead The House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government […]
House Oversight Hearing Proves USPS Privatization is Dead
Whisperings of privatizing the United States Postal Service (USPS) began before President Trump took office. He mentioned it in December 2024 (he had floated the idea in his first term as well) but by February 2025 decided it would not be pursued. While Elon Musk was apparently disagreed with that decision, discussions of USPS reform […]
D.C. Phases Out a Streetcar No One Desired
The above-ground streetcars pushing through traffic along Washington, D.C.’s H-Street Corridor have long ranked among the most costly and controversial pieces of public infrastructure inside the Beltway. On May 27, 2025, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced that over the next two years, the District will phase out the rail-bound streetcars in favor of electric buses, […]
CAGW Declares Victory Over Biden’s Broadband Regulators
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 […]
This Week in Waste – June 20, 2025
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 efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) Works to Codify Trump Effort to Eliminate Improper Payments Sen. Joni Ernst […]
Trying to Save the Wrong Kind of Green
When President Joe Biden signed into law the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the legislation was immediately touted as the largest investment ever in green energy. It favored renewables over fossil and nuclear power as part of the administration’s Green New Deal agenda, but it was not the first time the government picked winners and […]
Congress Should Modernize How Prescription Information is Delivered
Eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and inefficiency in government and restoring common sense has been a priority for President Trump and Congress for 2025. As part of this effort, lawmakers should turn their attention to eliminating an unnecessary, wasteful, and outdated rule that would modernize how critical medical information is disseminated. Modernizing this rule would restore […]
Congress Should End the SLS Misadventure
The Trump administration is signaling it will end support for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The so-called fiscal year (FY) 2026 “skinny” budget, released on May 2, 2025, called for an end to the SLS after three launches, noting that the program is 140 percent over budget. The […]








