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. Open Architecture and Faster Timelines: Fixing Pentagon Procurement The Pentagon’s contractor-dominated procurement system is ill-suited for […]
President Trump made it clear in both of his terms in office that the federal government must be more efficient, and that reducing regulations would be a primary tool to achieve this objective. In his first term, the intent was to eliminate two regulations for every new regulation. Executive Order 14192 calls for the repeal […]
The budget for the Department of Defense (DOD), the government’s largest discretionary expenditure, accounts for approximately one-sixth of federal spending. Despite the need to spend each dollar effectively to enhance national security, its procurement system is failing to prepare the country for future conflicts and operates well behind the pace of modern warfare, as detailed […]
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. This Week in Waste will be taking a break during Christmas and the New Year and […]
Longtime readers of the WasteWatcher will be familiar with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a poorly designed vessel that has long dogged Pentagon planners while burning taxpayer cash. Unfortunately, two recent examples have demonstrated that the Department of Defense (DOD) has learned nothing from that boondoggle and continues to struggle to build new ships on […]
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. Pentagon’s Pivot to Nontraditional Contractors The Department of Defense is adopting commonsense reforms, many of which […]
The Trump administration has taken numerous steps to reform how the Department of Defense (DOD) buys services and equipment. The latest effort was signaled in DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth’s November 7, 2025, speech in which he announced a slew of reforms designed to increase speed and competition in contracting. The new acquisition policy will look […]
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. CAGW Names Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson November 2025 Porker of the Month Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s […]
The enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that were at the center of the October government shutdown were not only made available to people making as much as $500,000 annually but also turned out to be rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. A December 3, 2025, Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed that the advanced premium […]
The Free State Foundation luncheon featuring National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Arielle Roth included some welcome news for businesses, families, and taxpayers. At the December 2, 2025, event at the National Press Club, which included comments and questions from former Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O’Rielly and Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) Vice President […]
