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 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 […]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) deadline for final proposals for the $42.45 billion in Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) is September 3, 2025. Funding is supposed to be distributed by December 31, 2025. Like other broadband programs, BEAD projects must go through a state and local permitting process, which should expedite rather […]
States across the country are working to finalize their final Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration by the September 4, 2025, deadline. The state of Louisiana is leading the charge to close the digital divide as the first state in the nation to release its final draft […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and 10 states are pushing to restrict the kinds of foods and drinks Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can purchase. These proposals would have no direct fiscal effect, as total SNAP funding levels would remain unchanged, but they would limit personal choices and individual freedom and expand government control over […]
High-speed rail projects across the U.S. continue to be challenged as the federal government reviews the effectiveness of its expenditures. On April 14, 2025, the Department of Transportation (DOT) terminated Amtrak’s contract with Texas Central Partners to build the Texas Central Railway, a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. The $63.9 million in unspent […]
Sacramento’s quixotic project leads the way as the nation’s most expensive and wasteful passenger rail boondoggle
