(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) its July 2026 Porker of the Month for spending $19.9 million over two years to provide “free” diapers for every new baby born in the state regardless of the parents’ income.
The first $6.2 million of the contract was given to a company with ties to Gov. Newsom’s wife as a no-bid contract, as most applicants for the program never heard back from the state’s Department of Health Care Access. The cost of each diaper for the state reached 18.5 cents, which is 75 percent more than the 10.5 cents charged at the nation’s largest retailer.
CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “Taxpayers deserve transparency, competition, and accountability whenever government spends their hard-earned money. Awarding multimillion-dollar contracts without competition undermines public confidence and increases the risk of wasteful spending. Handing out “free” diapers at the taxpayers’ expense should not cost 75 percent more than the retail price. For prioritizing a politically favored contractor and failing to follow competitive procurement practices, Governor Gavin Newsom was an easy choice for July Porker of the Month.”
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the taxpayers.