This Week In Waste – April 10, 2026

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.

Small Businesses Are Prospering from Tax Cuts

The Working Families Tax Cuts ensure that small businesses will continue to drive economic growth by stimulating investment, reducing paperwork, and allowing owners and employees to keep more of their own hard-earned money which would otherwise have gone to the federal government.  Read more here.

Maine Set to Become the First State with Data Center Ban

Maine legislators advanced a data center construction ban through November 2027, risking billions in lost private investment and economic growth.  The moratorium threatens Maine’s technological development and will cost Mainers jobs and commercial competitiveness.  Read more here.

Patients and Employers Win in Federal Ruling Affirming ERISA Preemption

On April 8, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reaffirmed that federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) rules preempt costly state-level mandates that would drive up healthcare costs.  The court ruling prevents a patchwork of 50 state regulations that could lead to higher administrative expenses and insurance premiums.  Read more here.

Record Number of Voters Polled by Fox News Sees Government Spending as Wasteful

A March 23-26, 2026 Fox News poll revealed that 75 percent of voters consider almost all or a great deal of government spending to be wasteful and inefficient, compared to 57 percent in March 2025.  The poll also found that 64 percent of voters, an eight percentage point increase from 56 percent in March 2025, think that the federal government’s efforts in identifying and cutting government waste are only fair or poor.  Read more here.