This Week in Waste – January 23, 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.
Trump Administration Cancels Green New Deal Loans
After conducting a first-year review of the Department of Energy loan portfolio, the agency announced on January 22, 2026, that it would be cancelling, restructuring, or revising $83 billion in loans and conditional commitments from the Biden administration’s loan portfolio. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “We found more dollars were rushed out the door of the Loan Programs Office in the final months of the Biden Administration than had been disbursed in over fifteen years.” Read more here.
Dr. Paul Releases 2025 ‘Festivus’ Report on Government Waste
Sen. Rand Paul’s December 23, 2025, Festivus report cites a total of $1.6 trillion in unnecessary federal spending, including $1.22 trillion in interest on the national debt. Examples include $77 million for Department of Defense outdated Marine Mammal Program, which trains dolphins and sea lions to fulfill battlefield objectives. The animals have long been replaced with aquatic drones. It also cites $2.1 million from the Department of Health and Human Services for researchers to collect saliva samples and conduct surveys at electronic dance music clubs and festivals in New York City about drug usage. Addressing these wasteful expenditures along with the recommendations in CAGW’s Prime Cuts in the second reconciliation package would eliminate more than $5.4 trillion over five years. Read more here.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Watchdog Finds $19 Billion in Waste, Fraud, and Savings
The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Fall 2025 Semiannual report to Congress revealed a total monetary impact of $19 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse in FY 2025. The OIG noted that a joint effort with the Department of Justice led to the largest fraud takedown in history, worth $14.6 billion. Read more here.
Waste and Mismanagement in Nassau County, Florida, Exposed by the State Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blase Ingoglia revealed more than $53 million in excessive and wasteful spending in Nassau County, which he attributed to mismanagement by county officials. The county’s budget increased by $96.2 million between fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2024-2025, or 96 percent, while the population increased by 16,597, or 18 percent. That is equal to $5,797 per resident and $23,188 for a family of four. The CFO recommended tax relief for residents to offset some of the wasteful spending. Read more here.
