This Week In Waste – January 30, 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.
CAGW Names Minnesota Governor Tim Walz January 2026 Porker of the Month
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) is CAGW’s January 2026 Porker of the Month for his blatant failure to stop fraud in federally funded social safety net programs, despite repeated warnings that began in 2018. Lax oversight allowed at least $9 billion to be stolen between 2018 and 2023, costing every low-income Minnesotan more than $2,000 annually. Read more here.
Senate Commerce Committee Begins Reauthorization Process for FirstNet
Congressional reauthorization of FirstNet, the first responder network, started with a January 28, 2026, hearing in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media. Set to expire in 2027, FirstNet has enabled the nation’s first responders to communicate during times of crisis. Subcommittee Chairwoman Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) noted that “this critical network fac[ing] uncertainty […] undermin[es] years of investment and trust with public safety.” Read more here.
Lifeline Program Pays Dead People for Phone and Internet Services
Sending money to deceased individuals is an ongoing problem at many federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). On January 26, 2026, the FCC Office of Inspector General found that between 2020 and 2025, nearly $5 million in benefits were paid out to dead subscribers by providers in the Lifeline program. Read more here.
Copper Wire Thefts Continue
Despite efforts to reduce the theft of copper wire, incidents continue across the country. These thefts have dire consequences for telecommunications networks and every business and consumer that relies on them for phone calls, including 911 emergency services, and working on the internet. The FCC and Congress are looking at ways to reduce these incidents through expedited retirement of copper wire in networks and expanding criminal penalties for vandalizing networks. Read more here.
Illinois Funds 2,815 Earmarks As Legislators Claim “No Pork”
The Illinois Policy Institute reported that Illinois legislators stuffed the 2026 budget at the last minute with 2,815 earmarks worth more than $200,000 each. Earmarks were added for private tennis and pickleball clubs, and local theaters and venues, along with $40 million for a sports complex at Proviso West High School, the alma mater of Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D). Legislators nonetheless claimed there was “no pork” in the budget. Read more here.
Missouri Takes First Steps To Eliminate Income Taxes
The Missouri legislature began the process of following through on Governor Mike Kehoe’s proposal to phase out the state income tax by holding a hearing on HJR 174, which would give voters the opportunity to approve or disapprove a November 2026 ballot measure. The tax code has not been updated since 1931, and Missourians making more than about $9,000 annually are all in the highest tax bracket. With six of Missouri’s eight neighboring states eliminating or beginning to phase out income taxes, and evidence showing 16 to 19 percent startup growth and $4,000 higher average wages in states without an income tax, approving HJR 174 would deliver real tax relief and allow Missouri to stay competitive. Read more here.
Los Angeles (LA) Metro Approves Massive $25 Billion Underground Rail Line
The LA Metro Board approved a 13-mile underground Sepulveda Transit Corridor rail line, estimated to cost between $20 and $25 billion and partly funded by the local sales tax. Unfortunately, California has shown how megaproject optimism can spiral into disaster with the chronically overbudget California high-speed rail boondoggle. It was supposed to cost $40 billion and be completed in 2020 but is now estimated to cost $135 billion, with no likelihood the original 800-mile, 220-mile-per-hour vision of trains running from San Francisco to Los Angeles will ever happen. Read more here.
