This Week In Waste – July 17, 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.
Banning AI for Business Can Backfire
In a July 14, 2026, op-ed in the DC Journal, CAGW Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs Deborah Collier addressed emerging state and local government restrictions on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in housing sector. She explained how misinformed AI regulations and laws being adopted by state and local governments will not only make it more difficult for property managers to gauge the right prices for their rental units but also worsen housing availability and costs. Read more here.
FDA Grants Modified Risk Claim to Zyn
On June 30, 2026, the Food and Drug Administration took a significant step to increase the availability and use of tobacco harm reduction products by announcing the approval of 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products to be marketed with a modified risk claim. This move will help smokers make better informed decisions about the benefits of Zyn over smoking tobacco products, which may lead them to permanently stop smoking. Read more here.
National Debt Interest and Entitlement Spending Push FY 2026 Federal Budget Deficit Toward $2 Trillion
The Congressional Budget Office’s June 2026 Monthly Budget Review reported that the federal budget deficit was $1.4 trillion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2026, $35 billion more than during the same period in FY 2025. CBO estimated that the deficit is likely to reach $2 trillion at the end of FY 2026. The largest percentage increase in outlays occurred in interest on the national debt, which grew by $78 billion, from $759 billion to $857 billion, or 13 percent over FY 2025. Policymakers must exercise more fiscal restraint and eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement to help reduce the deficit. Read more here.
Senate Set to Vote on Ernst’s Federal Fraud-Fighting Bill
On July 13, 2026, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced S. 4378, the Protecting American Taxpayers Act, which combines 15 separate bills into a single piece of legislation that should be supported by every Member of Congress who believes taxpayer dollars should not be subject to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. Co-sponsored by 12 Republican senators, the bill is projected to save taxpayers $240 billion. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste supports the passage and enactment of the bill. Read more here.
Trade Fraud Task Force Surpasses $1 Billion in Recoveries and Charged Losses in Less Than One Year
A July 14, 2026, Department of Justice (DOJ) press release revealed that the agency’s Trade Fraud Task Force has surpassed $1 billion in recoveries, forfeitures, and “publicly charged losses” from customs and trade fraud. The task force was created by DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security in August 2025 to address trade fraud and related cases across the supply chain that arise from violations of laws impacting goods that flow through U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, including imports, exports, transshipments, and mislabeling. Read more here.
