This Week in Waste – July 25, 2025
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 Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) July 2025 Porker of the Month
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe earns the July 2025 Porker of the Month for signing into law SB 3, a bill that forces taxpayers to cover up to 50 percent of the $1.15 billion cost for new NFL and MLB stadiums in Kansas City while schools, infrastructure, and first responders continue to face funding shortfalls. The bill passed at 2:30 a.m. in a special session with little public input, penalizing taxpayers who are crying foul. Instead of protecting taxpayers, Gov. Kehoe handed a massive giveaway to wealthy team owners who can easily afford to fund their own stadiums. Read more here.
Congressional Defense Bills Include Earmarks and Diverge from Pentagon Priorities
Congress is advancing its fiscal year (FY) 2026 defense bills, but major disagreements with the Pentagon remain. The Senate proposes $878.7 billion for defense, $30.5 billion more than requested by the Pentagon, and adds funding for extra F-35 jets and shipbuilding. Both chambers oppose retiring the A-10 Warthog, with the House requiring all 162 be kept through FY 2027. Although the legislation includes provisions to modernize procurement and empower commercial defense firms, it contains earmarks that evidence continued prioritization of local interests over strategic efficiency. Read more here.
Power Up AI with Nuclear Energy
As demand from AI data centers surges, support for nuclear energy is rising, with state governments leading new development efforts. Nuclear power can provide tens of gigawatts of clean, reliable energy and should be provided without the costly and wasteful subsidies used for wind and solar. Bipartisan momentum is growing in Congress to expand nuclear infrastructure, while the Trump administration continues to promote private investment and deregulation of the nuclear energy sector. Read more here.
NTIA’s New Administrator Will Connect More Americans
After Arielle Roth’s confirmation as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator, the agency can now accelerate the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to connect unserved and underserved areas, after Biden administration’s guidance delayed deployment. The revised June 6, 2025, guidance eliminates labor and climate mandates and redefines program eligibility, enabling all states and territories to begin funding applications. Administrator Roth also inherits responsibility for identifying 800 MHz of federal spectrum for auction to maximize efficient spectrum use and boosting U.S. telecommunications leadership. Read more here.
Meet the Medicaid Double-Dippers
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that 2.8 million Americans were simultaneously enrolled in multiple Medicaid or ObamaCare plans, costing taxpayers up to $14 billion annually. This reflects broader systemic failures of the Biden administration, including restrictions on eligibility checks and general lack of oversight. Public Law 119-21 (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill) intensifies eligibility checks, closes loopholes, and ensures that only those who are truly eligible receive the benefits without the double dipping found by CMS. Read more here.
Trump slashes 25 percent of IRS workforce with buyouts
The Trump administration’s decision to reduce the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) workforce by 25,680 employees marks a much-needed course correction after years of unchecked expansion. CAGW President Tom Schatz pointed out that the tax revenue continues despite the cuts, and a leaner IRS can still do its job without imposing excessive burden on taxpayers. This change also provides the IRS with an opportunity to encourage electronic filing and modernize its outdated systems. Read more here.
