This Week In Waste – June 5, 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.
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) Releases 2025 Congressional Ratings
On June 1, 2026, CCAGW released the 2025 Congressional Ratings for the first session of 119th Congress. Four senators and 38 representatives earned the coveted title of Taxpayer Super Hero by achieving the highest possible score of 100 percent, while at the other end of the spectrum, 42 senators had the lowest score of zero percent, and 172 representatives had the lowest score of zero percent. Read more here.
House of Representatives Holds a Hearing on the SECURE Data Act
On June 3, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing on legislation to establish a nationwide data privacy framework that included a discussion of H.R. 8413, the SECURE Data Act. The bill would strengthen consumer privacy protections, supersede state laws, and prevent private right of action, providing greater certainty for both consumers and businesses. Read more here.
Private Investment is Amplifying BEAD’s Public Broadband Dollars
The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program requires a 25 percent matching contribution from private broadband providers. A June 2, 2026, analysis of costs to date published in Broadband Expanded revealed that to date, private companies have provided $11.4 billion, or 37 percent of project costs across the country, and the federal government has provided $18.73 billion. The total BEAD investment, including federal support, ISP match, federal and state match, and other matching investments total $30.57 billion. The leveraging of taxpayer dollars for private funding bodes well for continued success in efficiently expanding broadband access in unserved and underserved areas of the U.S. Read more here.
Chairman Carr Proposes to Streamline Permitting Rules for Wireline Infrastructure Builds
The efficient deployment of broadband to unserved and underserved communities is often stymied by local government red tape and excessive fees surrounding infrastructure permitting. On June 3, 2026, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency will be reviewing new rules to eliminate such barriers to deployment. Read more here.
White House Withholds $1.3 Billion in Medicaid Payments to California Amid Broader Fraud Crackdown
The Trump administration deferred $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California and informed states that their payments would be withheld as well if their Medicaid Fraud Control Units failed to provide sufficient anti-fraud protections. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services used advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to prevent more than $2 billion in improper Medicare payments, and that technology will be expanded to Medicaid as well. Read more here.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Funding Bill Includes $40 Million for the ReConnect Program
The House Rules Committee voted on June 3, 2026, to move the fiscal year 2027 Agriculture Appropriations Act to the House floor. The legislation includes $40 million in loans and grants for the USDA’s ReConnect program. A May 2023 Government Accountability Office found more than 133 fragmented and overlapping broadband programs across 15 federal agencies. As CAGW noted, with $42.45 billion allocated through BEAD, funding of duplicative USDA broadband programs will continue to result in waste and inefficiency. Read more here.
Paragon Health Institute Releases Report on Persistent Obamacare Enrollment Fraud
The Paragon Health Institute’s June 2026 report on Obamacare enrollment estimates that 6.2 million, or 27 percent of all Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange sign-ups in 2026, were improper, costing taxpayers up to $25 billion in subsidy payments. According to the report, weak verification systems, automatic re-enrollment, and lack of broker integrity continue to enable waste and fraud, as “improper enrollment remains deeply embedded within the ACA exchanges.” Read more here.
Rhode Island’s $52 Million Housing Blunder
The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council’s May 2026 report found that the state government spent $52.2 million to produce only 200 rental units under a voter-approved $120 million housing bond. The subsidized units cost nearly 50 percent more than comparable private-sector projects. Read more here.
