This Week in Waste – May 16, 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 effort to fight back against this spendthrift behavior.

Missouri Senate Rejects Stadium Funding Bill

In the final days of their session, the Missouri Senate delivered a win for taxpayers when they adjourned without a vote on a plan to fund part of the construction of new stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals.  The proposal, which passed the Missouri House by a 108-40 vote, would have the state cover up to 50 percent of construction costs for new stadiums or upgrades to their current stadiums and creates up to $50 million in tax credits for the teams.

New GAO Annual Report Released

The Government Accountability Office released its 15th annual report on fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative federal programs.  There are 589 remaining items for congressional review, including 148 new recommendations identified in the report, which could yield savings of more than $100 billion and improve government services.  Read the report here.

Senate Votes to Repeal Wi-Fi Hotspots on School Buses

A school bus is a means of transportation, not a classroom.  Eliminating the E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi hotspots in school buses is a win for taxpayers and the intended use of the Universal Service Fund program.  Read more here.  

Reconciliation Bill Moves the Country in the Right Direction

The House Ways and Means Committee’s portion of the “Big Beautiful Bill” extends the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and eliminates wasteful IRS programs.  Read more here.