This Week In Waste – May 29, 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 Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann May 2026 Porkers of the Month
CAGW named Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) its May 2026 Porkers of the Month for receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in pork-barrel earmarks. Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Murray claimed 96 earmarks costing $484,654,000, the largest total in Congress, while Rep. Fleischmann received 15 earmarks costing $251,378,000, the most in the House of Representatives, including the single largest earmark in Congress. CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “Sen. Murray and Rep. Fleischmann should be chastised for feeding at the trough and leading the way on the most corrupt, costly and inequitable costly practice in the history of Congress.” Read more here.
How to Fail to Deliver the Mail Without Really Trying
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2025, and it would be reasonable to assume that in 2026, after 251 years, the agency could at least break even. But the USPS has lost money every fiscal year since 2007. Despite several warnings from the Postal Regulatory Commission about the failure of its Delivering for America plan, USPS is doubling down on that effort, and rather than reducing expenses to match revenue, Postmaster General David Steiner asked Congress to more than double the USPS’s $15 billion line of credit. Congress needs to be more forceful in demanding accountability from the USPS. Read more here.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) Signs Forced Pharmacy Closure Bill into Law
On Friday, May 22, 2026, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB 2040 into law. This law will force hundreds of pharmacies to close in Tennessee, make healthcare less accessible, and face serious legal challenges that will prove the new law to be a waste of taxpayer money. Read more here.
Sen. Warren Now Wants to Tax Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is calling for taxing AI “to invest in people” by revising the tax code to raise taxes not only on wealthy individuals (including their investments) but also AI companies and data centers. Sen. Warren claims these companies are raising local energy prices, despite a “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” signed on March 2026 by seven large AI companies to cover the cost of data centers, including their energy usage, so higher costs are not passed on to anyone else. She also displayed her continued ignorance of the role of private equity in the economy by calling for “greater scrutiny” of its role in AI investments. Read more here.
The U.S. Should Avoid Mimicking the EU DMA
Legislation to impose the flawed European Digital Markets Act (DMA) on U.S. companies is expected to be introduced soon in Congress. As noted in an Innovators Network article, this legislation would “hurt consumers, introduce degraded security and privacy for users, and, ironically, diminish the ability of U.S. tech companies, both large and small, to compete.” Read more here.
Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 15 Defendants for Over $90 Million in Fraud
The Justice Department announced criminal charges against 15 Minnesota defendants on May 21, 2026, as part of a nationwide Medicaid fraud crackdown. Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called it “the largest autism bust in American history.” Since 2013, whistleblowers have repeatedly brought instances of fraud in safety net programs to the public’s attention, yet Gov. Tim Walz (D) has continuously ignored this excessive waste, earning himself the notorious title of January 2026 Porker of the Month. Read more here.
Mississippi Launches Initiative to Crack Down on Wasteful Spending
Mississippi State Auditor Shad White (R) launched an initiative to investigate waste and noncompliance among smaller state agencies, boards, and commissions after an earlier review of larger institutions identified $335 million in improper government spending. Prior audits uncovered wasteful spending on state vehicles, office space, technology, and an unnecessary state plane. Read more here.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Cuts Biden-Era Refrigerant Rules, Saving Americans Over $2.4 Billion and Lowering Food Costs
The EPA announced revisions to restrictive Biden-era refrigerant regulations, saving businesses and consumers more than $2.4 billion annually by easing costly compliance mandates on refrigeration systems, including an estimated $800 million at grocery stores. The reversal will also reduce transportation costs. Read more here.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) East Harlem Grocery Store Site Already got $25 Million in NYC Taxpayer Funds Years Ago – Setting State for $55 Million Boondoggle
After New York City’s Economic Development Corporation gave $25 million in 2017 to La Marqueta in East Harlem to allow the facility to provide groceries and fresh produce in a large food hall, Mayor Mamdani plans to hand out $30 million more for taxpayer-subsidized groceries and fresh produce, making it a $55 million boondoggle. Read more here.
Hawaii Joins the Blue State Millionaire Tax Club
Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) signed a tax package creating a new 13 percent tax bracket for annual incomes above $1 million while scaling back business investment tax credits to help address an estimated $3 billion budget deficit. Hawaii now has the second highest income tax rate after California, along with the highest cost of living in the U.S. Read more here.
