This Week in Waste – May 8, 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.

Celebrating Small Businesses During the National Small Business Week

As the nation’s 250th birthday is being celebrated, the Working Families Tax Cuts (WFTC) deserve special recognition for expanding opportunities to live the American Dream.  According to the Senate Finance Committee, key WFTC provisions will create 1.2 million jobs annually and increase small business gross domestic product (GDP) by $750 billion over the next decade.  Read more here.

New Report Emphasizes Importance of Unlicensed Spectrum

A May 2026 ABI Research report found that the use of the 6 GHz spectrum band for unlicensed devices by business enterprises has grown exponentially since the Federal Communications Commission designated 1,200 megahertz for 6 GHz in 2020.  The information in the report will help set U.S. policy on unlicensed spectrum for the World Radio Conference 2027.  Read more here.

California High-Speed Rail Costs Soar to $231 Billion

California’s long-troubled high-speed rail is now projected to cost more than $231 billion, an increase of 700 percent compared to the railroad’s original cost of $33 billion in 2008, while the project remains 12 years behind schedule.  It has never been clearer that this boondoggle has devolved into an unprecedented fiscal disaster that is so far off track it should be terminated.  Read more here.

Tennessee Passes Regulatory Freedom Act of 2026

On April 30, 2026, Tennessee became the 14th state to adopt legislation modeled after the federal Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, requiring the state legislature’s approval for any regulation that costs the state economy $1 million or more.  According to an April 2025 Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty study, such legislation provides stronger oversight, eliminates unnecessary bureaucracy, and boosts local economies.  Read more here.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Continues Crackdown on Food Stamp Fraud

The USDA is ramping up efforts to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after finding 500,000 individuals collecting duplicate benefits and 244,000 deceased recipients remaining enrolled.  The eligibility is so lax that there are reports about 14,000 beneficiaries driving luxury vehicles and states like California losing up to $14 million per day to fraud.  The crackdown underscores the urgent need for stronger safeguards to protect taxpayer dollars.  Read more here.