This Week In Waste – October 30, 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.
Taxpayer Tricks and Treats for Halloween 2026
On October 29, 2026, CAGW released its 27th annual compendium of horrifying tricks and happy treats. Ranging from tricks like The Specter of Socialism Haunting America and Abuse Continues to Haunt 340B to treats like The Tax Cuts that Did Not Die and The Federal Communications Commission Unwinds the Mummy’s Bindings, Tricks and Treats always has something sweet and sour for taxpayers. Read more here.
The debt blob will destroy America
CAGW Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs Deborah Collier’s October 23, 2026, op-ed in The Hill explains the consequences of the national debt topping $40 trillion for the first time on August 18, 2026, an increase of 100.8 percent from the $19.95 trillion owed when President Trump’s first term began in January 2017. Congress can stop the debt blob by taking steps like enacting the recommendations in CAGW’s 2026 Prime Cuts. Read more here.
Trump offers bounty to Americans who spot fraud
On October 20, 2026, President Trump announced a program offering a 1 percent bounty to individuals who successfully expose fraud in government programs, alongside other efforts to strengthen prosecutions and fraud detection. CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “there has long been a war on government waste, but Mr. Trump has broken through by focusing specifically on fraud, [and] that […] has resonated.” Read more here.
COINS Act Regulations Undermine American Leadership
The United States is the global leader in biopharmaceutical research and development. This position is crucial to the economy and giving patients access to new medicines well before they are available in foreign countries. Unfortunately, the Department of the Treasury has issued proposed regulations that expand the provisions of the COINS Act beyond the intent of Congress to include biopharmaceuticals, which will undermine that leadership position and harm both patients and the economy. Read more here.
Conservative Coalition in Support of Permitting Reform Bill
CCAGW signed an October 30, 2026, coalition letter with 32 other organizations urging Congress to pass the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026. The permitting reforms in the legislation would reduce energy costs, expedite project approval, and increase certainty for investments in energy and infrastructure projects. Read more here.
Wasteful Spending on Consultant Fees Found in E-Rate Program
An October 14, 2026, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee report revealed that out of the $2-$3 billion in E-Rate funds spent each year to subsidize internet services and infrastructure, schools and libraries spent between $200 million and $400 million on consultants to assist them in navigating the “byzantine application, bidding, and reimbursement process” and “roughly 82 percent” of the applications rely on consultants. CAGW suggested that the Federal Communications Commission evaluate how to streamline the application process and reduce reliance on consultants. Read more here.
Missouri Governor and U.S. Attorneys Announce Operation Show-Me the Money to Combat Benefits Fraud
On October 22, 2026, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri R. Matthew Price, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Tom Albus announced “Operation Show-Me the Money,” a joint effort between Missouri and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to detect and prosecute fraud in taxpayer-funded benefit programs. The initiative will combine agency investigations, targeted program reviews, and cross-agency data analysis to identify fraud and strengthen oversight. Read more here.
DOJ’s Fraud Division, Department of Agriculture, and USDA Office of Inspector General Uncover Nearly $42 Million in SNAP Benefit Fraud
The DOJ and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted their first joint nationwide benefits and program fraud enforcement surge, prosecuting more than 40 defendants in schemes involving “nearly $45 million in intended losses to the federal government,” including nearly $42 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins noted that, “Every instance of SNAP fraud has two victims: families in dire need and taxpayers.” Read more here.
FTC Launches Personalized Pricing and Compensation Inquiry
On October 28, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Delta, United, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart to provide detailed information about their use of personal data to set prices and compensation. CAGW filed comments to the FTC on September 25, 2026, which argued that personalized pricing increases competition and benefits consumers, and that the enforcement action would harm businesses of all sizes. The comments also suggested that any violations could be enforced under current law and urged the FTC to abandon the personalized pricing action. Read more here.
