This Week in Waste – October 31, 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 efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior.
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Hearing is Next Step for 340B Reform
The October 23, 2025, Senate HELP Committee hearing exposed how the 340B program has ballooned into a profit source for hospitals rather than a benefit for patients. Members and witnesses detailed rampant waste, poor oversight, and rising costs, noting that 340B’s lack of accountability demands urgent reform. Read more here.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Considers Revision to the Broadband Labeling Rule
Following CAGW’s recommendation, the FCC considered revisions to the Broadband Labeling rule at its October 28, 2025, meeting. Current broadband labeling requirements went beyond statutory parameters and created needless costs for providers. Streamlining the rule will reduce paperwork, promote efficiency, and allow resources to go toward expanding broadband access instead of complex regulatory compliance. Read more here.
New Abrams Tank Provides Defense Acquisition Blueprint
The Department of Defense’s procurement system has long been plagued by delays and excessive costs. However, in choosing a modular model for its new Abrams tank, the Pentagon will be able to field the tank much faster than initially anticipated, with the flexibility to equip the tank with new technologies as they come online. This open system of procurement should serve as an example for the Pentagon to follow elsewhere. Read more here.
While the Government Remains Shut Down, Postal Deliveries are Continuing for Now
Despite a government shutdown, the U.S. Postal Service is continuing to deliver mail, reaching into rural communities across the country. However, unless the new Postmaster General changes the course for mail delivery and rights the USPS financial ship, those deliveries could either be significantly reduced or go away. Read more here.
Infrastructure Costs, not Artificial Intelligence, are Driving Up Power Prices
An October 10, 2025, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Brattle study found that from 2019–2024, states with rising electricity demand from data centers saw prices fall, while states with shrinking demand saw them rise. North Dakota’s 37-percent demand increase led to prices dropping by about 3 cents per kilowatt-hour, while California’s 3-percent demand decrease resulted in kilowatt-hour prices surging more than 6 cents. According to the study, the real drivers of higher electricity rates are soaring transmission expenses and distribution costs. Read more here.
Medicare Improperly Paid Suppliers $22.7 Million Over Seven Years
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General found that Medicare improperly paid $22.7 million for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies provided to enrollees during inpatient stays from 2018–2024, despite prior warnings about the same issue. This mismanagement and abuse of federal funds confirms that more effective oversight is needed to stop waste and recover taxpayer dollars. Read more here.
