This Week In Waste – September 12, 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.
CBO Confirms That 340B Drives Up Costs for Taxpayers
A September 9, 2025, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report validates long-standing concerns about the rapid and costly expansion of the 340B drug discount program. The report highlights how 340B’s unchecked growth has encouraged “behavior – including the prescription of more and higher-priced drugs, the expansion of services, and the integration of hospitals and off-site clinics – that tend to increase federal spending.” This report underscores the need for long-overdue reform. Read more here.
First Responder Communications Remain Vital on the 24th Anniversary of 9/11
The 9/11 attacks revealed severe communication failures among first responders, leading to the creation of FirstNet in 2012. Now with more than 7.5 million connections, FirstNet is essential for first responders during times of disaster. At the September 9, 2025, House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing, Chairman Richard Hudson emphasized FirstNet’s importance and the need to assess its progress before its 2027 expiration. Read more here.
Treasury, GSA reward federal workers who identify wasteful contract spending
The Treasury Department and General Services Administration (GSA) have launched the Savings Award for Verified Efficiencies (SAVE) program to reward federal employees who identify wasteful contract spending with verified cost reductions. The initiative allows frontline workers to root out wasteful inefficiencies with speed and precision. Read more here.
NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth Delivers Remarks on Spectrum Policy
During her remarks at the NTIA 2025 Spectrum Symposium, National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Arielle Roth said her agency has identified 5 MHz of spectrum that could be made available for auction from the L-band spectrum currently held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Auctioning this spectrum for 5G and 6G use will help promote U.S. leadership in wireless deployment. She also noted that spectrum already allocated for unlicensed Wi-Fi use should be protected to maintain U.S. leadership in global telecommunications. Read more here.
Energy Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Appliance and Building Policies
At the September 9, 2025, House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee hearing, members and witnesses warned that regulatory standards have drifted from delivering energy savings to micromanaging consumer choices. As one of the witnesses, Ben Lieberman, quipped, “when it comes to showerheads with too much water pressure, most Americans know how to turn the knob down.” Read more here.
Austin Meets with Backlash the Over $1 Million Logo Redesign
The City of Austin (Texas) wasted $1.1 million in taxpayer funds on a rebranding project to replace its old city seal with a new logo that residents compared with a “homeless tent” and a “bad biotech’s company rebranding.” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) noted that the city could have prioritized emergency services and law enforcement over the redesign that’s “neither functional nor attractive.” Read more here.
