This Week In Waste – September 5, 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.

President Trump cuts spending with a pocket rescission

As part of his ongoing efforts to reduce wasteful spending, President Trump exercised his first “pocket rescission” to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid and international organization funding.  The cuts are a good follow up to the $9 billion in rescissions that were included in the 2025 Rescissions Act and are supported by a coalition of 100 conservative organizations, including Citizens Against Government Waste.  Read more here.

A $5 trillion reduction in costs is projected as deregulation accelerates

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) projects President Trump’s sweeping deregulation agenda will save taxpayers and businesses up to $5 trillion.  According to OMB, more than 200 changes in regulations and guidance will spur development, reduce government overreach, and save money for taxpayers.  Read more here.

The F-35 program office gave incentive bonuses to Lockheed Martin despite delays

The Department of Defense continues to reward Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney with hundreds of millions of dollars in incentive fees for the F-35 program, despite chronic delays and unfinished upgrades.  This continued misuse of taxpayer dollars underscores the urgent need for stronger contractor accountability and performance-based oversight.  Read more here.

Appeals court backs EPA action terminating billions in “green bank” grants

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had the authority to review $16 billion in questionable “green bank” grants, reinforcing oversight of large-scale spending.  According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the green bank “was a clear-cut case of waste and abuse.”  Read more here.

FCC Chairman Carr wants to eliminate FCC funding for off-campus Wi-Fi

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr’s proposal to roll back off-campus E-Rate subsidies that were adopted during the Biden administration would eliminate a program that goes beyond its authority to provide Wi-Fi only in schools and libraries.  Read more here.