Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Friday released his annual Christmas "Festivus" report for the ninth year in a row, outlining $900 billion in government waste.
Among notable instances, the National Institutes of Health allocated funds to study Russian cats on treadmills; photos of Barbies were utilized as identification to obtain COVID relief funds; the Department of Defense lost $169 million of outdoor-stored military gear; $6 million went towards tourism in Egypt by the United States Agency for International Development; and the Small Business Administration provided over $200 million to "struggling" music artists such as Post Malone, Chris Brown and Lil Wayne.
Up from $30 trillion in debt in 2022, this year's debt amounts to $34 trillion, the report also highlights.
"Who’s to blame for our crushing level of debt? Everybody," Paul wrote in the report. "This year, members of both parties in Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling, which empowered the government to borrow an unlimited amount of money until 2024. As Congress spends to reward its favored industries and pet projects, the American taxpayers are forced to pay the price through record-high inflation and crippling interest rates."
He added: "The same big spenders teamed up, yet again, to continue sending Americans’ hard-earned money to foreign countries and funding endless wars, all while ignoring our porous southern border."
Rand's report highlighted government spending that included accepting Barbie doll photos…
Read more@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Considering the various unusual expenditures listed in the report, how would you prioritize government spending if given the authority?
@9LK9W9T2wks2W
@9LKB6G62wks2W
Put more money towards your own country and not other countries that may need it.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
1913 is the year of Tyranny for the common taxpayer.
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." Jefferson
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Umm, is this not fraud, waste, and abuse? Why aren't people going to jail for this?
@ZealousLardLibertarian2wks2W
The first one is definitely fraud but the other three are just foreign aid and research. We spend a lot on foreign aid because we ask a lot of favors from countries like Egypt. You can always make research sound stupid by describing what’s being studied but not why.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Can spending $6 million to boost tourism in another country be justified when there are pressing needs at home?
We didn't elect Congress to raise more taxes , we can't do anything about it . We elected liars and thieves to run our country and now we can't get rid of them bc somehow they keep getting re elected and either they are compromised after or criminals to begin with, imo
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
This is why the States need to nullify every budget Congress passes that doesn't take us back down to pre-Civil-War levels.
The spending needs to stop because it is raping the taxpayer figuratively speaking ofc but not far off the mark. We're being financially abused almost as badly as we can be the giant sucking sound (both domestically and intl) until the game of musical chairs has to come to an end
@WornoutPumaUnity2wks2W
Don't try to get rid of income tax. Will never happen. Instead change the way it is collected. Allow individuals to keep their entire paycheck and force them to have to send the government the money. That's when people will wake up and demand tax reform.
Not gonna lie, I’m not mad about methed out monkies. That’s a tv show I wanna watch.
@DiplomatPiePatriot2wks2W
Up from $30 trillion in debt in 2022, this year's debt amounts to $34 trillion, the report also highlights.
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