The 2021 Festivus Report Is Here
I like reporting these when he sends them out. They always have at least a few gems in them.
The previous year report is in my article here: Where Your Taxes Go: The Government Waste of 2020.
You can find the new 2021 Festivus Report here [pdf] or here:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight (ETSO) Subcommittee for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released his 2021 “Festivus” Report, totaling over $52,598,515,585 billion in government waste.
This marks Dr. Paul’s and the subcommittee’s seventh edition of the Festivus Report as he continues working to alert the American people to how their federal government uses their hard-earned money.
Sections are broken down into COVID-19 spending, Afghanistan, and Miscellaneous.
Here is this year’s breakdown:
The Waste of 2021
• Foreign countries use our aircraft for free for 4 years (DOD)..……………….…$773,000,000
• US bought Afghanistan planes that were later thrown away (DOD)…………….$549,000,000
• US-constructed buildings in Afghanistan left sitting unused (DOD) …………$2,400,000,000
• COVID relief grant for NYC to display art projects across the city………………$25,000,000
• Ineligible and duplicate PPP loans (SBA)…………………………………….$4,290,000,000
• Improper CARES Act unemployment insurance payments…………………$36,000,000,000
• Constructing border walls in the Middle East and North Africa (DOD)………..$250,000,000
• Free trips for Korean kids to visit D.C. (USAID)…………………………………… $150,000
• Grinding up ferrets to develop COVID and flu vaccines………………..………..$4,500,000
• Tax Credit incentivizing CA residents to uninstall fireplaces………………….….$2,100,000
• Translating books into the Georgian language (State)…………………………. ……$182,741
• Teaching French people about US culture (State)…………………………………..$200,000
• Giving irrigation systems to Afghan farmers left unused (USAID)…………..… $88,000,000
• Developing a film about dinosaurs to inspire middle schoolers (NSF)………..…. $2,500,000
• Pigeons playing slot machines (NIH)………………………………………………..$465,339
• Telling people to not burn their trash (USAID)………………………..………..$11,300,000
• Funding Green Energy programs in Africa (State)………………………………$179,000,000
• DC Metro paid Lyft to subsidize riders……………………………..……………….$28,005
• Attempting to replace an assault vehicle over 2 decades (DOD)……………. $3,400,000,000
• Funding the Wilson Center to put on parties for Congressmen…………………$14,000,000
• Study verified that hearing bad news decreases happiness levels (NIA)……………$1,300,000
• Planting trees in New York City………………………………………..……….$400,000,000
• Government paid for students who didn’t actually attend those schools……….…$2,100,000
• Kids crave junk food and gain weight if they’re exposed to it (NIDDK)….…………$352,000
• Getting high schoolers excited about being airplane pilots (FAA)…………………$5,000,000
• Fattening eels for human consumption (FDA)……………………….………….…..$337,500
• Social Security overpayments to beneficiaries in Fiscal Year 2019 (SSA)………$4,200,000,000TAXPAYER DOLLARS WASTED: $52,598,515,585.00
Below is my Top 5 favorites from the list.
They include $150,000 vacations for Koreans, pigeons playing slot machines, border walls being funded in other countries, and similar thrilling topics (right click -> open image in new tab for full view):
Remember that there are people out there that want to increase taxes on the middle to lower classes.
But don’t you ever doubt the usage of those taxes or recommend that they more efficiently use the money they already get. Just think, we could fund even more pigeons playing slot machines or further enhance the border walls in Jordan, you bigot.
Give it a full read, it is well worth it for the laughs.
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