Rand Paul Festivus report cites $900B in wasteful government spending

Sen. Rand Paul (R-WI) offered his annual Festivus report on wasteful government spending, which revealed that $900 billion in taxpayer money went to waste in 2023.

The report said:

Some of the highlights include the National Institutes of Health spending a portion of a $2.7 million grant to study Russian cats walking on a treadmill and Barbies used as proof of ID for receiving COVID Paycheck Protection Program funds. The Department of Defense ruined over $169 million worth of military equipment by leaving it outside, the United States Agency for International Development spent $6 million to promote tourism in Egypt, and the Small Business Administration gave ‘struggling’ music artists like Post Malone, Chris Brown, and Lil Wayne over $200 million.

The national debt increased almost $4 billion during the year and is nearing $34 trillion. Payments on the national debt increased $184 billion since last year.

Paul said both parties were to blame for increases in spending and both voted for debt ceiling increases.

“As always, taking the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but, as I’ve done in years past, I will continue my fight against government waste this holiday season,” Paul said.