On December 23, 2020, Senator Rand Paul released the 2020 Festivus Report highlighting almost $900 billion dollars of wasteful government spending. The report comes ahead of the end of Congress’ 2020 fiscal year on December 31st.
The Festivus Report is an annual tradition started by Senator Paul where he examines wasteful government spending and makes suggestions to the taxpayers and Congress for how money could be saved in the future. This is the third installment of the series and highlights wasteful spending from multiple departments and agencies to include defense, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA, and many more.
Some of the examples of waste described in the report include $1.2 Million spent to study the health of Icelandic sheep, $17 Million spent to study the effects of Massai Predators, and $90 Million spent on a wind energy program in Hawaii that never produced any energy.
The report also points out recurring issues like the Department of Defense purchasing unused tanks, aircraft, and other equipment. In 2020 alone, the Department of Defense spent over $6 billion dollars on such equipment.
Senator Paul noted, “My Festivus Report reveals more than $900 billion dollars of wasteful government spending. From porn studies to Iran deal bribes, this type of wasteful spending needs to be reigned in.” The Senator also pointed out that even in these high fiscal times, there is no excuse for Congress to not hold itself accountable and to ensure money is spent responsibly.
The report is a reminder to taxpayers and Congress that cutting wasteful spending should always be a priority. This annual tradition from Senator Paul is an important reminder that all public servants should be held responsible for their spending and that money should be used in an effective and efficient manner.
