Rand Paul Releases Annual Festivus Report on $1 Trillion in Government Waste: Millions Spent on Ice-Skating Drag Queens, Ukrainian Influencers, Lonely Coked Up Rats…and More!

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) released his annual Festivus report on the more than $1 trillion in government waste, including millions spent on ice-skating drag queens, a Sesame Street show in Iraq, Ukrainian influencers and more.

“This year, I am highlighting a whopping $1,008,313,329,626.12. That’s over $1 trillion in government waste, including things like ice-skating drag queens, a $12 Million Las Vegas pickleball complex, $4,840,082 on Ukrainian influencers, and more! No matter how much money the government has wasted, politicians keep demanding even more,” Rand Paul said.

“As always, taking the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but I’ve been fighting government waste like DOGE before DOGE was cool. And I will continue my fight against government waste this holiday season.

Here’s the full list of projects:

Ghost Towns on the Government’s Dime: The federal government spent $10 billion on maintaining, leasing, and furnishing almost entirely empty buildings
A Pandemic Plunder: A Florida man stole $8 million in COVID-19 Relief funds to buy an island and more
Your Tax Dollars at Play: The Department of the Interior (DOI) spent $12 Million on a Las Vegas Pickleball Complex
Taxpayers Fund a Disinformation Index: The Department of State (DOS) wasted $330,000 to fund censorship of nonliberal and conservative media
Snack Attack: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a $2 million grant to study kids looking at Facebook ads about food
Taxpayers Dollars Down the Drain in Nevis: The Department of State (DOS) spent $108,272 on a non-functioning hotel
Direct File Fail: Congress spent $15 million to turn the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) into an unconstitutional force to prepare, file, and audit your hard-earned money
Oh Rats! HHS Spends Nearly Half a Million on a Depressing Study of Lonely, Starved Rats: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent $419,470 to determine if lonely rats seek cocaine more than happy rats
Hold on to Your Steering Wheels: The Department of Energy (DOE) spent $15.5 billion to push Americans toward electric vehicles they don’t want
The Influencer Effect Hits Foreign Policy: The Department of State (DOS) squandered $4,840,082 on influencers
Cirque du Taxpayer: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) spent $365,000 to promote circuses in city parks
Girls Just Wanna Have Funds: The Department of State (DOS) spent $3 Million for ‘Girl-Centered Climate Action’ in Brazil
A State Department Production Featuring Your Hard-Earned Money: The Department of State (DOS) paid the Royal
Film Commission $873,584 for movies in Jordan
Goalposts and Grandstanding: The Department of State (DOS) spent $345,434 on football engagement to counter terrorism
When Bailouts Go Bust: The United States Department of the Treasury (USDT) granted a failed trucking company a $700 million pandemic-era loan
Flocking Together! DEI Takes Flight: The National Science Foundation (NSF) spent $288,563 to ensure bird watching groups have safe spaces aka “Affinity Groups”
Interest-ingly Wasteful: Americans are paying $892 billion in fiscal year 2024 on the interest on Uncle Sam’s Credit Card
Hashtag to Handouts in Ethiopia: The Department of State (DOS) spent $500,000 to expand the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia’s #USInvestsInEthiopians social media campaign to a larger national public relations campaign
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, There Goes Your Tax Dollars Too! The federal government spent $7,026,689 on various magical projects
Because Who Needs a Secure U.S. Border, Anyway? The Department of State (DOS) spent $2.1 million for Paraguayan Border Security
The High Price of High Line Art: Since 2015 the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded $385,000 for art
displays on the High Line
Money to Manure: The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spending $20 million on the Fertilize Right Initiative to advance
fertilizer use in Pakistan, Vietnam, Colombia, and Brazil
Fauci Funded Feline COVID Experiments: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) spent $2.24 million on COVID experiments
Going Viral for World Peace: The Department of State (DOS) is spending $123,066 to teach Kyrgyzstan youth how to go viral
Spinning Kittens for Science and Motion Sickness: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent $1,513,299 on a study
of waste and cruelty
Cat-Stipated?: The Department of Defense (DOD) spent $10,851,439 on Orwellian cat experiments
More Ducking Waste in Mexico: The Department of the Interior (DOI) spent $720,479 on wetland conservation projects for
ducks in Mexico
Big Bird Goes to Baghdad: The Agency for International Development (USAID) is spending $20 million on “Ahlan Simsim”
a new Sesame Street show in Iraq
News We Wish Was Fake: The Department of State (DOS) sent $253,653 to Bosnia to fight “misinformation”
Abandon Ship: The Navy Sinks Billions on LCS Vessels: The U.S. Navy is set to waste almost $90 billion on ineffective Navy vessels
Dragging Tax Dollars onto Thin Ice: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded the Bearded Ladies Cabaret a $10,000 grant to support a cabaret show on ice skates focused on climate change
Taxpayers Get Spun: The Department of State (DOS) allocated $32,596.12 for breakdancing