Can you guess which project was funded with your tax dollars?
A) $98,000 outhouse on an Alaskan trail
B) $1 million bus stop with heated pavement
C) Caribbean vacation for bureaucrats staying at a swanky resort
D) All of the above
If you answered “all of the above,” you’ve either read Senator Tom Coburn’s Wastebook or you’ve grown accustomed to reading headlines about the weird and wacky ways members of Congress spend your money.
The video below chronicles 10 projects that received federal funding in 2013:
With an $1.012 trillion spending bill likely to make its debut any day in Congress, budget hawks are already gearing up for another round of outrageous spending examples.
Heritage’s Romina Boccia chronicled just a few of the things taxpayers can expect to see when lawmakers release the bill:
- More spending by exploiting budget gimmicks.
- Funding for corporate welfare programs.
- Continued funding for Obamacare.
With such a small window between the bill’s introduction and when it’s brought the floor for a vote, lawmakers themselves could struggled to find the time to read it. The spending package will consolidate 12 congressional spending bills, meaning it could be thousands of pages long with as little as three days before a vote.
“Omnibus spending bills, given their size and reach, are too tempting a vehicle for lawmakers to resist inserting pork and harmful policy provisions,” Boccia said. “If there were more time, such red flags would be revealed, increasing opposition to the effort—which is why appropriators are expected to provide as little time as possible between introducing the bill and the final vote.”
The Foundry will post the bill in its entirety upon release, followed by an ongoing analysis by Heritage Foundation experts.
