Welcome to This Week in Waste, a series by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) that highlights how taxpayer dollars are being wasted in the federal, state, and local levels of government and efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. CAGW Names Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger February 2026 Porker of the Month Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger […]
How Employee Retention Credit Became a Target for Fraud
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Congress enacted several laws intended to provide relief for businesses and individual, including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The CARES Act included an Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) for businesses and tax-exempt organizations that paid wages […]
This Week In Waste – February 13, 2026
Welcome to This Week in Waste, a series by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) that highlights how taxpayer dollars are being wasted in the federal, state, and local levels of government and efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) Delivers Meaningful Tax Relief for Seniors In addition to […]
A Balanced Budget Amendment Is Essential
In 1995, the House of Representatives passed a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the Constitution, but it failed in the Senate by a single vote. The budget deficit in fiscal year (FY) 1995 was $164 billion. It is now $38.7 trillion. On February 11, 2026, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its budget outlook for […]
OBBBA Delivers Meaningful Tax Relief to Seniors
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which extended and enhanced the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, included other significant benefits to taxpayers, like fulfilling the promise President Trump made during the 2024 presidential election campaign to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. The OBBBA allows taxpayers aged 65 and over to deduct between […]
This Week In Waste – February 6, 2026
Welcome to This Week in Waste, a series by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) that highlights how taxpayer dollars are being wasted in the federal, state, and local levels of government and efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior. Taxpayers Win Big When the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Cannot File Their Taxes for Them […]
Congress Starts to Hold Minnesota Accountable for Fraud
Congress continues to untangle the Minnesota fraud scandal, which was first flagged in Congress by Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) in 2018 and then repeatedly brought up by whistleblowers. There have been three hearings on Capitol Hill since the beginning of the second session of the 119th Congress exposing how Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and […]
GAO Reports on Improving the Use of Shared Services
Saving taxpayer money is often achieved with common sense ideas that are used throughout the private sector, like sharing resources and services that are suitable for multiple applications The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) February 3, 2026, report described how federal shared services are being used and what can be done to improve their adoption. GAO […]
CAGW Joins Coalition Urging FDA to Stop Sale of Counterfeit Weight Loss Drugs
February 3, 2026 Marty Makary Commissioner of Food and Drugs U.S. Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 Dear Commissioner Makary, Thank you for your ongoing work to ensure the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals for all Americans. We are grateful for your diligent enforcement of President Trump’s vision to […]
Taxpayers Win Big When the IRS Cannot File Their Taxes for Them
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), which extended and enhanced the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, included other significant benefits to taxpayers, including the termination of a disastrous software program at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Citizens Against Government Waste raised the alarm for many years over the idea of allowing the IRS […]







