Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Wednesday on Newsmax blasted what he described as rampant federal waste and mismanagement, highlighting millions of dollars in questionable government spending as part of his annual oversight report known as "Federal Fumbles."
Lankford told "Wake Up America" that the report details how taxpayer money continues to be squandered on projects with little or no public benefit, even as Americans face rising costs and record national debt.
"We do not want our money just poured down a hole," Lankford said, arguing that Washington has lost touch with the priorities of everyday taxpayers.
He added, "We lay this out every single year. It's an enormous federal government."
"There's always need for oversight to be able to continue to be able to look around. And so we try to identify where there is a problem, [and] how you actually solve it."
Among the examples cited in the report were $150,000 spent studying the effects of COVID-19 and climate change on herring in Alaska, hundreds of millions of dollars allocated for transgender research involving mice, rats, and monkeys, and federal research grants sent overseas, including animal studies conducted in China.
"Why are we sending our money there?" Lankford asked.
Lankford said the annual report is intended to bring transparency to a sprawling federal bureaucracy that often escapes scrutiny due to its size and complexity. Lankford emphasized that oversight remains necessary regardless of which party controls the White House or Congress.
Lankford also pointed to what he cited as the costliest example of government failure: the most recent federal shutdown, which lasted 43 days and cost an estimated $85 billion. He argued that shutdowns do not save money but instead inflict unnecessary costs on taxpayers while disrupting essential services.
Lankford said his office regularly works to ensure agencies flagged in the report address the issues raised, noting that public exposure alone can sometimes force change.
He pointed out that "the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs], for instance, was still sending out medical records to veterans on CD-ROM when they asked for their medical records."
"And of course, veterans would say, 'I don't have a CD-ROM; who has a CD-ROM in their computer anymore?'"
"So we work with the administration and VA to be able to change that. And so no longer are we just sending out CD-ROMs that no one can even open anymore," he explained.
Lankford has released versions of the report annually as part of his role on Senate oversight committees, framing it as a tool to pressure agencies and lawmakers alike to justify federal spending and eliminate waste.
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Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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