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Report: Govt wasted $114 million​ studying quails on cocaine, daydreaming, Prince Harry opera, other projects
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Report: Govt wasted $114 million​ studying quails on cocaine, daydreaming, Prince Harry opera, other projects

Problem continues as govt debt grows to $22 trillion

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has released his 2018 Festivus edition of "The Waste Report," an annual project that this year details $114 million worth of wasteful spending by the U.S. government.
The U.S. government currently has a total of about $22 trillion in debt, the report notes.

How did we get there?

According to Paul, part of the nation's debt problem relates to frivolous spending.

Some of the top ticket items include in his report include payments of: More than $76 million in stipends to soldiers in the Somali National Army, $650,000 to develop a drama series to air in Afghanistan, as much as $1 million to help support and develop the legislative process in Libya, and $18 million for tourism in Egypt.

The total $114 million that was spent on the projects could have paid for nearly 1,000 miles of paved roads, 800 Small Business Administration start-up loans, or more than two months of NASA Aeronautics.

How was the money spent?

Here is the report's list of how the government spent the money:

  • Provided stipends to soldiers in the Somali National Army (State): $76,321,379
  • Promoted the already overcrowded farmers market industry (USDA: $13,400,000
  • Taught Rwandan special interest groups and citizens how to lobby (State): $250,000
  • Used theater to combat homelessness and poverty (NEA):$15,000
  • Studied the sexual habits of quails on cocaine (NIH):$874,503
  • Funded a fictionalized opera about Prince Harry (NEA):$15,000
  • Made videos marketing U.S. colleges to Indian students (State): $75,000
  • Blew leaf blowers at lizards (NSF):$75,691
  • Supported "legislative priorities" in Libya (State): $1,000,000
  • Put on plays in Afghanistan (State): $200,000
  • Studied horse and donkey hunting on the ancient Anatolian Peninsula (NSF): $361,891
  • Supported Egyptian tourism (State): $18,000,000
  • Paid to bring British student social activists to the U.S. (State): $200,000
  • Encouraged people in the Republic of the Congo to use local resources (State): $35,000
  • Studied daydreaming (NIH):$2,488,153
  • Conceptualized games in India (State): $50,000
  • Paid for museum trips in Bosnia & Herzegovina for Bosnians & Herzegovinians (State): $50,000
  • Developed a Pashto-language TV drama series for Afghanistan (State): $653,014
  • Taught female entrepreneurs in India how to "vlog" (State): $50,000
  • Supported asset seizure programs in Paraguay (State): $400,000

Total Taxpayer dollars wasted: $114,514, 631.

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