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Federal Agencies Failed To Stop Nearly $186 Billion In Improper Payments
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The Federalist, Approved, National

Federal Agencies Failed To Stop Nearly $186 Billion In Improper Payments

By Christopher Jacobs | The Federalist Will the public sector ever come to grips with the scale of the problem? The past year-plus has seen a focus on fighting fraud within government programs seemingly unprecedented in recent history. Yet, like the mythical Sisyphus pushing his rock uphill or the many-headed ancient Hydra, each success is seemingly matched by yet another scandalous source of government corruption. Multiple reports in recent weeks show how reformers have their work cut out for them. On the federal level, improper payments continued to grow (although the most recent fiscal year examined included the final months of the Biden administration). Meanwhile, state Medicaid programs have not fully complied with a federal requirement designed to gua...
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Bipartisan Majority Opposes Animal Testing Yet Federal Funding Persists
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Washington Examiner, Approved, Commentary, National

Bipartisan Majority Opposes Animal Testing Yet Federal Funding Persists

By Meghan Miller | Commentary, Washington Examiner After years of court hearings, investigations, open rescues, and protests, the notorious beagle breeding and research facility Ridglan Farms has finally agreed to release 1,500 dogs to rescue organizations. This is certainly a win for animals, but the era of animal testing is far from over, particularly because the federal government enables it. While the Left and Right don’t align on much these days, over 85% of Republicans and Democrats do agree animal testing should be phased out. Notable voices across the political spectrum, including Lara Trump, Tomi Lahren, Dave Portnoy, Jennifer Welch, and groups such as Democracy Now! have spoken out against Ridglan, unequivocally demonstrating both that the public...
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New Federal Reforms Target Billions In State Fraud And Waste
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The Federalist, Approved, Commentary, National

New Federal Reforms Target Billions In State Fraud And Waste

By Christopher Jacobs | Commentary, The Federalist A recent congressional hearing showed the scope of the state waste, fraud, and abuse problem our nation faces. A recurring theme of public policy — one that leftists often ignore — is how people respond to incentives. If the federal government runs programs that give individuals carte blanche to steal, then some unscrupulous actors will exploit those weaknesses to do so. But those incentives go beyond individuals and also extend to the fight against waste, fraud, and abuse. In many cases, states have taken little action to crack down on fraud and waste within government programs because the federal government provides the bulk of the funding for said programs. If Washington gives states a blank check regardless of wh...
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Medicaid Cuts Raise Alarm for Colorado Hospitals Already on Thin Margins
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Medicaid Cuts Raise Alarm for Colorado Hospitals Already on Thin Margins

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics The $900 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade could threaten the viability of more than 400 hospitals nationally and at least nine in Colorado, a new report has found. The hospitals span the Front Range and rural communities, from Denver Health — the region’s primary safety-net provider — to smaller hospitals in places like Leadville, Lamar and Fort Morgan, reflecting the mounting pressure across both urban and rural health systems. “The cuts will be devastating to many low-income and disabled individuals who rely on Medicaid,” the report said. “Moreover, they will have knock-on effects on hospitals that disproportionately serve these communities, deepening the financial strain already plaguing rural and sa...
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Vance Leads Push To Crack Down On $250 Billion In Federal Fraud
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The Federalist, Approved, National

Vance Leads Push To Crack Down On $250 Billion In Federal Fraud

By Breccan F. Thies | The Federalist The task force has a wide range of activity that it considers fraud. The Trump administration’s efforts to attack government fraud are beginning in earnest, with a memo directing the first steps for the President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which the government says accounts for $250 billion in losses every year. “Every year, hardworking Americans pay taxes to fund a vast benefits system for citizens in need. These benefits programs are laudable and are a testament to the generosity of the American people,” the memo to task force members from Vice President J.D. Vance and Federal Trade Commission Chairman (FTC) Andrew N. Ferguson, who serves as the task force’s vice chair, states. “Unfortunately, these programs have b...
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America’s debt reality: Interest payments now eating 15.5% of federal revenue
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ContraPloy, Approved, Commentary, National

America’s debt reality: Interest payments now eating 15.5% of federal revenue

By Jim Swift | Commentary, ContraPloy (Various & Sundry section) The federal debt is big. But how big is too big? At time of this writing, it’s $38 trillion and change. Is that too much? Who knows? The only practical way to understand it is to compare it with another number. A popular approach is to compare it with Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These days, the national debt is around 119% of GDP. That seems bad. Actually it’s worse, because it’s comparing the money the federal government borrowed with the goods and services everyone produces. If we compare the national debt to just the revenue the federal government collects, it’s more like 600%. But is it too much? Who knows? Another approach is to compare it with the population of the country, which is around 343 million sou...
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GOP Lawmakers Question Cost and Strategy Behind $200 Billion Pentagon Request
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Responsible Statecraft, Approved, National

GOP Lawmakers Question Cost and Strategy Behind $200 Billion Pentagon Request

By Jack Hunter | Responsible Statecraft Some who would otherwise support the war say they have no idea what the huge supplemental budget request is supposed to pay for The Pentagon is asking Congress for another $200 billion for the war on Iran, which is almost a quarter of the annual U.S. defense budget. Democrats are largely, and predictably, against it. But what about Republicans? While many say they support the president’s war (and they certainly do not want to allow a vote on it), Republicans in varying degrees embraced the mantle of fiscal conservatism. This supplemental request would be in addition to the more than a trillion approved late last year, including a $150 billion add-on, money that the Pentagon is ...
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$16 trillion question: Was the climate agenda history’s biggest financial misfire?
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The Epoch Times, Approved, Commentary, National

$16 trillion question: Was the climate agenda history’s biggest financial misfire?

By Stephen Moore | Commentary, The Epoch Times Environmental scholar Bjorn Lomborg recently calculated that across the globe, governments have spent at least $16 trillion feeding the climate change industrial complex. And for what? Arguably, not a single life has been or will be saved by this shameful and colossal misallocation of human resources. The war on safe and abundant fossil fuels has cost countless lives in poor countries and made those countries poorer by blocking affordable energy. Since the global warming crusade started some 30 years ago, the temperature of the planet has not been altered by one-tenth of a degree—as even the alarmists will admit. In other words, $16 trillion has been spent—a lot of people got very, very rich off the governmen...
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Government Shutdown Ends but Immigration Showdown Moves to Center Stage
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The Daily Signal, Approved, National

Government Shutdown Ends but Immigration Showdown Moves to Center Stage

By George Caldwell | The Daily Signal The House of Representatives passed a Senate-modified spending package to reopen the government by a 217-214 margin Tuesday. The measure passed with 42 defections: 21 Republicans voting against it and 21 Democrats voting for it. Hardline conservatives such as Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Keith Self, R-Texas, voted against the package. There were also Democrat defectors, such as swing district Reps. Don Davis of North Carolina and Henry Cuellar of Texas. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the chamber’s top Democrat appropriator, voted for the bill. Democrat leaders, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, voted against the package. Beyond...
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Signals GOP Will Go It Alone To Pass Funding Bills
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Washington Examiner, Approved, National

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Signals GOP Will Go It Alone To Pass Funding Bills

By Zach LaChance | Washington Examiner House Republicans will attempt to pass the remaining spending bills and the two-week extension funding the Department of Homeland Security along party lines to end the partial government shutdown, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) revealed on Sunday night. Luna posted on X that GOP leaders would no longer be moving the legislation to the floor under suspension, which would fast-track passage of it but requires a two-thirds majority and, therefore, Democratic support. Instead, they will hope for a united caucus to pass the bills and fully reopen the government, a tricky prospect given Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) razor-thin majority. Johnson had already hinted at the change in strategy in multiple Su...
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