Paul Ryan, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, closes debate on the House Concurrent Resolution on the Budget on March 13, 2008

A Tribute to Senator E. William Proxmire

In the 1970's, Wisconsin Senator E. William Proxmire launched the "Golden Fleece Award," which highlighted some of the most outrageous examples of wasteful spending by the Federal Government. His efforts provided an immense service to taxpayers simply by identifying government waste, fraud, and abuse. Because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, House Budget Committee Republicans have launched "The Budget Boondoggle Award" in honor of the late Senator Proxmire.

Launching of the Boondoggle Award: Click Here

Throughout the coming year, the Members will continue to expose the worst examples of waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers' dollars. If you have any examples of government waste, please email us your suggestions...

Multi-Millionaire Farmers Reap What the Taxpayer Sows

December 11, 2008

More than 2,700 farmers with incomes exceeding $2.5 million a year have received farm subsidy payments from the Federal Government, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office [GAO]. It is another example of wasteful government spending – a kind of reverse-Robin-Hood transfer payment – earning the latest Budget Boondoggle Award.

Among the highlights of the GAO report:

• In 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] handed over $49 million taxpayer dollars to 2,702 farmers with adjusted gross incomes of more than $2.5 million.



• The USDA actually identified 87 of these individuals as ineligible for payments – but paid them anyway!



• Nine of the subsidy recipients did not even reside in the U.S. Payments were mailed to addresses in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, among other locations.



• One founder and former executive of an insurance company received more than $300,000 in payments over a 4-year period. An executive with a technology company received nearly $1 million in payments over the same time.



• An individual with an ownership interest in a professional sports team received more than $200,000 in payments over a 4-year period.

• Seventy-eight percent of the ineligible recipients lived in or near metropolitan areas – hardly the rugged agrarians of farm program mythology – continuing the USDA’s trend of paying urban farmers instead of those who actually toil on the soil.

Thus, while “wealthy” people earning $250,000 a year may worry about a forthcoming tax hike, they can make up for it by taking up farming. That way they can legally collect taxpayer-funded subsidies while earning up to $2.5 million a year – and even more if the USDA fails to fix this persistent boondoggle.

Full Boondoggle Award Summary

Throwing Good Money After Chads

November 20, 2008

Having spent billions of Federal dollars to “modernize” elections, State and local officials are finding much of that spending is actually creating the very problems it was intended to solve. Mechanical troubles, fraud, and voter confusion again this year plagued the taxpayer-funded electronic voting machines installed to replace the traditional manual systems. Now many States are planning to scrap the new equipment – which the Federal Government strongly encouraged them to buy – wasting those billions of taxpayers’ dollars. Here’s how it happened:

• In 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act [HAVA], intended to address the serious problems that occurred at polling places during the 2000 Presidential election.



• Congress provided States with $3.2 billion to implement the act. Of that amount, $325 million was explicitly earmarked to States to replace punch cards and lever voting machines with new electronic equipment, but much of the other money was also used for this purpose. Estimates indicate that approximately $1.3 billion in Federal funding has been used to purchase new voting machines and improve voting systems.



• Many States have found the money Congress rushed out the door was spent on machines that could be susceptible to fraud and are extremely expensive to maintain. In addition, many election participants had trouble learning how to use the new “voter-friendly” machines. Hence, some States are abandoning the new systems and going back to the paper ballots that made the phrase “hanging chad” a household term.



• For example, after spending at least $26 million in Federal money to convert to an electronic voting system – with a likelihood of spending millions more – the State of Maryland plans to scrap its new machines and replace them with paper ballots in 2010.



• In addition, at least parts of California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, and Virginia, among others, have already discarded their electronic systems or are considering similar initiatives.

This sad tale serves as a stark reminder of what can happen when the Federal Government throws money at a problem and imposes a “one-size-fits-all solution” on the States without fully considering the implications of its plan. If a democratic government can’t figure out how to run an election, one of its basic functions, how can it be expected to address many of the much more complicated issues facing the country? This colossal waste of Federal dollars to “Help America Vote” has earned the latest Budget Boondoggle Award.

Full Boondoggle Award Summary

Subsidies for Manhattan 'Farmers'

April 2 , 2008

The lastest winner of the Budget Boondoggle Award is U.S. farm policy - for handing out subsidies to hundreds of wealthy New York residents.

In 2005 - the most recent year for which complete data is available - more than 300 well-heeled "farmers" on the distinctly rural island of Manhattan received subsidies from the Department of Agriculture, which notes this largesse on its website. Among the recipients were: at least two billionaires; a former CEO of Seagrams; and numberous Wall Street power brokers.

Other Examples: a member of the prestigious Rockefeller family has received $228,000 in subsidies in the past 5 years; and a New York venture capitalist received nearly $75,000 in 2005.

Subsidies included counter-cyclical payments, conservation payments, loan deficiency payments, and direct payments - which are principally intended to help farmers who need help. But because the payments are poorly targeted, they also find their way to the wealthy urban dwellers - earning this Budget Boondoggle Award.

With an embarrassingly long list of qualified Boondoggle candidates, it was impossible to settle on a single "winner." Instead, a tie was awarded, along with an honorable mention.

Full Boondoggle Award Summary

Announcing the 2007 Budget Boondoggle Award 'Winners'

January 31 , 2008

Despite claims to the contrary, earmarks continued to proliferate last year, with more than 11,000 littered throughout the federal spending bills - many of which were snuck in at the last minute, dodging any kind of congressional scrutiny. These include earmarks for ferryboats, bike trails, sidewalks, museum exhibits, and countless other projects the federal government has no business funding.

With an embarrassingly long list of qualified Boondoggle candidates, it was impossible to settle on a single "winner." Instead, a tie was awarded, along with an honorable mention.

Full Boondoggle Award Summary

Winner #1: The "Ferry to Nowhere"

Winner #2: The NDIC 'Jobs Program'

Honorable Mention: The Bloated Omnibus  

Update on efforts to fight waste at the CDC

November 6 , 2007

Although the Conference Report on the Labor-HHS-Education/Military Construction Appropriation bill spends $13.8 billion more than requested by the President, it includes commonsense language to help cut down on waste at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The provisions, which are based on an amendment passed by Ranking Member Ryan during House consideration of the Labor - HHS Education bill, would prevent the CDC from wasting money on mood lights, zero-gravity chairs or saunas for its employees instead of fulfilling its core mission to fight cancer and other life-threatening diseases. In addition, these provisions would discontinue the CDC's underused and overpriced Ombudsman program. These abuses were some of many highlighted by Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma earlier this year, and were also included in an amendment that Senator Coburn passed during Senate consideration of this bill. Unfortunately, the bill did not include a third provision included in the House bill that would have eliminated the CDC's $17 million Hollywood Liaison program.

For more information on Rep. Ryan's efforts to fight waste at the CDC, click here:

Ryan CDC Amendment Summary 

Launching the Boondoggle Award

October 16, 2007

It is already two weeks into the new fiscal year and the Democratic Majority has failed to send the President even ONE regular appropriations bill. We are headed for a fiscal train wreck. The Democratic Majority claims that they cannot do with a penny less than the $21 billion dollars in additional spending that they are asking for over the increases proposed by the President. In fact, Speaker Pelosi has claimed that the Democrats' have already made a concerted effort to eliminate wasteful spending - before resorting to raising taxes. We think there is a little left to do.

Today the House Budget Committee Republicans have initiated an effort to highlight some of the worst examples of waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government with the creation of the "Budget Boondoggle Award." The first round of nominees includes an example of wasteful spending in each of the appropriation bills. This includes examples of duplicative and ineffective programs, examples of a lack of oversight, and examples of egregious earmarks. By pointing out all of this waste, we are not implying the Republicans were completely innocent of this type of behavior when we were in the Majority. Far too often, we failed to do enough to cut down on wasteful spending. But the time for excuses is over. Both Democrats and Republicans should engage in a concerted effort to fight waste, fraud, and abuse. Instead of claiming that it is impossible to get by with one dollar less than the full increase in spending the Majority is demanding, it would be much more constructive for the parties to work together to make sure that the people's money in not being squandered, but is instead being spent on our nations highest priorities.

Document: - The Budget Boondoggle Award

Graphs and Charts : - The Budget Boondoggle Award Document

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