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The U.S. government wastes billions of taxpayer dollars every year.

Improper payments, which refer to payments that are made incorrectly by the government, cost the U.S. $247 billion in 2022, according to the Government Accountability Office. The U.S. government has lost almost $2.4 trillion in simple payment errors over the last two decades, by GAO estimates.

"The government has just lost, as if you dropped it on the sidewalk, trillions and trillions of dollars over the last few decades," said Richard Stern, a budget and spending expert from the Heritage Foundation. "That is money that was stolen from hardworking Americans to just simply get wasted."

But that's not all. Oversight reports from nonprofits and lawmakers like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., claim billions more are being wasted every year from spending $1.7 billion maintaining empty government buildings to accidentally investing $28 million on forest camouflage uniforms to be used in the deserts of Afghanistan.

Duplicated programs are another cause for concern.

"The Government Accountability Office every year issues a report on duplicative and overlapping programs and every year they find more and more of these programs," according to Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

The problems mainly stem from the way our government tries to solve an issue, according to critics.

"In the private sector, if somebody is doing something, they see what they're trying to do or sell and then determine how to do it and how much it will cost," Schatz said. "In the federal government, everything is 'Go spend more money' and if that doesn't work, it's 'Go spend more money.'"

It's the job of the GAO to audit and report any wasteful spending by the federal government.But experts argue that it doesn't influence policy changes in the way that it could or should.

"I think they have enough power, but I don't think they have enough manpower or resources," said Elaine Karmarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Nevertheless, wasteful spending by the government can have painful consequences to the health of the economy, according to watchdog groups.

"As the government spends it runs up a deficit," Stern said. "What happens is, it's sucking all the oxygen out of the room. It's destroying investment. It's mortgaging our futures. It's slowing our growth. Today, the inflation you're seeing is a large result of that."

Watch the video to find out more about why taxes feel so high in the U.S. and why so much taxpayer money gets wasted.

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The federal government wastes at least $247 billion in taxpayer money each year. Here's how - CNBC

Former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe told Congress on Tuesday that Anthony Faucis testimony under oath on gain-of-function research did not comport with the available intelligence at the time.

Appearing before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Ratcliffe was asked by Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R., N.Y.) about Faucis sworn testimony before the Senate in November of 2021. In that hearing, Fauci told Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) that the NIH did not fund gain-of-function research. Malliotakis said this was despite the fact Fauci had been told in an email in January of 2021 that NIH had a monetary relationship with the Wuhan Institute through the EcoHealth Alliance. Malliotakis then asked Ratcliffe if he thought Fauci had lied under oath.

Some of Dr. Faucis testimony is inconsistent with some of the intelligence that we have that remains classified as well as inconsistent with some information that is publicly available, replied Ratcliffe.

Gain-of-function research is a controversial practice that involves making pathogens more deadly or transmissible in order to better understand current or future pandemics, and thus be able to respond faster. Funding for the research was halted in 2014 during the Obama administration due to concerns about the risks, but the NIH lifted that funding pausethree years later after the creation of an oversight framework. In 2021, it emerged that U.S. taxpayershad funded such research into bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through an intermediary that is, EcoHealth Alliance.

Fauci insisted during multiple appearances before Congress that the research conducted in Wuhan did not match the NIHs definition of gain-of-function, contradicting independent experts such as Dr. Richard Ebright, who have said the experiments being performed clearly qualify as gain-of-function research.

The Biden administration continues to support the practice despite widespread concerns in the scientific community that it may have contributed to the outbreak of Covid. National security council communications coordinator John Kirby explained in February that [the president] believes that [the research is] important to help prevent future pandemics.

Story continues

Gain-of-function research continues to be probed by Congress due to the competing theories of the origins of the coronavirus: the lab-leak hypothesis and the natural-transmission hypothesis. The Energy Department joined the FBI in preferring the lab-leak hypothesis in February. Other agencies disagree.

Ratcliffe weighed into the debate on Tuesday.

My informed assessment as a person with as much access as anyone during the initial year of the pandemic has been and continues to be that a lab leak is the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, by science, and by common sense, he explained.

From a view inside the [intelligence community] if our intelligence and evidence supporting a lab-leak theory was placed side by side with our intelligence and evidence pointing to a natural-origins or spillover theory, the lab leak side of the ledger would be long, convincing, and overwhelming, while the spillover side would be nearly empty and tenuous, said Ratcliffe. Were this a trial, a preponderance of circumstantial evidence compiled by our intelligence would compel a jury finding of guilty to an accusation that coronavirus research in the Wuhan labs was responsible for the pandemic.

David Feith, former deputy assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs, who appeared alongside Ratcliffe Tuesday, revealed that some of his colleagues in the State Department warned against gain-of-function research early in the pandemic.

By late 2020, colleagues flagged new U.S government information that underscored the plausibility of a lab leak, Feith explained. [That] Wuhan lab had a long record of secrecy about its coronavirus research and undisclosed ties with Chinas military. Working with ODNI, we at State worked to make this information public. Some of our colleagues warned us not to. They said not to highlight Chinas gain-of-function research lest we draw attention to the U.S. governments own role in such research and open a Pandoras box.

Feith also offered his view on various agencies in the intelligence community staking a position between the two competing theories.

We dont need a running intelligence community straw poll as much as we need a transparent whole-of-government campaign to recognize the gravely high stakes of the lab leak possibility and pursue policy reforms, Feith explained.

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Fauci Testimony on Gain-of-Function Research Was Inconsistent with Existing Intel, Says Ex-Director of National Intelligence - Yahoo News

Over the past three years, we reporters learned there were certain things that we werent allowed to say. Not long ago, in fact, my new video may have been censored.

One dangerous idea, we were told, was that COVID might have been created in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. That seems very possible, since the institute studied coronaviruses in bats, and Americas National Institutes of Health gave the lab money to perform gain-of-function research, experiments where scientists try to make a virus more virulent or transmissible.

A Washington Post writer worried the lab leak theory could increase racist attacks against Chinese people and further fuel anti-Asian hate.

The establishment media fell in line, insisting that COVID most likely came from a local market that sold animals.

Left-wing TV mocked the lab theory as a fringe idea that came from a certain corner of the right.

This coronavirus was not manmade, said MSNBCs Chris Hayes, confidently, That is not a possibility.

Not even a possibility?

Debate about it, we were told, posed a new threat: misinformation.

Facebook banned the lab leak theory, calling it a false claim.

But now the U.S. Department of Energy says the pandemic most likely came from a lab leak. FBI director Christopher Wray now says the origin of the pandemic is most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan.

For two years, the most likely explanation was censored.

Do the media gatekeepers apologize for their censorship? No.

The closest to an admission of guilt I found was from Chris Hayes, who eventually said, Theres a kernel of truth to the idea that some folks were too quick to shut down the lab leak theory.

There was more than a kernel of truth. Again and again, politically correct media silenced people who spoke the truth.

Facebook throttled the reach of science journalist John Tierneys articles simply because he reported, accurately, that requiring masks can hurt kids.

YouTube suspended Sen. Rand Paul for saying, Most of the masks you get over the counter dont work.

But what they said is true. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say cloth masks are not very effective. And now a big study failed to find evidence that wearing even good masks stops the spread of viruses.

Probably the most blatant censorship was Twitters shutting down the New York Posts reporting about Hunter Bidens laptop.

Twitter wouldnt let users decide for themselves. The company just called the Posts report potentially harmful and blocked users from sharing it.

Facebook, as usual, was sneakier, suppressing the story instead of banning it outright. Thats what they do to my climate change reporting.

Today, the media admit the Post story is true. But they dont admit they were wrong. Now they just say things like, Nobody cares about Hunter Bidens laptop.

Bad as the media are, whats worse is that government wanted to censor.

Sen. Mark Warner complained, Weve done nothing in terms of content regulation!

Fortunately, his colleagues were not as irresponsible as he; no censorship legislation passed. But government did apply lots of pressure.

The White House asked Facebook to kill what they called disinformation, even urging them to censor private WhatsApp messages.

Now that Elon Musk owns Twitter and opened up the companys internal files, we know that censorhip requests came from every corner of government, as journalist Matt Taibbi put it.

Even individual politicians tried to censor.

Maine Sen. Angus Kings staff complained about Twitter accounts that they considered anti-King. Rep. Adam Schiffs office asked Twitter to suppress search results.

Fortunately, Twitter refused.

But the sad truth is that lots of government agencies and media tyrants want to limit what you read and hear.

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Not allowed to say that | News, Sports, Jobs - The Inter-Mountain

April 11, 2023 FEDmanager

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

The Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs has advanced a slew of legislation that could impact the federal workforce.

The Saving Money and Accelerating Repairs Through (SMART) Leasing Act (S.211)

This legislation would create a program that allows federal agencies to lease underutilized and vacant properties to the private sector. The Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) must approve the leases. The rent payments would be used to fund capital project and facilities maintenance.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI), Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) authored the legislation.

Federal Agency Performance Act of 2023 (S.709)

The legislation aims to improve accountability and transparency among federal agencies by requiring regular reviews of an agencys performance goals and then making more of that data public. It updates the Government Performance and Budget Act.

Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) authored the bill.

Increased transparency and accountability are key when it comes to improving the performance of federal agencies for taxpayers, said Senator Braun.

Clear and Concise Content Act (S.717)

The bill would ensure that information published by the government, including guidance, instructions, and other key information, is written in plain language. It also updates the Plain Writing Act of 2010 to expand the types of information that agencies must publish in plain writing.

Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator James Lankford (R-OK) authored the legislation.

Duplication Scoring Act of 2023 (S.780)

This legislation, sponsored by Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Rand Paul (R-KY), aims to prevent duplicate programs in the federal government. The bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to analyze legislation reported by any congressional committee, and then report if the legislation would create a duplicate program, office, or initiative, with the goal of cutting down on wasteful spending.

Guidance Clarity Act of 2023 (S.108)

The legislation would require federal agencies to include a guidance clarity statement, which states that the guidance is not issued in accordance with the rulemaking process and therefore is not legally binding.

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) sponsored the bill.

Federal Data Center Enhancement Act (S.933)

The legislation instructs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop security protection requirements at federal data centers. That includes both cyber and physical threats such as wildfires.

Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) sponsored the bill.

GAO Database Modernization Act of 2023 (S.679)

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) sponsored this legislation that would require federal agencies to report to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) any rules that are revoked, suspended, replaced, amended, or otherwise made ineffective.

IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act (S.670)

This bipartisan legislation enhances the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) ability to fight human trafficking by making permanent and expanding the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Victim Assistance Program. The bill also improves and makes permanent a program that promotes the wellbeing of HSI employees who deal with the stress and associated trauma of supporting victims of human trafficking.

Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Senator James Lankford (R-OK), and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) sponsored the bill.

The federal government must support victims of human trafficking, as well as the professionals who work each and every day to stop these crimes, said Senator Peters.

END FENTANYL Act (S.206) (Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life Act)

The legislation aims to cut down on illegal drugs, by requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review and update policies related to inspections at ports of entry and the border. The updates would be required every three years to ensure the guidance is up to date.

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) is the chief sponsor.

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Key Bills Advance out of Senate Homeland Security Committee - FEDmanager

SAN FRANCISCO (TND) Riley Gaines, who used to swim for the University of Kentucky and who has gained attention for speaking out against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports, says that she was attacked after she gave a speech to students at San Francisco State University on Thursday night.

Gaines spoke on "Saving Women's Sports" at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute even on the university's campus that night, according to Fox News. The former U.K. swimmer says on Twitter that she was "ambushed" and "physically hit twice by a man" after her speech.

Gaines's husband, Louis Barker, reportedly told Fox News that he was able to have "brief conversations" with his wife while she was barricaded in a room for almost three hours.

Gaines reportedly had to be escorted by police and barricaded in a room as protesters continued to gather on campus. A Turning Point USA spokesperson reportedly told Fox News that protesters "rushed in when the event was over" and that they were there to protest Gaines's speech alongside Turning Point USA as a whole.

Several social media users took videos of the event and shared them with their followers. Some prominent conservative voices responded to the video clips, and Gaines's statement, by condemning the protesters.

Victoria Coley, vice president for communications at Independent Womens Forum (IWF) said in a statement that her organization "strongly condemn[s] the violence perpetrated against" Gaines.

The University Police Department (UPD) at San Francisco State University has told Fox News that they are "conducting an ongoing investigation into the situation" but there "were no arrests related to the event." The UPD reportedly did acknowledge that "the disruption" happened after Turning Point USA's event was over and that it "made it necessary for UPD officers to move the event speaker from the room to a different, safe location."

The topic of transgender inclusion in women's sports has been a hot political issue for some time now. Transgender athlete Lia Thomas, who swam for the University of Pennsylvania, ignited much of the conversation after repeatedly dominating at women's meets and championships. Thomas has long since been surrounded by controversy, but Gaines has been a particularly vocal critic of the transgender athlete after the two competed.

Gaines and Thomas competed at the NCAA Championships in the 200-meter race. Both swimmers tied times down to the hundredth of a second, but Gaines claims Thomas received a trophy that day for "photo purposes" while she had to wait for hers in the mail. Gaines later claimed that Thomas was disrespecting female athletes by competing in women's divisions.

The University of Kentucky swimmer's outspokenness earned her praise from supporters and incredible ire from critics, some of whom claimed Gaines was "transphobic" and a "sore loser." Gaines has seen support from Republican lawmakers, having been featured in a campaign advertisement for her state's Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., reelection efforts. Gaines said at the time Paul was "not afraid to fight for fairness" and she was supporting his midterm 2022 bid, which he later won.

Paul, during an appearance on Fox News alongside Gaines, said that fairness in women's sports is "not really a Republican or Democrat issue" as "no one thinks this is fair." Gaines said, during the same Fox News segment, that support from people like Sen. Rand Paul "means a lot," considering those circumstances.

During the interview, Gaines went on to say that she believes President Joe Biden's administration's policies are "absolutely not pro-women" and left-wing policies are, at times, "regressive."

In the United States, some lawmakers are drafting legislation that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in any women's sports. Some of those proposals are sitting in state legislatures, and some have been signed into law. So far, at least 16 states now have bans in effect covering at least high school interscholastic sports.

On Thursday, the same day Gaines was allegedly attacked, President Joe Biden's administration released a proposal that would forbid schools and colleges across America from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes, with some allowances in certain cases.

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Riley Gaines says she was attacked after speaking at California ... - khqa.com