Teaching Pigeons to Gamble, Torturing Ferrets, Fattening Eels: The Worst Government Waste of 2021
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky wrapped up the year by releasing his annual “Festivus Report,” spotlighting the most egregious examples of pointless government spending.
A staggering $52 billion of our tax money was wasted on frivolous, left-wing projects that do nothing to help Americans, according to Paul’s 2021 Festivus Report.
“This year, I am highlighting a whopping $52,598,515,585 of waste, including a study of pigeons gambling on slot machines, giving kids junk food and telling citizens of Vietnam not to burn their trash,” the senator wrote.
“No matter how much money’s already been wasted, politicians keep demanding even more.”
The fiscal hawk has repeatedly urged Congress to stop wasting billions on inane “research” that has no practical value.
Rand Paul sent a wake-up call to taxpayers amid the Biden admin’s pushes for more spending. https://t.co/gzh8SjUBDi
— The Western Journal (@WestJournalism) May 29, 2021
Paul started by rattling off big-ticket expenditures, including at least $4.29 billion in fraudulent loans related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Rather than make certain that the money went to people who truly needed it, the Small Business Administration (SBA) sent as much as $4.29 billion to people who weren’t eligible to receive loans or who received duplicate loans,” the senator wrote.
Paul was disgusted that government bureaucrats did not even bother to verify that our tax dollars went to eligible people who actually needed the money instead of to scam artists.
“More than $3.6 billion of the PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] loans SBA sent out went to those on the Treasury’s Do Not Pay (DNP) List,” he noted.
LLC Co-Owned by Ilhan Omar’s Husband Got $635K in COVID Relief While Also Being Paid Millions by Omar https://t.co/hCt4k4YcFb
— Tim Ledesma (@tjfyrftr) December 9, 2020
In another slap in the face to hardworking taxpayers, Congress wasted $250 million to “enhance border security” for countries in the Middle East and North Africa — all while leaving our southern border open to daily sieges by armies of unvetted illegal migrants.
“In fact, $250 million of your taxpayer dollars are going to building borders in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Oman,” Paul explained.
Not surprisingly, this globalist agenda of defending of other nations’ sovereignty while neglecting our own borders originated during the presidency of Barack Obama and his then-vice president, Joe Biden.
“This spending dates back to the 2016 Defense Department authorization, when Congress determined that helping developing countries build economic, social and political institutions was a national security priority,” Paul wrote.
NEW: Several hundred migrants have crossed illegally into La Joya, TX this morning and more are coming by the minute. Multiple Border Patrol buses are showing up for transport. Busy day.
Remain in Mexico has not been reimplemented yet here in the RGV, the busiest sector. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/S5fPUIGKbZ— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 9, 2021
Our government spends millions every year to breed and torture ferrets. Maybe these animal abusers were inspired by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who tortured beagle pups for years.
Listen to this terrified puppy’s desperate cries—they’re begging for the pain to stop, but their screams are silenced.
Beagles used in Fauci-funded experiments come from places like this, and it’s unforgettable. pic.twitter.com/dY6guheRA7
— PETA (@peta) November 9, 2021
“Millions of dollars are spent each year to breed animals with the intent to use them for testing,” Paul wrote. “Since 2010, the American taxpayer has given Triple F Farms $4.5 million for the breeding and transporting of ferrets to COVID-19 and influenza vaccine testing laboratories.”
He continued: “In 2011, an undercover investigation revealed findings from an undercover investigation, including video recordings of ferrets dying in feces, run over by carts, thrown alive into incinerators, hanging from wire.”
After being fined by the Department of Agriculture for this shocking animal abuse, the torture continues unabated — using our tax dollars.
“So, are they still receiving money? Of course, they are,” Paul wrote. “And to make matters even worse, recent inspection reports by USDA have demonstrated that abuse continues, citing excessive piles of feces, scabs on the skin, empty feed bags and soiled enclosures.”
In another example of government waste, the National Institutes of Health gave $465,339 to Reed College in Oregon to teach pigeons how to gamble by using slot machines.
“The United States is over $28 trillion dollars in debt,” Paul stated. “Is studying pigeon gambling habits worth adding to the mountain of debt for which future generations will become responsible?”
The Food and Drug Administration recently gave a Canadian company called NovaEel $337,500 “to fatten and raise juvenile eels to keep costs down for those wishing to eat the fish.”
This is an odd expenditure since Americans don’t consume much eel, so it has little benefit to most of us.
“This is corporate welfare, driven by somebody at the FDA who must really like eating eel,” Paul scoffed.
Maybe the FDA gave truckloads of U.S. tax dollars to the Canadian eel company because it’s trying to create transgender eels.
As most people are aware, transgenderism is one of the left’s sacred cows.
“NovaEel has been attempting to turn male eels into females by administering them with estradiol (a form of estrogen used to treat menopause symptoms),” Paul wrote.
As the United States buckles under runaway inflation, race wars and terrifying crime waves in Democrat-run cities, frivolous government spending on the massive scale outlined in the senator’s report is an existential threat.
“It is more important than ever for Congress to find its fiscal backbone and prevent programs from letting taxpayer dollars vanish into thin air,” Paul wrote.
Is anyone in Washington listening?
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
