Staff Reports
It’s no secret that hardworking American taxpayers often watch as their tax dollars are wasted by the government funding questionable projects, agencies, and even countries that don’t align with the American priorities. A new analysis of taxpayer-funded grants and contracts awarded to Russia and China has proven that once again, the government is putting American taxpayers last. The report, released by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), reveals that over the past five years, more than $1.3 billion in taxes have ended up in China and Russia, with $490 million in China and $870 million in Russia.
As if this wasn’t bad enough already, the American taxpayers’ hard-earned money were used for some incredibly pointless projects in these countries. The analysis found that taxpayer-funded projects in Russia and China included art exhibits for “gender equality,” Russian research of alcohol addiction, food for American school lunches from Chinese companies, payments to a sanctioned Russian company and more than $750,000 for a Russian government-run lab to put cats on treadmills!
Ernst Warns of 'Gravely Concerning' Lack of Oversight for Tax Dollars in Russia and China https://t.co/ER53e2VxlN
— john slotkin (@john_slotkin) May 31, 2023
The government’s lack of accountability was also staggeringly bad. The new TRACKS Act would amend the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to require those spending US tax dollars to collect and report data relating to subawards granted to entities outside of the United States and make it publicly available for oversight, holding the government more accountable for the taxpayers who fund it. The American taxpayer deserves to know where their money is going and why.
Senator Joni Ernst expressed her disgust at this situation, “It is gravely concerning that no one in Washington can actually account for millions sent to Russia and China for pointless projects. I’m shining a light on this reckless spending, so bureaucrats can no longer cover up their tracks and taxpayers can know exactly what their hard-earned dollars are funding.”
The TRACKS Act is an important step towards ensuring that American taxpayers’ hard-earned money is not wasted on meaningless projects and entities that do not align with American priorities. It’s time for the government to be held accountable for its spending, and this new Act could be the first step towards meaningful change. Senator Ernst is taking swift and decisive action to bring transparency to the government’s reckless spending habits, and we should all support her efforts to make sure that we know where our money is going. It’s time for accountability, and it’s time to put American taxpayers first!
Source: Townhall
