Weekly Wastebasket

The books are closed. The tab is still open.

Oct 9, 2026|

Report

Picking Winners and Losers Costs Taxpayers Billions

Sep 30, 2026|

Report

How below-market federal oil and gas royalty rates cost taxpayers $25 billion over a decade

Sep 23, 2026|

Our Take

Congress can stop the costs from climbing higher

Sep 21, 2026|

RECENT POSTS

Taxpayers for Common Sense

Protecting taxpayers from government waste since 1995.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There is an active, unprecedented, unconstitutional effort underway to hide the costs of this war and the implications of this war from Congress and the American people.”

— Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), after being denied access to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar which has been attacked several times by Iran.

Agriculture

Agriculture

Washington wastes billions of taxpayer dollars annually on inefficient and outdated agriculture policies that do not address the realities of 21st-century agriculture, modern economies, or our nation’s current financial challenges.

Budget & Tax

Budget & Tax

Budget, tax, and spending decisions are about more than numbers, they are reflections of our priorities.

Disaster

Disaster

Taxpayers for Common Sense advocates for smarter use of taxpayer dollars by promoting pre-disaster investments, reforming programs like the National Flood Insurance Program, and scrutinizing federal emergency management practices.

Energy & Natural Resources

Energy & Natural Resources

We work to bring transparency to federal land and asset management, and to push Congress and Administrations to establish rents, royalties, and fees for private development of public land so taxpayers receive a fair return.

National Security

National Security

We monitor presidential, agency, and congressional spending requests, looking for duplications, over budget and unaffordable weapons systems, and projects driven by parochial or industry concerns rather than by sound security strategy.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Transportation & Infrastructure

Taxpayers for Common Sense opposes projects where the national benefit doesn’t outweigh the cost and advocates for a fix-it-first approach. We work to shift more of the financial costs and risks off federal taxpayers and onto the actual project beneficiaries themselves.