Welcome to This Week in Waste, a series by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) that highlights how taxpayer dollars are being wasted on the local, state, and federal levels, and efforts to fight back against this spendthrift behavior.

California High-Speed Rail Project to Cost Another $7 billion

At a March 26, 2025, California House of Representatives hearing, a witness from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office said the California High-Speed Rail project is $7 billion short of the funding it needs and if without more money construction will cease by June 2026.  California voters approved $10 billion in funding in 2008 and the initial goal was to finish construction by 2020.  To date, the estimated cost of the project is $128 billion, only 170 miles of railway are under construction, and there is no date certain for when it will be finished.  CAGW’s joint September 2008 “Due Diligence Report” on the project with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and Reason Foundation explained why the initial cost projections were grossly inaccurate and the planned mileage of the system would never be completed.

Two More States Take Steps to Create State DOGE Commissions:

Republican legislators in Minnesota and New York have introduced legislation to establish DOGE commissions in their states.  New York Assemblymember Jeff Gallahan (R-131) and Senator Mark Walcyk (R-49) filed bills to establish an independent, non-partisan commission that would review all state spending, identify unnecessary programs, and send their recommendations to the legislature for consideration.  Minnesota Rep. Elliot Engen (R-36A) introduced legislation that would create a panel of six citizens to investigate fraud in state agencies and conflicts of interest in the state legislature.

Environmental Protection Agency Saves Taxpayers Money by Closing Environment Museum:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administration Lee Zeldin delivered taxpayers a victory when he closed the EPA’s museum located inside its headquarters.  The museum cost $4 million to construct and had an annual operating cost of $600,000 but only received 2,000 visitors from May 2024 to February 2025. 

Adopting Shared Services Would Drive Efficiency:

Consolidating cross-government shared services in federal agencies will reduce costs and increase efficiency.  Read more here.

GAO “High-Risk” Report: A Call to Action and Savings:

GAO’s 2025 “High-Risk List” report identifies 38 programs vulnerable to significant waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.  Read more here.

Taxpayers Saved from Biden’s SAVE Plan

Student loan forgiveness is a clear example of the executive branch exceeding its authority.  Read more here.

Studies Show the Urgent Need for More Spectrum

Two new reports emphasize the need for more spectrum to enable next generation technologies and promote national security.  Read more here.