The National Institutes of Health spent $170,000 over three years researching the hookah smoking habits of Jordanians.
The government wasted $115.3 billion in improper payments, paying money either to the wrong person, in the wrong amount, or for the wrong reason.
William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
Source: Heritage Foundation
Amtrak lost $84.5 million having food and beverage services, a total of $833.8 million in 10 years. It has never broken a profit on serving food.
AP
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Conservation Reserve Program of the Department of Agriculture pays farmers $2.1 billion every year not to farm in order to reduce soil erosion.
Source: Heritage Foundation
The State Department’s Diplomatic Culinary Partnership program pays for 80 chefs to prepare food for visiting officials and engage in American "culinary diplomacy."
Flickr via edinthekitchen
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Department of Agriculture spent $2 million on an intern program for the Office of the Chief Information officer. One intern was hired.
UGA College of Ag/Flickr
Source: Heritage Foundation
The government spent $1.7 billion maintaining 77,700 unused buildings.
Fairview Park
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Rural Business Enterprise Program gave a dairy farm $55,660 to package its butter in smaller containers.
BI
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Government Accountability Office found 34 areas where federal agencies have overlapping goals or duplicative services, costing billions annually
Source: Heritage Foundation
There are 80 economic development programs operating out of four different agencies alone. Many of these programs have overlapping or competing missions
Wayne National Forest / flickr
Source: Heritage Foundation
Within the Department of Transportation are over 100 economic development programs in five agencies in the Department of Transportation alone
Wikimedia Commons
Source: Heritage Foundation
Seven different agencies have more than 20 different programs addressing homelessness
Robert Johnson — Business Insider
Source: Heritage Foundation
There are 44 different employment and training programs, run variously through the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development
State-funded on the job training can make "a big difference," Clinton writes.
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Source: Heritage Foundation
… and there are 82 programs on teacher quality between the Departments of Defense, Education, Energy ans well as NASA and the National Science Foundation.
The Department of Justice spent $121 million hosting or participating in 1,832 conferences in one year.
INTERPOL Conference
Stanley Chou/Getty
Source: Heritage Foundation
Beef Wellington made the hors d’oeuvres menu at one, costing $7.32 per serving
Source: Heritage Foundation
The most expensive DOJ conference was in Istanbul and cost $1.18 million.
The General Services Administration, which manages federal buildings, held a $822,751 conference in Vegas to the tune of $2,500 per employee
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $6.1 million on two training conferences in Orlando, with $50,000 going to a video boosting Human Resources
YouTube
Source: Heritage Foundation
Fifteen different federal agencies are overseeing 30 food safety laws
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Navy bought 450,000 gallons of biofuel at $27 per gallon
Source: Heritage Foundation
The IRS stores unused furniture at a warehouse for $862,000 annually.
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Department of Energy cannot locate $500,000 worth of green energy manufacturing equipment
oregondot via Flickr
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Bureau of Indian Affairs funded a fish hatchery that did not hatch a single fish for fourteen years.
Wikimedia Commons
Source: Heritage Foundation
After encouraging Americans to do a "Meatless Monday" for health purposes, the Department of Agriculture later purchased $170 million worth of meat from drought-stricken farmers.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Department of Labor spent $495,000 on commercials promoting an initiative for green jobs
The White House
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $221,540 on an 11 day conference at a resort.
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Departments of Agriculture and Energy gave a $76 million grant for a wood-to-ethanol plant. It closed within a year without producing any ethanol.
Wood chips are used as a source for cellulosic ethanol production at Range Fuels in Broomfield, Colo.
Wikimedia Commons
Source: Heritage Foundation
A $25,000 grant was used to translate a Maldivian love ballad
Maldivian dancers
Getty Images
Source: Heritage Foundation
The National Institutes of Health spent $170,000 over three years researching the hookah smoking habits of Jordanians.
Christopher Furlong / Getty
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Department of Agriculture spends $200 million annually advertising U.S. food in other countries…
Source: Heritage Foundation
…they recently funded an Indian reality show that advertised U.S. cotton.
Source: Heritage Foundation
The EPA spent $141,450 funding a Chinese study on swine manure.
A pigsty in Yunnan Province.
Wikimedia Commons
Source: Heritage Foundation
The EPA also gave the United Nations $1.2 million to promote clean fuel
Wikimedia Commons
Source: Heritage Foundation
The Government Accountability office found that people who double-dip from unemployment insurance and disability benefits cost the U.S. $850 million annually.
The top 20 percent of farm subsidy recipients received 80 percent of all premium subsidies.
White House via Flickr
Source: Heritage Foundation
26 farm businesses each collected more than $1 million in subsidies.
Source: Heritage Foundation
The government lost $528 million on an investment in Solyndra…
AP
Source: Heritage Foundation
…$46.5 million on Beacon Power…
Source: Heritage Foundation
…and $73.1 million on Abound Solar.
Solon Corp.
Source: Heritage Foundation
