‘DOGE Before DOGE Was Cool’: Rand Paul Unveils Annual ‘Festivus Report’ Showing $1T In Govt Waste

On Monday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) released the latest edition of his annual “Festivus Report,” pitching it this year as being not just a precursor for the incoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but also a useful guide for anyone looking to cut down on federal spending.

The 2024 report highlights more than $1 trillion of “government waste,” including a Florida man stealing $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds and using the money to buy an island and more, “ice-skating drag queens,” a $12 million Las Vegas pickleball complex, $4,840,082 on Ukrainian influencers, $32,596.12 for breakdancing, and the U.S. Navy being “set to waste almost $90 billion on ineffective Navy vessels.”

The report lists $288,563 spent to “ensure” bird-watching groups have safe spaces aka “Affinity Groups.” The State Department also allocated $330,000 to fund censorship of non-liberal and conservative media, and $419,470 spent to “determine if lonely rats seek cocaine more than happy rats.” The Department of Energy is deploying $15.5 billion to “push Americans toward electric vehicles they don’t want,” and much more.

“Last Festivus, we bemoaned the national debt nearing $34 trillion,” Paul wrote. “In just a year, Washington’s career politicians and bureaucrats have managed to push it beyond $36 trillion — unsurprisingly, with hardly a second thought.”

Paul blamed “everybody” for the nation’s “crushing national debt,” but acknowledged that help in battling government waste is on the way in the form of DOGE, which is set to be led by Tech executive Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy under President-elect Donald Trump‘s second administration.

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“No matter how much money the government has wasted, politicians keep demanding even more,” Paul wrote. “As always, taking the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but I’ve been fighting government waste like DOGE before DOGE was cool. And I will continue my fight against government waste this holiday season.”

In a thread posted to X, Paul shared some of his “favorites” from the report, tagging Musk, Ramaswamy, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who is chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus.

After making a quip about Ernst’s voting record on spending bills, Paul added, “One thing that people should know, I tell jokes here, in case you weren’t here for other years. I welcome [Ernst] to [DOGE], along with anyone else old or new to the massive problems our spending and debt are causing.”

Here are some of my favorites from this report, soon to become yours, @ElonMusk‘s, @VivekGRamaswamy‘s, AND @JONIERNST‘s. Ok, maybe not hers. I don’t know who she thinks she’s kidding. She’s voted for every spending bill since she got here…

Read more here:… pic.twitter.com/zvzXEFdTwM

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 23, 2024