Our founder and former Senator Tom Coburn championed transparency and fought to eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse during his time in the United States Senate. Along with his staff, Dr. Coburn researched and read through thousands of agency reports and audits to help set the blueprint for streamlining necessary government programs and eliminating wasteful ones.
‘Profiles in Waste’ is a new series from Restore Accountability highlighting some of the smaller abuses of your tax dollars. Although small compared to viral billion dollar waste, effective oversight means finding the small before it turns into the big.
Since the average American pays about $8,500 in income taxes every year, every dollar matters to you. The difference between $800 to patch up vital infrastructure versus paying for a plush luxury condos matters. Every American who pays his or her taxes should feel comfortable knowing their taxes go towards something Washington has made a priority.
This week we highlight the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). There is almost one report every week from HUD reporting misused taxpayer funds from housing authorities across the country, but many of them are not sensational enough for the media. However, as noted above, we believe taxpayer dollars should be handled with utmost care, no matter too big or too small, and that the American people need to know about how all of their tax dollars are spent.
Interested in doing your own research? Check out our Agency Toolkit, a compilation of the best government reports. In addition, you can search for more waste from HUD here, on the HUD reports homepage.
