Cocaine quails, magic and ice skating drag queens: Sen. Paul uncovers bizarre gov’t spending

While the federal government wastes hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars on unnoticed projects, Sen. Rand Paul’s Festivus report highlights some of the most shocking expenditures, from funding ice skating for drag queens to foreign nations’ borders. 

Sen. Rand Paul is preparing to release his annual Festivus Report next Monday, which will highlight wasteful government spending that has gone unnoticed. This year’s report promises to “air grievances” about both parties pet projects, with Sen. Paul calling out outrageous spending on both sides of the aisle.

“Government is incompetent and we should keep government out of everything they do unless nobody else will do it,” said Paul in a recent interview. “We’re going to be celebrating Festivus on December 23. It’s the day in which we air our grievances. I will air my grievances towards big spenders of both parties.”

ICYMI: last night I joined ⁦@FoxNews⁩ and gave a little preview of my upcoming #Festivus Report. https://t.co/WsqOaErI4c

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 14, 2024

The report will focus on hundreds of billions of dollars in federal waste, including electric vehicle charging stations and millions spent on magic, Paul previewed. One of the most eyebrow-raising expenditures Paul described is $1 million allocated to study the sexual effects of cocaine on Japanese quail.

“I can tell you the total will be in the hundreds of billions for the entire Festivus report,” he added. “I can tell you that there is also going to be some money for the southern border, but not the southern border of the United States, for the southern border of Paraguay.”

The report will also delve into the National Science Foundation (NSF), which saw its budget doubled to $8 billion last year. Paul pointed out that the NSF funds what he considers frivolous studies, such as one examining whether people are more or less likely to eat food after sneezing on it. He called for more pressure on Republicans to vote against such spending, saying the current political climate often leads to bipartisan support for inflated budgets.

Senator Paul’s Festivus Report is known for its sharp critique of government spending. Last year’s 24-page report covered $900 billion of waste including an NIH grant to study Russian cats walking on a treadmill, Barbies used as proof of ID for receiving COVID Paycheck Protection Program funds, and $6 million to promote tourism in Egypt.

Through our Waste Watch series, Carolina Journal shines a spotlight on wasteful government spending at both the state and federal levels, exposing projects that squander taxpayer dollars.

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