DOGE Madness: Sweet 16 Bracket Showcases Federal Spending’s Most Absurd Items

EXCLUSIVE: The Senate’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is taking a playful yet pointed approach to tackling federal waste. Inspired by NCAA’s March Madness, the DOGE caucus has introduced a bracket to spotlight some of the most outrageous examples of government spending, allowing the public to vote on their picks for the most wasteful items.

Leading the charge, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, described the initiative as a way to slam the brakes on “spending madness.” She quipped that while March Madness in basketball only lasts a month, federal waste is a year-round spectacle. Talk about a never-ending season of absurdity.

Sixteen “seeds” of waste have been chosen for the bracket, ranging from eyebrow-raising expenditures to outright head-scratchers. Public polling on X (formerly Twitter) will whittle down these contenders through successive Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship rounds.

Among the standout entries, Sen. Cyntha Lummis, R-Wyo., has highlighted a $4.5 million appropriation to combat disinformation in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., brought attention to a $168,000 allocation for an “Anthony Fauci Exhibit” at the National Institutes of Health Museum. If that doesn’t make you raise an eyebrow, maybe the $7.9 million spent teaching journalists in Sri Lanka to avoid binary-gendered language, championed by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., will.

Other mind-boggling entries include a $45 million Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scholarship program for Burmese individuals (Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb.) and a $4 million investment in insect-based food consumption infrastructure (Sen. Joni Ernst herself). Let’s just say, these “investments” might not win any popularity contests.

Several other senators have joined the fray with their picks. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., flagged $2 billion sent to the Taliban since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, while Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., spotlighted spending on vegetable gardens in El Salvador. Not to be outdone, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., zeroed in on a $1.3 million subsidy for advocacy work for Long Island transgender youth of color.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., took aim at a $100,000 EPA grant funding a 14-day Environmental Justice Freedom School. With topics like climate change and paid activism in the mix, it’s been dubbed the “liberal four corners.” Meanwhile, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., highlighted a jaw-dropping $22 billion allocation for free housing and vehicles for undocumented immigrants. And Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., pointed out spending on gender transition procedures for U.S. service members.

The final bracket spot went to a $1.45 billion FEMA fund for luxury hotels for undocumented immigrants, flagged by Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, who also introduced legislation to end the practice.

Beyond the bracket, the DOGE caucus is divvying up focus areas for senators, ranging from acquisition reform and digitizing outdated systems to cost-efficiency and fraud prevention. As the legislative year heats up, the group is determined to make the government work for the taxpayers it’s supposed to serve. Here’s hoping this initiative scores a slam dunk.