Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has released a report highlighting what he says is $18 billion in wasteful government spending ranging from corporate welfare for companies that post enormous profits to the expensive promotion of niche luxury markets.
Coburn’s "Waste Book" for 2012 identifies "100 of the year’s countless unnecessary, duplicative and low-priority projects spread throughout the federal government."
Making Coburn’s list this year are tax loopholes for the NFL, NHL and PGA worth $91 million, $500,000 spent on promotional efforts for shampoo for cats and dogs, and a $350,000 study to determine whether golfers can increase putting accuracy by imaging a wider hole.
The senator argues that the report illustrates the need for targeted efforts to curb waste and warns against the wasteful effects sequestration would bring with across-the-board cuts.
