Mission: Government Waste Watch
Tracking active cases for Government Waste Watch.
Billions in Federal Improper Payments and Domestic Grant Fraud from Weak Eligibility Controls
GAO reports $162 billion in improper payments across 68 federal programs in FY2024, down from FY2023 due to COVID program wind-downs, but 75% concentrated in five key areas with persistent weak documentation and eligibility controls.[web:53] CMS details $31.7B in Medicare FFS, $19.1B in Part C, and $31.1B in Medicaid improper payments for FY2024, primarily from insufficient documentation.[web:54] HHS OIG October 2024 audit reveals Medicare Advantage plans using questionable health risk assessments to inflate payments by billions, confirming ongoing overpayments.[web:61] FY2025 estimates rise to $186B government-wide.[web:23]
Widespread No-Bid and Sole-Source Federal Procurement Contracts Causing Overcharges and Waste
As of May 17, 2026, no new major DoD OIG reports or confirmations have emerged on sole-source overcharges since May 12. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool no-bid contract has escalated with costs rising to $13.1M and a lawsuit filed, highlighting ongoing criticism of Trump administration exemptions for patriotic projects. JD Vance's anti-fraud task force announced new $1.4B Medicare funding blocks on May 13 but no additional contract-specific freezes beyond prior $6.3B flags. Hegseth's 8(a) reviews and DOGE terminations show no public terminations or new audits completed post-February deadlines. Ex-DOGE and congressional critiques persist without fresh evidence of systemic waste in no-bid awards.
Federal IG Audits Reveal Billions in No-Bid Procurement Waste
Comprehensive searches of web sources, official OIG websites, and X platforms reveal no new Inspector General reports or audits since mid-February 2026 exposing billions in no-bid, sole-source, or noncompetitive contract waste. Specific audits like DoD OIG's DODIG-2026-043 on Army Ukraine contracts (completed January 14, 2026) and Project D2026-D000AU-0033.000 on sole-source cloud awards remain without public findings or updates [web:3][web:4][web:5][web:23]. Prior evidence claims appear to reference historical or unverified incidents, with ongoing DOGE terminations and SBA actions but no fresh IG confirmations of massive waste.