Federal agencies splurged on lobster tail and other gratuitous frills in just one month in a convoluted plot to avoid future budget cuts, a new report claims. The spending orgy has received dozens of 1-star reviews on Twitter.
A jaw-dropping study published by a transparency NGO, OpenTheBooks, found that in the last month of fiscal year 2018 (September), the feds forked out an unfathomable $97 billion on essentials such as sirloin steak, snow crab, lobster tail, golf carts, iPads and of course – lest we forget – bombs. The last-minute shopping spree is part of a mind-melting scheme in which federal agencies spend every last penny they have or risk budget cuts in the future.
The Pentagon was particularly eager to take advantage of the “use it or lose it” fiscal policy, shelling out more than $61 billion over 30 days. More than $20 billion went towards the department’s bread and butter – guns, ammunition and bombs – but there was plenty of cash left over for some end-of-the-year treats.
Also, the federal agencies spent $9,241 on a Wexford leather chair, $2.3 million on crab and another $2.3 million on lobster tails in September, according to the watchdog’s report. Government agencies allocated an impressive $308,994 for alcohol, presumably so that some civil servants could wash down their lobster tail with some fine spirits.
To put the spending binge in perspective, federal agencies spent $53 billion in the final week of September – seven carefree days that cost more than the entire month of August.
Taxpayers on Twitter were thrilled by the news.
— Kyle (@Lots_of_Water) March 7, 2019
“This is criminal. Stop spending our taxes on this crap,” wrote one disgusted netizen.
https://twitter.com/SissyG18/status/1103770973503975425
“Bottom-feeders eating bottom-feeders…seems appropriate,” quipped Twitter user ‘Mattias Corvinus’.
https://twitter.com/sanggr3al/status/1103731677724069889
Others were floored by the fact that so much money could be funneled into superfluities while tent cities sprout up in some of America’s largest urban areas.
https://twitter.com/Mim16843923/status/1103827258601484288
For MAGA supporters, the report provided ammunition for the argument that Congress is bluffing when it says there isn’t money to build a wall along the border with Mexico.
“And certain @SenateGOP are whining @potus wants to spend money they didn’t approve. Got it. #hypocrites,” noted Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce.
And certain @SenateGOP are whining @potus wants to spend money they didn't approve. Got it. #hypocrites "Feds Pay Millions for Lobster Tail, Booze, Toys in End of Year Spending Binge; Taxpayer-funded spending spree totals $97 billion" https://t.co/mRCSeMu6Qn #outofcontrol
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) March 7, 2019
The US government is not known for penny pinching. In February, the Treasury Department announced that the national debt had climbed above $22 trillion.
https://www.rt.com/usa/453311-government-spending-last-minute-lobster/
This is the result of the immorality of those that are in power. It will require those that have a moral compass to clean house.
‘Cleaning house’ is akin to ‘draining the swamp’, imo, Katie.
We’ll have to burn their house to the ground, and lay a new foundation… beginning with the Bill of Rights, naturally.
Dam it must be nice to eat and buy toys on someone else dime , they need to be fired yesterday this need to end . Hell I think there doing this shit just to see how far they can push people before they tar and feather there asses , somewere there got to be a breaking point
#1, I’m not opposed to purifying by fire.