By Donna King
Carolina Journal
As we prepare to ring in the new year, many Americans will set resolutions to improve their lives — to get healthier, save money, or spend more time with loved ones. But what if we applied the same principle to our government? For 2025, let’s resolve to confront the rampant waste in government that is driving us into deeper debt and burdening future generations.
At Carolina Journal and the John Locke Foundation, we champion the principles of limited government and fiscal responsibility. Our national debt now stands at a staggering $36 trillion, with interest alone costing taxpayers $3 billion a day. Mismanagement and wasteful spending is more than a nuisance; it’s a moral and economic crisis.
Look no further than our neighbors in western North Carolina, where more than 7,000 homes need repairs to make them inhabitable. Hundreds of victims of Hurricane Helene are still living in tents, thousands are in hotels, two months after the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has moved just 27 “mobile hosing units” (trailers) to house these taxpaying-Americans, saying there are a “number of complicating factors” that stop them from putting a roof over victims’ heads. FEMA has announced that 100 units are on their way to Buncombe County. Agency leadership apologized for the delays, but it is clear that a lack of resources is not what keeps FEMA from stepping up; it is an abundance of bureaucracy.
Meantime, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, set up by Gov. Roy Cooper to manage recovery from Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018) still has hundreds of victims on their list to repair or replace homes for from those storms. NCORR is facing legislative scrutiny for mismanaging funds as the disaster relief agency’s budget deficit is reported to be as much as $221 million. Most recently, a report surfaced that NCORR leadership ordered contractors to stop building new homes for Hurricanes Florence and Matthew victims and has stopped paying contractors in the process of completing construction project.
The millions and millions of taxpayer dollars lost in this bureaucratic tangle is more than just waste, it is life-changing, and life-threatening for people. Getting the word out on this mess is the first step in cleaning it up.
To that end, Carolina Journal is launching a Waste Watch series that spotlights wasteful government spending at both the state and federal levels, exposing projects that squander taxpayer dollars. The series includes an ongoing project by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, detailing some of the more outrageous waste in the federal government.
Consider this: The federal government owns thousands of vacant buildings, yet taxpayers shell out billions annually to maintain and power these empty spaces. Meanwhile, Americans are footing the bill for expenditures like $4.6 million on lobster tails during last year’s end-of-fiscal-year spending spree. These aren’t isolated incidents but symptoms of a broken system that rewards inefficiency and shirks accountability.
One of the most egregious examples comes from pandemic-era relief programs. Billions of dollars were doled out to fraudsters, with some submitting fake applications using photos of Barbie dolls as identification.
The solution isn’t rocket science. Finding waste in government is as simple as looking for it. Common-sense reforms — like auctioning off surplus properties and implementing stricter oversight for government programs and agencies — could save taxpayers trillions.
It’s time for a cultural shift in government. Instead of rewarding failure with bonuses and funding “silly science” projects like shrimp treadmills, let’s focus on efficient, transparent governance. This isn’t just about dollars and cents; it’s about restoring trust in the institutions meant to serve the American people.
As North Carolinians, we’ve seen the power of responsible budgeting at the state level. Our state has consistently managed its finances prudently, proving that government can live within its means while still providing essential services. Washington could learn a thing or two from North Carolina and take note.
This new year, let’s make a collective resolution to demand better from our governments at all levels. It’s time to end the “pork barrel” politics and hold our leaders accountable. Let’s resolve to stop wasting money we don’t have on things we don’t need.
Together, we can ensure that 2025 marks the beginning of a new era of fiscal responsibility and limited government. That’s a resolution worth keeping.
