$1.6 trillion in wasted spending in Rand Paul’s ‘Festivus Report’

Topline: Americans have already turned the calendar to 2026, but it will take years to pay back the debt incurred by the federal initiatives listed in Sen. Rand Paul’s 11th annual “Festivus” report.

The report spotlighted $1.6 trillion of what the Kentucky Republican views as wasteful government spending from 2025, such as money for drunk ferrets and Los Angeles’ “bear/cub subculture.”

The dollar total includes $1.2 trillion spent on interest on the national debt and 27 questionable programs that cost $420 billion.