Arizona Sen. [crscore]Jeff Flake[/crscore] and former Sen. for Oklahoma Tom Coburn revealed “100 examples of egregious, outrageous and unnecessary government spending,” including a hefty $300,000 for a Cheese Heritage Center in Plymouth, Wis.
The monument to the Badger state’s most well-known produce is justified on the grounds that it will prove to be a popular tourist destination.
“The rationale of the project is to provide tourists with an opportunity to buy the cheeses that are made and packaged in the community rather than directing them to supermarkets,” says Brian Yerges, Plymouth city administrator/utilities manager. The center will take over a currently abandoned building.
But Flake and Coburn are far from impressed by the taxpayer-funded project and deem it such a misuse of government funds it is included in their report “Wastebook: The Farce Awakens,” released Tuesday.
The report is one of a series documenting wasteful government spending and brandishes a Star Wars theme. In total, the 100 examples of frivolous government spending listed in the report amounted to a staggering $100 billion.
WATCH:
“To see so much money so outlandishly wasted, it’s clear that Washington’s ballyhooing over budget austerity is a farce,” says Flake. “Hopefully, this report gives Congress – which only ever seems to agree when it comes to spending money – something to Chewie on before the taxpayers strike back.”
For extravagant government projects to merit a place in the Wastebook, some or all of the spending and work must have taken place in the calendar year 2015 or Fiscal Year 2015, which began Oct. 1, 2014 and ended Sept. 30, 2015.
In some of the cases listed, however, the amount of money spent on an individual product reflects money that was spent over several years or includes money that will be spent in future years.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.