According to a breaking report from Open the Books, the United States has sent more than 1.3 billion in tax dollars over the past five years to two of our biggest foreign rivals, Russia and China.
Senator Joni Ernst, who contributed to the report, slammed Washington for its out-of-hand spending and vowed accountability for every penny wasted.
“It is gravely concerning that no one in Washington can actually account for millions sent to Russia and China for pointless projects. But I have the receipts,” she said. “I’m shining a light on this reckless spending, so bureaucrats can no longer cover up their tracks and taxpayers can know exactly what their hard-earned dollars are funding.”
The Senator, along with Congressman Mike Gallagher, introduced legislation, the TRACKS Act, which would “require every penny from a government grant paid to any organization in China and Russia to be tracked and publicly disclosed.”
“The TRACKS Act brings badly needed transparency to how we spend federal dollars," explained Representative Gallagher, "and will help us take steps to hold the government accountable and prevent taxpayers from supporting our adversaries."
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Some of the most shocking abuses of spending uncovered in the report included:
“$58.7 million from Department of State, including $96,875 for gender equality through exhibition of New Yorker magazine cartoons”
“$4.7 million to a Russian company for health insurance that was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022”
“$4.2 million from Health and Human Services, including $770,466 to a state-run lab in Russia to put cats on treadmills”
“$2.4 million on Russian alcohol and addiction research”
“$2 million funneled to China’s state-run Wuhan Institute of Virology to conduct dangerous experiments on bat coronaviruses and transgenic mice”
Isn’t it comforting to know that, even as the American economy flounders, we’re paying for cats on treadmills in Russia?
No wonder the American people demanded spending cuts in Congress’ debt ceiling negotiations!
Unless you happen to think it’s a good thing for the government to squander our tax money in Chinese labs and on Russian treadmills, you no doubt can see the need for fiscal responsibility in Washington. And while Senator Ernst’s TRACKS Act may seem worthwhile in theory, it most likely will go nowhere. After all, why would Congress ever limit its own power?
The Founders knew that government rarely, if ever, shrinks itself after taking too much power. That’s why they gave us the convention clause of Article V, empowering the American people and states to rein in an out-of-control federal leviathan.
Through an Article V convention, we can limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, impose fiscal restraints, place term limits on federal officials, and restore accountability to Washington.
To join us, sign the Convention of States petition below!
