Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has released the eighth edition of "Federal Fumbles," his annual report examining what he and his staff consider wasteful government spending. While Lankford acknowledges that both Republicans and Democrats contribute to government waste, his report primarily highlights instances he attributes to Democrats—particularly the Biden administration.

Here are five examples from "Federal Fumbles: A Playbook for DOGE:"

Handling of the Southern Border

Lankford’s report criticizes how U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants into the country with instructions to self-report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Four years later, ICE has yet to process most of them and estimates it will take until 2032 to complete processing for those they can locate.

According to Lankford’s report:

1. 810,310 undocumented immigrants were released with instructions to report to ICE within 60 days.
2. 353,585 were assigned a court date years in the future.
3. 203,890 attempted to report to ICE but were told to return later.
4. 252,835 failed to report and disappeared into the country.

Improper SNAP Payments

The Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a key player in providing food assistance to low-income Americans. However, in Fiscal Year 2023, the program saw an improper payment rate of 11.7%–that’s about $10.5 billion in taxpayer dollars to people who do not qualify for SNAP. This was a huge jump in the improper payment rate in FY2019, which was 7.37%.

The Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General conducted a review in July 2024 and found USDA did not comply with the Payment Integrity Information Act in FY2023. The lack of compliance led to billions of dollars being wasted. For example, a grocery store owner in Lynchburg, Virginia was arrested in January 2025 for food stamp fraud—illegally cashing in more than $104,000 in SNAP funds, in just one store.

Billions in U.S. Aid Sent to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

After the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban—a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)—took control of the country’s government. Since then, the United States has sent nearly $2 billion in foreign aid assistance to Afghanistan.

So here is the question: Has the United States government been funding a Foreign Terrorist Organization?

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) seems not to think so. In a 2024 report, USAID stated that no aid money has been intercepted by the Taliban since they took control of the Afghan government.

However, according to a May 2024 report from the Special Inspector General from Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the Taliban have directly received nearly $11 million in American taxpayer dollars since 2021.

Unemployment Insurance Fraud Totals Hundreds of Billions

Department of Labor is home to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program. This program is a safety net for individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. A report from the Office of the Inspector General found that “at least $191 billion in pandemic UI payments could have been improperly paid, with a significant portion attributed to fraud.” An outside entity has found the fumble could be as high as $400 billion in improper payments.

In one instance, a CFO of a major company in New York committed $67 million in UI fraud, which led to this individual’s arrest in the summer of 2024.

Blown Coverage

The statute of limitations to prosecute pandemic fraud runs out at the end of 2025. I’ve introduced the Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act, which would extend the statute of limitations for prosecuting Unemployment Insurance fraud and all other pandemic-related fraud from five years to ten years. By passing this bill, we will be able to continue tracking down those who defrauded taxpayers and make sure justice is served.

Medicare Drug Prices Cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Billions

One of the costliest fumbles the federal government makes comes from Medicare prescription drug prices. In 2023, the United States spent a staggering $722.5 billion on prescription drugs—more than any other country. In 2025, Medicare Part D alone is projected to spend $137 billion on prescription drugs.

This outrageous spending comes from the practice within Medicare plans to cover expensive drugs rather than cheaper drugs, resulting in higher costs for the patient and the Medicare system.

For example:

1. A brand-name cholesterol drug cost $5.78 per unit before a generic alternative became available for just $0.08 per unit.
2. However, Medicare’s approval process for generics takes more than three years, while commercial insurers approve them in about one year.

This means Americans pay higher drug prices because the free market cannot operate.

The full report can be read HERE.