Federal government wastes enough money to buy half a million houses every month: Report

The federal government wasted an averge of $683 million per day in 2022, according to an analysis from spending watchdog Open the Books. In 2022, 17 federal agencies reported $247 billion in estimated improper payments, averaging $20.5 billion of waste per month or about $683 million per day, according to the Open the Books report released Monday.
 

The government's monthly waste last year was enough to buy 10 million 2023 Toyota Corollas or 657,000 homes, according to Open the Books.

The top three departments for waste of taxpayer dollars in overpayments were the Department of Health and Human Services, with $154.3 billion in waste; the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, with $37.3 billion; and the Treasury Department, with $25.9 billion.