Rand Paul Addresses ‘Wasteful Programs’ from US Government

(MENAFN) The US government has allocated more than $1.6 trillion this year to what Senator Rand Paul has described as wasteful programs, including experiments such as teaching ferrets to binge-drink alcohol and administering cocaine to dogs. This assessment comes from the Kentucky Republican’s latest annual Festivus Report.

The 2025 edition highlights a total of $1,639,135,969,608 in questionable expenditures, with $1.22 trillion of that amount going toward interest payments on the national debt, which has now climbed to nearly $40 trillion.

Among the specific projects criticized are $2.1 million spent on researchers collecting saliva samples and surveying attendees at EDM festivals in New York City about drug use. The National Institutes of Health reportedly used $5.2 million to dose dogs with cocaine, while more than $13.8 million funded experiments involving beagles.

Other examples include $14.6 million devoted to making monkeys play a game modeled after The Price Is Right, a process that required attaching metal headposts to the animals’ skulls. The Department of Veterans Affairs also spent $1 million on a study forcing teenage ferrets to consume alcohol.

Beyond animal experiments, the report targets diversity initiatives and foreign aid. It cites $3.3 million awarded to Northwestern University to build “scientific neighborhoods,” appoint “safe space ambassadors,” and establish committees to “dismantle systemic racism.” Additionally, the State Department allocated $244,252 to produce a children’s cartoon in Pakistan focused on climate change.

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