Federal agencies spent millions on cars, scooters, fidget spinners, and shuffleboards in an attempt to exhaust their budgets before they run out at the end of the fiscal year.
An analysis of federal spending by OpenTheBooks.com and shared with the Washington Free Beacon reveals 67 agencies and departments spend nearly $50 billion closing out their fiscal year 2017 budgets.
The “spending frenzy” totaled nearly $50 billion in seven days.
“Federal agencies spend-out their budgets,” said Adam Andrzejewski, CEO and founder of OpenTheBooks.com. “If they don’t spend it this year, they lose it for next year. It’s a year-end spending spree whereby $1 of every $9 spent during the fiscal year is spent in the final week.”
“Last year, during the final week of the fiscal year, federal agencies literally ‘drove up taxpayer costs,'” he said. “They bought $170 million in ‘passenger motor vehicles.’ And that’s a lot more than the $1 million spent on motorcycles, scooters, and bikes. Health and Human Services bought a fleet of armored vehicles with Square One for $1.5 million.”