Government Waste Hits Record High: $925 Billion in Improper Payments Under Biden
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform convened this week for a hearing titled The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments. A noble-sounding effort, no doubt, but anyone who has followed Washington’s track record knows exactly how this will go—politicians will express outrage, bureaucrats will promise reforms, and absolutely nothing will change.
Meanwhile, the damage has already been done. Under the Biden administration, improper payments—government funds sent to the wrong person, for the wrong amount, or for the wrong reason—have hit historic levels. According to data from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), federal agencies improperly distributed $161.5 billion in 2024 alone. That brings Biden’s total to a staggering $925.7 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse over his presidency—nearly a trillion dollars flushed down the drain.
And that’s just the figure they admit to. Adjusted for inflation, the total improper payments over Biden’s tenure exceed $986 billion. This is the worst record for any president since reporting began in 2004, even when you factor in inflation.
Covid: The Excuse That Keeps on Giving
Government waste didn’t start with Biden, but his administration took it to new heights—particularly under the guise of Covid relief. The largest single-year record for improper payments came in 2021, when $281.4 billion was squandered as Congress shoveled money out the door with almost no oversight. We now know that a significant portion of that went straight into the hands of fraudsters, criminals, and—ironically—dead people.
Where Did the Money Go?
Let’s break down the numbers. The biggest culprit? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which wasted a jaw-dropping $87 billion in improper payments in 2024 alone. Medicare reimbursements to health providers saw an error rate of 7.7%, the worst since tracking began in 2019.
Then there’s $4 billion in payments to recipients with citizenship issues, including $824 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits from the Department of Labor.
Perhaps most outrageously, the government managed to send $346 million to dead people in 2024. That’s the highest amount recorded since at least 2021. This happens because the Office of Personnel Management keeps sending out benefits to retirees long after they’ve left this world. While the Treasury Department claims it has recouped $31 million of these payments, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $3.6 billion in Covid stimulus checks sent to deceased individuals.
And let’s not forget the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), where an estimated $2 billion in forgiven loans—25% of the total—were improper payments. That’s an entire quarter of the program plagued by fraud.
A System Built to Bleed You Dry
All of this should make one thing crystal clear: the government has no accountability when it comes to spending your money. Washington loves to pretend it can manage an economy, regulate markets, and oversee trillions of dollars in expenditures, but it can’t even prevent itself from sending billions to dead people.
And this is just what they admit to. If nearly a trillion dollars in improper payments have been officially reported, how much more has been siphoned off in ways the government isn’t telling us about? We may never know.
What we do know is that politicians have no incentive to fix this. The system is designed to bleed taxpayers dry while enriching the powerful. Every dollar lost to fraud, waste, and abuse means more justification for higher taxes, more inflationary spending, and—inevitably—more economic instability.
The Next Crisis Is Already in Motion
Biden’s 5.42% improper payment rate was slightly higher than Trump’s 4.94% in his first term, but the total amount wasted under both administrations is a testament to just how broken the system has become. Trump oversaw $846.8 billion in improper payments, adjusted for inflation, and now, as he prepares for a potential second term, he claims he’ll fix government waste. We’ll see if he delivers—but history suggests otherwise.
What we can be certain of is that this level of mismanagement leads to only one outcome: more economic chaos. The government cannot print, borrow, and waste money at this scale without dire consequences for the average American. Inflation, currency devaluation, and an inevitable financial crisis are the endgame.
When the next crisis hits, don’t expect the government to save you. If they can’t even stop themselves from sending billions to dead people, do you really think they’ll protect your savings? You need to take matters into your own hands.
Start by securing your wealth outside the system—hard assets like gold, silver, and cryptocurrency remain your best bet against financial instability. And if you want to stay ahead of the next crisis, you need real information from experts who understand how the system is rigged.
That’s why I highly recommend you download Bill Brocius’ free ebook, "7 Steps to Protect Yourself from Bank Failure," which outlines practical steps to shield your assets before it’s too late. You can grab your copy here:
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The government isn’t going to fix itself. It’s up to you to protect your future. Don’t wait until the next wave of economic chaos hits—act now.
