Poof! $53 million gone
WHO: Detroit public school system officials
WHAT: Public school officials in the Motor City received $53.6 million in federal funds for programs aimed at helping low-income students. But they spent all but $1 million on purposes they can’t document. The $1 million they can account for went to “questionable personnel expenses,” according to the U.S. Department of Education’s inspector general.
HOW: Hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of federal grants are awarded every year to millions of school districts, private companies, and state and local government agencies with little or no subsequent verification that they were spent as intended. For more information, check out USASpending.gov.
WHERE TO VENT: Call your state’s two U.S. senators at 202-225-3121 and ask them what they are doing about waste and fraud in the federal government.
