More Than $18B Spent On 'Outdated And Outlandish' Projects, Coburn Report Says

A new report on government waste released by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) shines a light on eye-popping examples of frivolous federal spending.

In all, Coburn's "Wastebook 2012" details spending on 100 government projects, programs and initiatives at a cost of $18 billion.

But aside from highlighting the bizarre government-backed projects — such as a National Science Foundation grant to construct a robotic squirrel — the report also points to potentially systemic issues affecting federal management.

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