The hottest Public Spending Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top World Politics Topics

The "Bullet Train" - Where Does the Money Go?

Life Since the Baby Boom • 1383 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. The rail authority bought thousands of properties ahead of construction and spends huge sums on evictions, repairs and upkeep — often at state prevailing wages and through costly certified contractors, so even worthless buildings rack up massive bills.
  2. Construction demand for concrete, steel and labor is straining supply chains and driving up costs and delays, while farms, wells and utility-scale solar fields have been uprooted or relocated at high expense.
  3. Thick bureaucracy, red tape and poor leadership make routine property work slow and inefficient, causing costs to balloon and many sites to sit in limbo for years rather than being promptly demolished or put to use.

Make America Pay Again

Slack Tide by Matt Labash • 211 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. His policies and reckless behavior are costing ordinary people money and leaving them with less spare cash for small purchases.
  2. He added about $2.25 trillion to the national debt in his first year back, pushing the total toward $39 trillion.
  3. Instead of draining the swamp, his actions have worsened fiscal problems by driving debt increases that outpace past yearly jumps.

Medicaid Data Dump: Billing Codes Explode Up to 10,000%, LA Mental Health Dept. Highest Biller in the Nation

OpenTheBooks Substack • 429 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Public Spending
  1. A new HHS data release shows over 270 million Medicaid payments from 2018–2024 totaling more than $1 trillion, with monthly spending rising sharply after 2020.
  2. One billing code, T1019 for personal/home care, accounts for a huge share of spending and grew about 144% from 2018 to 2024, with a few organizations (mostly in New York) collecting over $1 billion each.
  3. Dozens of other billing codes ballooned—some up hundreds to over 10,000%—largely for home-based and coordinated care, concentrating large sums quickly and raising questions about oversight and possible fraud.

How Good Are American Roads?

Construction Physics • 25889 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. US interstate roads are generally in good shape, with over 80% rated as good or very good. However, urban roads are often much worse, with many in poor condition.
  2. While American roads have decent quality, particularly interstates, there is limited data to compare them directly with roads in other countries, making it hard to draw firm conclusions.
  3. Roads in major US cities can be quite bad, especially in places like California, indicating a need for better maintenance and improvement in urban infrastructure.

The Department of Me: Senators Earmark $636M for Universities They Attended

OpenTheBooks Substack • 261 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. Twenty-four senators requested $636 million in earmarks for colleges they attended, amounting to more than 20% of university earmarks proposed for 2026.
  2. Republicans requested about 74% of that money, and a few senators pushed especially large awards for specific projects like medical research and new buildings.
  3. Alma‑mater earmarks are larger on average than other university requests, and lawmakers from both parties have defended these pet projects during budget fights, drawing criticism that taxpayers are being used to favor old schools.
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Federal Government Spending $20,474 Per Person, 98 Times More than in 1916

OpenTheBooks Substack • 108 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. Federal spending per person hit about $20,474 in 2025, roughly 98 times the inflation‑adjusted per‑person spending in 1916, and now amounts to nearly a whole four‑person household's pre‑tax income.
  2. Spending has trended steadily upward for a century with big spikes during crises like World War II, the 2008 mortgage crisis, and COVID, and it hasn’t returned to prior lows after those shocks.
  3. Most recent growth is driven by Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, rising interest costs, and large deficits that require heavy borrowing, so taxpayers face higher obligations and need more transparency and accountability.

Medicaid fraud and abuse are hitting unthinkable levels

Unreported Truths • 53 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Public Spending
  1. Medicaid-funded behavioral autism programs have exploded in cost in some states, creating very high per-child spending and attracting documented fraud schemes.
  2. These programs are easy to abuse because they pay high hourly rates, require minimal training or oversight for providers, and many listed providers aren’t even operational.
  3. Medicaid’s huge size makes fraud hard to detect and prosecute, so waste persists and risks undermining public trust and the justification for costly programs with mixed evidence of benefit.

DOGE and the budget audit of doom

bad cattitude • 462 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. The new players in Washington are determined to shake things up, working outside the old systems to create real change. Expect to see major shifts in government operation due to their influence.
  2. Government agencies are overwhelmed and struggling to maintain control as corruption and inefficiency are exposed. The push for more transparency means many hidden layers of mismanagement could be revealed.
  3. Without accountability for spending, many federal programs and jobs could be cut. The focus will shift to ensuring that taxpayer money is used properly, potentially cleaning up long-standing issues.

Why Create a Dept. of Gov Efficiency: an Econ Crash Course

The Save Journalism Committee • 309 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. America's current debt situation is very concerning and lacks sustainable solutions. The debt is projected to keep rising if nothing changes. People need to be aware that just managing the debt isn't enough.
  2. Creating a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could help address inefficiencies in government spending. This could potentially free up funds to invest in areas that would promote economic growth.
  3. Governments can use debt to invest in the future, but they must do it wisely. If loans aren't used effectively, it can lead to rising inflation and more problems down the line.

$42 Billion Broadband Boondoggle Brought Internet to Zero Homes

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 22 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Spending
  1. The $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program has not connected any homes to the internet, highlighting a failure in its implementation.
  2. Most people already have internet access, and less than 1 million households are offline due to lack of availability, suggesting the problem isn't as big as thought.
  3. Government funding can slow down private investments in broadband infrastructure, and letting the market operate may lead to better solutions and prices for consumers.

Germany will struggle to loosen its debt break

Klement on Investing • 0 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
đź’° Finance Public Spending
  1. Germany has a strict rule called the 'debt brake' that limits how much money the government can borrow and spend. Changing this rule is not as easy as some people think.
  2. There is a belief among some experts that the next German government will loosen this rule to allow more investment. However, there are significant challenges that may prevent this from happening.
  3. Public discussions often overlook the complexity of Germany's fiscal rules, leading to misunderstandings about how changes might be made. It's important to recognize the deeper issues at play.