DOGE Madness: ‘Sweet 16’ bracket set up as craziest federal waste competes for championship

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders in the Senate have announced an exciting new initiative that is sure to capture the public’s attention. In an exclusive reveal, it has been announced that a NCAA-style bracket will be released, showcasing the craziest items of federal waste that are in need of being cut. What’s more, the public will have the opportunity to actively vote for their picks in successive Elite Eight and Final Four rounds.

Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who leads the Senate DOGE caucus, spoke with Fox News Digital and highlighted the importance of bringing an end to the federal government’s “spending madness.” She emphasized that while college basketball’s March Madness only lasts a month, the government’s wasteful spending is a year-round issue that needs to be addressed.

The tournament will feature sixteen “seeds” of waste, with each DOGE caucus member selecting priority waste items for the bracket. The public will have the chance to vote for the worst eight items, followed by the next worst four, and ultimately deciding on the championship two.

Some of the items featured in the bracket include a $4.5 million appropriation to combat disinformation in Kazakhstan, a $168,000 allocation for an Anthony Fauci exhibit, and a $7.9 million expenditure on teaching journalists in Sri Lanka to avoid “binary-gendered language.”

Other notable items include a $45 million Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scholarship program for Burmese people, a $4 million expenditure on setting up a farming infrastructure for insect-based food consumption, and billions in costs associated with the ATF miscategorizing bureau employees.

In addition to the bracket, the Senate DOGE caucus will be dividing up “priority areas” for groups of senators to focus on. These areas include acquisition reform, digitizing government systems, transparency efforts, fraud prevention, non-strategic foreign aid, and cost-efficiency.

The tournament promises to shed light on the wasteful spending within the federal government and aims to increase transparency and accountability. With the public’s involvement in voting for the worst offenders, the Senate DOGE caucus hopes to make a tangible impact on cutting unnecessary expenditures and making government work more effectively for the American people.