Zombie Programs and a $500 Billion Oversight Failure
IntroductionIn Washington, programs may expire but the spending lives on, with nearly half a trillion dollars flowing this year to expired programs.With limited exceptions, federal programs are supposed to be reauthorized by Congress before they continue to receive funding. Authorizations are typically time-limited, often lasting from one to ten years, and are intended to require periodic review to stay funded. But Congress routinely passes appropriations bills that include funding for these unauthorized programs, sometimes dubbed “zombie programs.” Hundreds of programs continue to receive appropriations after they expire, often without meaningful congressional oversight.A new analysis finds 457 expired programs received nearly $500 billion in appropriations in fiscal year 2025.
To address this breakdown in oversight, Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) has introduced the Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act (H.R. 143), which would phase out funding for programs that are not reauthorized within three years. Restoring regular authorization would not eliminate federal deficits overnight, but it would reassert Congress’s responsibility to scrutinize how taxpayer dollars are spent.Why…
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