S 766: Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025

S 766 in plain English: This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to collect and report to Congress information about federal projects that are more than five years behind schedule or have exceeded their original cost estimate by at least $1 billion. Agencies would annually submit details on these overrun projects, and OMB would publish the findings in a public report on its website.

Stated purpose

The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to collect information from federal agencies about government projects that are more than five years behind schedule or have cost at least $1 billion more than originally estimated, and to report that information to Congress and the public each year.

Key points

• Targets federal projects that are more than 5 years behind schedule or at least $1 billion over original cost estimates
• Requires federal agencies to annually report project delays, cost overruns, and scope changes to OMB
• Agencies must disclose any bonuses or incentive fees awarded on over-budget or delayed projects
• OMB must submit an annual report to Congress and post it publicly on its website

Arguments supporters make

• Taxpayers deserve to know when their money is being spent on projects that cost far more or take far longer than promised, and this bill creates that transparency.
• Shining a public light on overruns gives Congress and agencies a clear incentive to fix problems sooner and hold contractors and managers accountable.
• Collecting this information in one annual report makes oversight easier and more consistent across the entire federal government.

Arguments opponents make

• Reporting requirements add administrative work and cost for agencies without directly fixing the underlying management or contracting problems that cause overruns.
• Large, complex government projects often grow in scope or face delays due to factors outside anyone's control, so a list of overruns without full context could mislead the public or unfairly damage reputations.
• Congress already has oversight tools and agency inspectors general to track problem projects, so this bill may duplicate existing efforts without meaningfully improving outcomes.

Tradeoffs

Greater public transparency about wasteful spending may improve accountability, but the added reporting burden falls on agencies that must divert staff time and resources to compile the required information each year.

Current status in Congress: Passed Senate.

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