New reports by the Congress auditing arm have indicated that billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted in at least 82 federal programs in the U.S.

The General Accountability Office (GAO) says that U.S. taxpayers are being cheated annually out of billions of dollars by the federal government because Congress is allowing the duplication of federal programs, a Press TV's correspondent reports.
The GAO says that 53 billion dollars are being lost to tax subsidies for large oil companies. The government fails to collect nearly 300 billion dollars of taxes the companies owe.
“The oil industry is making staggering profits. Is this an industry that needs billion-dollar giveaways?” asks Democratic Representative of Ohio, Dennis Kucinich.
“Congress is to blame. The numbers are in hundreds of billions. Uncollected taxes are a problem, yet Congress will not invest in hiring people who will collect the taxes,” President of Citizens against Government Waste, Thomas A. Schatz says.
According to these reports the U.S. government is wasting half a trillion dollars on failing programs and uncollected tax revenue lost to the treasury, the average amount an American taxpayer pays for twice.
“We are paying to maintain unneeded federal property; we are paying through improper payments for services that either aren't rendered or well-documented,” U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said.
This comes as the U.S. government's debt has hit an all-time record of over $14 trillion, which would amount to $45,300 per head if divided among all U.S. citizens.