Two charts that suggest use-it-or-lose-it federal spending is real

The Washington Post: A common complaint among budget hawks is that the government burns through huge sums of money toward the end each fiscal year to avoid the appearance of having spare money. The idea is that Congress might trim funding for agencies that end a cycle with surpluses.

A recent study by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center provides evidence that use-it-or-lose-it spending may be a real thing. In a September report, the think tank showed that many Cabinet-level departments drastically increased their contract expenditures at the end of recent budget cycles.

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