Why the Government Runs 90 Different Economic Development Programs

The Fiscal Policy Podcast with Fexingo: Government Budgets, Stimulus, and Public Spending · Jul 30, 2026 · 5m · transcript

Each year, the U.S. government spends roughly $15 billion on 90 separate economic development programs scattered across 13 agencies. The Government Accountability Office has flagged this duplication for over a decade, yet Congress rarely consolidates them. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore why identical programs persist, how they waste money, and what it takes to streamline federal spending. They look at specific examples like the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Economic Development Administration, and ask whether political turf or practical coordination is the bigger barrier to…