Breaking Down the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act (S. 766)

In Episode 23 of Bill Brief, I take a closer look at a bipartisan bill that was just signed into law on October 7, 2026: S. 766, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act. Led by Senators Joni Ernst and Maggie Hassan, with a House companion championed by Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Yassamin Ansari, whose first bill this is to become law, this legislation tackles government accountability. The new law requires annual public reporting on any taxpayer-funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget or more than five years behind schedule. The Office of Management and Budget compiles the list for Congress and posts it publicly. Join me as I unpack what these transparency requirements mean for tracking delayed infrastructure, from fighter jets to a VA hospital running two decades late, and what this law means for everyday Americans. I also weigh the skeptics’ case: the law reports waste but doesn’t cut it, with no penalties attached and the first report still a year away.