The general problem is that what plays well in the media and what makes the most difference aren't necessarily the same thing.
If you want to find large-scale government waste, it's going to be things like Medicare approving unnecessary treatments, or corrupt officials subtly shaping the bidding process for government contracts to make sure they're awarded to the expected cronies for the expected exorbitant costs, or subsidies that are supposed to go to the poor but are shaped in ways that really cause them to go to landlords or drug companies.
But "we streamlined the bidding process for cloud services contracts to make it feasible for smaller entities to make viable bids" is a non-headline even if it would save billions of dollars. "We're eliminating housing assistance and turning it into a refundable tax credit in the same amount for the same people" would improve government efficiency (and outcomes), but it's not viscerally satisfying and makes people feel bored or uncertain rather than happy or angry.
What sells is simple overt fraud. If you can find some 30 year old cashing their dead grandmother's social security checks, that's a headline that will get people worked up. Which means they want to go find some of that stuff to throw meat to the base, while hopefully also doing those other things that are actually more important but don't get the mob excited.
The opposition then plays politics either way. If you actually reduce Medicare spending on unnecessary treatments you're "cutting Medicare" but if you go find a few clear instances of outrageous fraud then it's "just a drop in the bucket" and you're not making any real difference.
If you want to find large-scale government waste, it's going to be things like Medicare approving unnecessary treatments, or corrupt officials subtly shaping the bidding process for government contracts to make sure they're awarded to the expected cronies for the expected exorbitant costs, or subsidies that are supposed to go to the poor but are shaped in ways that really cause them to go to landlords or drug companies.
But "we streamlined the bidding process for cloud services contracts to make it feasible for smaller entities to make viable bids" is a non-headline even if it would save billions of dollars. "We're eliminating housing assistance and turning it into a refundable tax credit in the same amount for the same people" would improve government efficiency (and outcomes), but it's not viscerally satisfying and makes people feel bored or uncertain rather than happy or angry.
What sells is simple overt fraud. If you can find some 30 year old cashing their dead grandmother's social security checks, that's a headline that will get people worked up. Which means they want to go find some of that stuff to throw meat to the base, while hopefully also doing those other things that are actually more important but don't get the mob excited.
The opposition then plays politics either way. If you actually reduce Medicare spending on unnecessary treatments you're "cutting Medicare" but if you go find a few clear instances of outrageous fraud then it's "just a drop in the bucket" and you're not making any real difference.