Probably best to put this here. There is a problem the former congressional staffer's logic. If most members in congress are happy with keeping these zombie programs alive, then re-authorize them, don't pass the buck.
Might of the Living Feds: 1,500+ Cash-Sucking 'Zombies'
The Legal Services Corp. now stands as America’s oldest “Zombie” program, but it’s far from unique. At a time when the Trump administration is moving aggressively to scale back government, including eliminating the entire Education Department, it’s sobering to note that 1,503 agencies or programs live on despite expired authorizations, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Another 155 will expire on Sept. 30. The Zombies, nearly half of which have been officially dead for more than a decade, persist in a budgetary netherworld. In a deep dive last year, CBO analysts were able to find dollar amounts for 491 of the programs, with total expenditures of $516 billion. They don’t know how much funding the other programs received.
The total federal budget in 2024 was $6.8 trillion, meaning expired Zombie programs take up at least 8% of the budget, and likely much more.
“A lot of programs don’t get reauthorized because Congress is okay with how they’re operating,” said Josh Huder, former congressional staffer now at the Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute. “They continue to get annual appropriations because most members think they’re worthwhile.”
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/03/25/might_of_the_living_feds_1099569.html?mc_cid=c88c296ade&mc_eid=0622ebfa37