While you’re struggling with grocery bills, Washington is using your tax dollars for something so absurd, the Founding Fathers would stage another revolution. Every April, millions of hardworking Americans dutifully file their taxes, trusting that the money they work for will fund essential government services. We expect our taxpayer funds to support national defense, infrastructure, and public safety.

But there’s one shocking expense hidden in the federal budget that perfectly exemplifies everything wrong with Washington’s spending addiction. Imagine discovering that while you’re struggling to make ends meet, the federal government is using your money to mow lawns and clean toilets at glamorous buildings dedicated to former politicians. (Yes, really.) It sounds like satire, but this is the reality of how Washington operates when nobody’s watching.

From ‘Fox News’:

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is seeking to reform the funding structure for presidential libraries in an effort to reduce reliance on taxpayer funding for operational costs and allow NARA to focus more on preserving and providing access to records.

Fourteen presidential libraries fall under the National Archives system, and that number is expected to jump to 16 for presidential libraries dedicated to Trump and former President Joe Biden…

NARA spends $91 million annually on presidential libraries from appropriations, and the deferred maintenance costs across the entire library system total roughly $123 million.

This stunning admission from Jim Byron, senior advisor to the archivist, reveals a truth that should outrage every taxpayer: We’re spending $91 million annually on presidential libraries, with another $123 million in deferred maintenance costs piling up. These aren’t costs for preserving crucial historical documents. No, your money is literally paying for “mowing lawns, painting walls and cleaning toilets” at fourteen presidential libraries across the country.

Your tax dollars at work

Here’s the kicker: When a door hinge breaks at one of these libraries, it can’t simply be fixed by calling a local handyman. The repair request must filter through Washington’s labyrinthine approval process, taking weeks or even months. (I wish I was making this up.) Meanwhile, taxpayers foot the bill for the eventual overpriced government contractor.

History professor Luke Nichter puts this absurdity in perspective: “It now takes about as much money to build a presidential library as it does to run for president — about a billion dollars.” With Trump and Biden libraries on the horizon, this burden will expand to sixteen facilities, each demanding their share of taxpayer-funded lawn care.

Breaking the cycle

The Trump administration has initiated serious negotiations to reform this broken system. The National Archives is working to shift $27 million in operational costs back to the private presidential foundations where they belong. These foundations, flush with donations from wealthy supporters, should handle their own maintenance instead of relying on working families’ contributions.

Even the Obama Foundation recognized this problem, choosing to build an entirely private presidential center. The George W. Bush Foundation also negotiated a cost-sharing agreement in 2018. If these foundations can handle their expenses, why should taxpayers continue subsidizing the rest?

The path forward is clear: Presidential foundations must take responsibility for their own operational costs. Every dollar saved from these reforms can be returned to taxpayers or redirected to actual national priorities. This presidential library scandal perfectly encapsulates the broader problem of government waste that conservatives have been fighting for decades. Next time you’re writing that tax check, remember: someone’s using it to mow a politician’s lawn.

Key Takeaways

• Taxpayers spend $91 million annually maintaining presidential libraries
• Your money funds lawn mowing and toilet cleaning at these facilities
• Trump administration reforms could save $27 million in operational costs
• Private foundations should handle their own maintenance, not taxpayers

Sources: Fox News