Let’s take Donald Trump at his word that he means to “drain the swamp” in Washington, D.C. One aspect of that swamp is the way federal agencies spend money on public relations and outright propaganda. The GAO’s report on federal public relations spending shows that government agencies go through more than a billion dollars each year. Senator Enzi’s statement on the report highlights some of its findings:Total Executive branch spending on public relations and advertising comes to about $1.5 billion. Agencies spending roughly $1 billion on contracts with PR firms and employ some 5,000 employees who are paid almost $500 more for PR work. Advocacy groups have lots of donated money to spend on propounding the ridiculous idea that prosperity comes from federal decrees.

Source: Forbes November 25, 2016 12:00 UTC