RESEARCH

2015 Tennessee Pork Report

July 14, 2015 12:51PM

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Tennessee Pork Report, a publication of the Beacon Center of Tennessee. We have spent the last decade thoroughly researching and reporting government waste, fraud, and abuse. Fittingly, this milestone year has uncovered that state and local government officials squandered a record-breaking $763 million in taxpayer money.

The report highlights this mismanagement of taxpayer funds and includes the following examples:
  • State officials won the 2015 “Pork of the Year” by commissioning a $46,000 redsquare emblazoned with the letters “TN” as the new official state logo.
  • Volkswagen received $165 million from state taxpayers and then invited UAW to its Chattanooga plant against its workers’ wishes.
  • A Hamblen County employee took a trip to Disney World on the taxpayers’ dime.
  • A whopping $48 million in taxpayer money was gifted to the new Bass Pro Shops inside the Memphis Pyramid.

After a decade of exposing government waste, the Beacon Center remains committed to holding government officials accountable and keeping taxpayers informed. We hope the Pork Report, and all the $763 million in waste it contains, will create a more responsible and transparent government that prioritizes taxpayers.


You can read the full 2015 Pork Report by clicking here. Pork Report® is a registered trademark of Citizens Against Government Waste and is used with their permission.