Let's Cut Some Spending: $187,500 to verify that kids love their pets

Remember the absolutely critical Omnibus spending bill Congress muscled through at the end of last year? It was 4,000 pages that no one read that cost taxpayers $1.7 trillion.

In our Let's Cut Some Spending series, ForAmerica will chronicle parts of the 2021 and 2022 spending bills from a variety of sources that you probably don't know about - programs, grants, and spending of all kinds that should have never happened in the first place and many that are still happening.

Today's offering: $187,500 to verify that kids love their pets!

From Senator Rand Paul’s 2022 Festivus Report:

It’s been said that 'if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.’ It’s a great point: dogs are among the most loyal companions. This sentiment is widespread, considering over 2 million dogs are adopted from animal shelters each year in the United States. Despite dogs’ obvious companionship qualities, the Federal government still granted $187,500 taxpayer dollars over three years for Kent State University to verify that the relationship between pets and children is beneficial to mental health. Researchers tested the correlation between pet relationships and those with family and friends, and if a positive relationship with pets can affect ‘low-quality relationships.’

Instead of simply asking children about the mutually beneficial and nurturing bonds they develop with their dogs, researchers decided to over-complicate the process. Why did the government need $187,500 for this study, when one trip to the humane society or local dog park would have sufficed?

Dogs are still man's best friend. The federal government is not.