The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established by President Trump on January 20, has uncovered stunning misuses of nearly $200 billion in COVID-19 relief funds, revealing an alarming lack of oversight in how taxpayer dollars were spent by schools across the country.

In a bombshell announcement, DOGE detailed how school districts burned through relief funds meant for pandemic recovery, instead splurging on non-educational expenses such as a Major League Baseball stadium rental, luxury hotel stays, swimming pool passes, and even an ice cream truck… with $4.4 billion in funds still unspent.

” All of this money was drawn with zero documentation,” DOGE announced on X, formerly Twitter.

A review of some of the most egregious COVID relief expenditures revealed jaw-dropping waste:

• Wisconsin: The Whitewater School Board allocated 80% of its $2 million federal grant to building synthetic turf fields for football, baseball, and softball. Whitewater’s athletic director admitted that the district likely wouldn’t have been able to fund the fields otherwise, raising concerns about whether this spending had any connection to education recovery.
• Ohio: Youngstown schools lost $5 million on a failed attempt to provide Wi-Fi via city utility poles. The district couldn’t recover the money, and the equipment now sits unused in a warehouse.
• California: A Central Coast school district spent COVID relief funds on an ice cream truck, justifying it as a way to “connect with students” during lockdowns. Meanwhile, Santa Ana Unified paid $393,000 to rent Angel Stadium for high school graduations.
• Texas: McAllen ISD funneled $4 million into a city-owned nature center under the guise of creating a “science lab.” Parents questioned how the project benefited students struggling from pandemic disruptions.
• Tennessee: Shelby County administrators allocated nearly $1.5 million for new office flooring, paint jobs, and sound systems—under the claim that these upgrades helped “prevent the risk of COVID-19.”
• West Virginia: Upshur County schools spent $60,000 on pool passes while also using relief money to cover private school expenses, food, and an out-of-state choir trip.
• Utah: Granite Public Schools dropped $86,000 in pandemic relief on a summer conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
• Colorado: Douglas County schools spent $800,000 on an online learning program that students and teachers quickly abandoned due to chaos and inefficiency.
• Georgia: Colquitt County schools were found to have improperly used over $265,000 in relief funds on retention bonuses for private contractors rather than school employees.

In line with President Trump’s commitment to increased transparency and accountability regarding federal expenditures, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday it is updating its policies related to the remaining $4.4 Billion in state COVID-19 Pandemic relief funding.

All future payments under the CARES Act, CRRSA Act, and ARP Act spent on allowable expenditures must be paid by the states in advance and then submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for reimbursement.

“Prior to this announcement, states could draw down on existing awards to pay for approved services without proof that the funds were used for authorized purposes,” the press release said.

“The Department is changing the requirements to ensure taxpayer funds are expended responsibly, and will require states to keep the receipts to confirm this.”