Published at The National News Desk

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Government watchdog group Open the Books reviewed all the federal agencies and mapped their increased spending over 24 years, finding some agencies grew as much as 500%.

Rachel O'Brien, who is the deputy public policy editor for Open the Books.com, said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one of the worst offenders.

She said the EPA has been "grabbing headlines" ever since their new administrator, Lee Zeldin, and his team uncovered $20B the Biden administration put in city banks. 

"This was going to be cash for green energy and environmental justice agenda. This was going to be given out to outside organizations, so Zelden is working through the courts to claw back that money," O'Brien said during a one-on-one interview with The National Desk’s Angela Brown Friday morning.

O'Brien also said while the headcount at the EPA shrank by 13% from 2020 to 2024, spending skyrocketed from at least $7 billion in 2020 to more than $41 billion by 2024.