Paul slams free yoga classes for government employees
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is taking aim at federal agencies that offered free yoga classes to employees that cost the government more than $150,000 since 2013.
{mosads}Paul, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, is targeting the spending in his “Waste Report,” which the Kentucky Republican uses to highlight examples of what he believes is wasteful government spending.
“Maybe you saw a Groupon for yoga classes and considered it, but even at a discount you were not sure you wanted to spend the money,” Paul said in the report. “Well if you were an employee at certain federal agencies you would not have to worry about cost, because the U.S. taxpayer will pick up the tab.”
Paul said that the State Department spent $15,000 on yoga for employees in Washington, D.C., while the Department of Energy spent $11,000 a year on Pilates in California.
“Not all agencies that offer employees yoga at work also pay for the cost; many agencies, including the U.S. Senate, require participants to pay for the class,” Paul added.
According to the Republican senator’s report, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon spend the most on yoga, but were excluded because most classes are used for rehabilitating troops or military-related illnesses.
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