The Senate has removed a $1 million earmark for the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia this week in response to public scrutiny and political backlash. This development serves as a compelling reminder that our federal government isn’t exactly making the best use of the money it takes from American taxpayers.

The controversy erupted when it was revealed that the federal government planned to shell out $1 million to help the organization renovate its building. It prompted some pushback from those who oppose allowing the government to pour taxpayer funds into funding political causes.

The Senate on Wednesday removed a $1 million earmark in a major spending bill for an LGBTQ center in Philadelphia amid revelations that the center permits as BDSM group to use its grounds.

The funds were earmarked for the William Way Renovation and Expansion Project, which came at the request of Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle as well as Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman.

The Libs of TikTok socially media account initially highlighted the groups activities at the center, pointing to a "k*nk party" planned for the weekend. Both Fetterman and Casey withdrew their requests for the funds amid backlash.

The revelations about the organization’s BDSM, kink, and fetish parties led to criticism that went viral on social media. This prompted both Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey to withdraw their requests for the funds. The Senate complied, removing the project from the bill on the same day.

The move has prompted criticism from those supporting the William Way LGBT Community Center, which denied that it hosts sexual events at its facilities. In a statement, it argued that “sexual behavior” was not allowed at its meetings and claimed the earmark was withdrawn “as a result of lies and distortions about our Center shared by political extremists.”

However, Sen. Casey insisted that the earmark was removed due to “new information.” He did not elaborate on what this “new information” was.

In another statement, Sen. Fetterman indicated that the removal of the earmark was because of “attacks” from Republicans. “The choice was either to pull it or watch it get stripped out, attacked by Republicans, and ultimately killed,” he said.

Fetterman pledged that “this is not the end of this fight” and that he would “fight for William Way to secure their funding in the FY25 appropriations process.”

Of course, Fetterman is right in his assumption that Republicans would attack the earmark. The fact that it was ever included in the first place should raise serious questions about how the state squanders the money it takes from American citizens. Indeed, both major parties have earmarked millions of dollars for pursuits that do little to protect our rights.

There is plenty of room to debate where and how this money is spent. But the notion that Congress would allocate $1 million to promote the LGBTQ agenda should be enough to prompt even more outrage against our lawmakers. This is not about inclusion or equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community, it is about the notion that the state should not be shelling out millions of dollars of taxpayer funds for causes such as this.