The latest in government excess was highlighted Thursday by Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona: $60,000 in taxpayer money spent to support the summer 2015 production of a Zombie apocalypse play.
"Zombie: The American" — a play about a dystopian future in which the first openly gay U.S. president faces a zombie invasion of the White House basement — is an "egregious and unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars by the National Endowment for the Arts," said Flake in a statement.
"With spending like this, brain-eating zombies shouldn't be a problem for D.C.," he added.
The funding award for the script, which was penned by playwright Robert O'Hara, calls the play a "futuristic, dystopian fantasy set in 2063."
The nation's capital has been moved to Mount Rushmore and the president, who lives with his husband and is now referred to as Lord President, is informed by the secretary of state that there are zombies living in the basement of the White House. The zombies end up being the Speaker, Chairwoman and Minority Whip and preside from a judge's bench. With each visit from upstairs, the zombies demand they are brought a body to eat, according to the Washington Post.
The production carries an advisory, warning attendees of a long running time, as well as "strong adult content, sexual situations, nudity and fog."
The play ran for nearly a month at Washington, D.C.'s Woolly Mammoth Theatre over the summer and, despite costing taxpayers $60,000, the show still charged $68 per ticket, Flake pointed out.
The senator plans to release a new version of the infamous Wastebook at the end of the year, which tracks government projects and programs of dubious value, according to the Washington Times.
A National Endowment for the Arts spokeswoman wouldn't comment on how exactly the play qualified to receive taxpayer funding, but cited agency guidelines that say projects are evaluated on merit and artistic excellence, reported the Times.
"This grant was made per our grant guidelines," said spokeswoman Victoria Hutter.
According to the award description, the play was meant for a "wide range" of audiences in Washington, "including politicians and political workers, historians, futurists, civil rights organizations, college students and young fans of the current zombie craze."
Watch the "Zombie: The American" trailer below.
