The $2 billion tally calculated by the watchdog group includes millions of dollars on international polling for the State Department and $57.7 million in marketing and advertising contracts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to promote the National Flood Insurance Program.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which has come under fire for long patient wait times, awarded $5.3 million in contracts to survey “veteran enrollees health and reliance on VA” between 2011 and 2014, the report found. The VA also awarded Gallup $1.7 million in contracts to measure the engagement and satisfaction of agency employees.

A VA spokeswoman said that it is obligated by law to inform veterans and their families about the benefits and services for which they are entitled.

“We are committed to improving both the veteran and customer experience through real and meaningful change,” the agency spokeswoman said in an email.