The U.S. government program that was supposed to help people trade in their fuel-guzzling road hogs is already out of gas.

The $1 billion “cash for clunkers” incentive program let car dealers offer government-backed rebates up to $4,500 to people trading in SUVs, trucks, and other gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The program began in early July but was immediately swamped with takers, exhausting the program’s funds and leaving nearly 250,000 rebates stuck in the pipeline for government approval.

For many expats living abroad, it was just another example of misplaced U.S. priorities.

“I don’t think the problem in the States is gas guzzlers so much,” said Suzan Haskins, a U.S. expat who splits her time between Merida, Mexico, and Cotacachi, Ecuador. “But the real problem is too many cars on the road and no public transportation. Why is the U.S. government spending billions to make the problem worse?”

In both Merida and Cotacachi, Haskins uses public transportation. She owns a car, but leaves it parked most of the time.

“Any time of day I can get from my house to anywhere in Merida or Cotacachi on the bus for about 25 cents,” Haskins said. “They run constantly. If I’m lazy or have lots of bags, I can take a cab for a couple of bucks. Back in my hometown of Omaha, most months I’d freeze to death on the corner before I even saw a cab or a bus.”

Haskins wondered what a billion dollars of government money might have done to improve U.S. public transportation.

“Probably not much,” she said. “The U.S. government seems to be able to vaporize a billion dollars without accomplishing much, no matter what they spend it on. In Mexico and Ecuador and most other Latin American countries I’ve been to, they have transportation pretty much figured out. Lots of cheap buses and taxis. It works. Everybody gets where they’re going. They don’t get there one at a time in leather-lined, GPS-enhanced, voice-activated luxury, but they get there… and usually for less than a buck.”