On the Fact that (According to Economist and Former Interior Department Official, Robert H. Nelson) the Federal Government Would Only Reclaim Approximately 20 Cents of Every Dollar of Capital Construction Costs for the Agricultural Part of Bureau of Reclamation Projects During the 20th Century

Why didn't they just burn the damned money (you know, instead of attempting to irrigate the desert and prompt inexperienced farmers to settle there - the real goal of course being to increase the population of western states to give them more power in Congress)?