Senate Passes Joni Ernst Proposals to Rein in Wasteful Federal Spending

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) cheered the Senate’s passing of two of her bills to rein in wasteful government spending.

The Senate passed two of Sen. Ernst’s proposals to cut back on wasteful government spending, which continued her long legacy of making Washington, DC, “squeal,” by cutting back on wasteful spending, as well as eliminating fraud from the government.

The first proposal, known as the Bogus Bonus Ban Act, would cut bonuses for federal contractors that do not meet the federal government’s standards. The other bill, otherwise known as the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, would expose taxpayer-funded projects that are billions of dollars over budget and over five years behind schedule.

Sen. Ernst thanked her Senate colleagues for passing the proposals, noting that the bills are “commonsense and straightforward.”

The Iowa conservative said in a statement Friday:

If projects are billions over budget and years behind schedule, the taxpayers should know about it. And if the federal contractors working on these boondoggles are incomplete or poorly done, then they sure as heck shouldn’t be awarded a bonus. These measures are commonsense and straightforward, and now they are both one step closer to becoming law. I’m glad to finally see my Senate colleagues join me in my effort to curb wasteful spending and hold Washington bureaucrats accountable.

The Senate included Ernst’s two proposals in an appropriations package, which was passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 84-9.

The Iowa senator has continued to make Washington, DC, “squeal.”

Last week, Sen. Ernst unveiled her Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act (SWAG) Act on Breitbart News Daily. The SWAG Act prohibits the federal government from spending money to create a “mascot” to promote a federal agency, as well as producing fidget spinners, koozies, and mascots.

Ernst told Breitbart News Daily host Alex Marlow:

I am rolling out a new bill in my efforts to hold the federal government more accountable and watch our spending. It is called the SWAG Act. It is the Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act, and what a lot of folks don’t realize is that the federal government spends over $1.4 billion on public relations and advertising campaigns. That is twice the amount that is dedicated to breast cancer research, and while I’m all about the mascots and things like that of course as an Iowa State Cyclone fan and you know what? For the federal government, there’s really no justifications spending a quarter of a million dollars in taxpayer money on mascots and millions more on swag.

“So what the bill will do is that it will prohibit agencies from purchasing and distributing swag, like coloring books, koozies, fidget spinners, and of course, creating their own mascots,” the Iowa senator added.