Sen. Ernst gives DOGE blueprint to slash $2 trillion in government waste — from vacant buildings to absurd scientific studies
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) provided President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Department of Government Efficiency with a blueprint to slash more than $2 trillion in wasteful government spending.
Ernst’s Monday letter to co-chairmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy listed numerous ways the DOGE could start to get the U.S. out of its debt of $36 trillion.
‘It’s a bad time to be waste, fraud, or abuse in Washington!’
Earlier this month, the DOGE created a job posting on X, calling for “super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting” to apply.
Ernst referenced the posting in her letter to the department, writing, “While you’re seeking ‘super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries’ for ‘unglamorous cost-cutting,’ all that’s really needed is a little common sense. If you can’t find waste in Washington, there can only be one reason: you didn’t look.”
She criticized politicians for behaving like “Goldilocks” in their approach to reducing government waste.
“When faced with proposals to trim the fat from Washington’s budget, members of Congress from both parties act like Goldilocks,” Ernst said. “It’s too little or too big, always too hard, and never just right. But the real ‘make-believe’ of this fairy tale is that it’s impossible to reduce Washington’s budget without causing pain. Most Americans aren’t even benefitting in any meaningful way from hundreds of billions of dollars being wasted.”
First, Ernst suggested saving taxpayer funds by reducing the government’s spending on vacant buildings. With many federal employees working from home instead of in the office, billions have been wasted on unused or mostly empty buildings as well as energy, furnishings, and maintenance costs for those spaces.
Ernst highlighted President Joe Biden’s “billion dollar boondoggles,” including spending $7.5 billion to create an electric vehicle charging network that has, so far, completed only 17 EV stations. She also noted the $42 billion allocated toward expanding broadband access, of which “not a single person—not one—has been connected to the internet yet.”
American taxpayers have poured billions of dollars into “just three California gravy trains,” as Ernst put it, referring to the state’s high-speed train that will not be completed for another decade, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s costly six-mile subway extension, and a 1.3-mile rail service extension in San Francisco. Ernst noted that the projects cost between $1.5 billion and $5.15 billion per mile.
Ernst criticized Washington, D.C., bureaucrats for their annual “Christmas in September” binge-buying spree, during which they splurge leftover taxpayer money that would otherwise expire by the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
“In the rush to use it before they lose it, $53 billion was recently spent in a single week! The September spending sprees of the past included impulse purchases on $4.6 million of lobster tail and crab and $2.1 million for games and toys, including nearly $12,000 for a foosball table. For the sake of taxpayers, DOGE needs to be the Grinch,” Ernst declared.
She also suggested pulling federal funding from some scientific research, stating, “Today, we’re spending billions on science and NASA can’t even return our astronauts trapped on the International Space Station to Earth.”
“The question is what are we learning from the billions of taxpayer dollars Washington is spending on research and development?” Ernst questioned.
She highlighted many studies, including “How fast can a shrimp run on a treadmill,” “Does recycling make men seem less manly,” “How long does it take for a panda to poop,” “Do pigeons gamble,” and “Does this sour cream and onion flavored potato chip look like Elvis?”
“These might be fun to ask contestants on a game show, but the real question is: why are taxpayers supporting any of these studies?” Ernst asked.
She also suggested that the DOGE consider slashing government spending by looking at unemployment benefits for millionaires, overpayments to the United Nations, defense spending, and unearned federal employee bonuses.
Ernst concluded her recommendations by saying it was “by no means an exhaustive list” and noted that she plans to provide more suggestions soon.
Ernst is slated to head the newly formed Senate DOGE Caucus.
She wrote in a post on X, “Proud to be the top watchDOGE in the Senate. It’s a bad time to be waste, fraud, or abuse in Washington!”
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