U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst has identified about $1 trillion in potential cuts to federal spending as part of the Iowa Republican’s new Senate partnership with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to reduce government costs.
In a letter sent Monday to billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Ohio biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Ernst tossed out 22 areas as part of an initial wave of possible cuts as the two prepare to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.
DOGE will not be a real government department; instead, Musk and Ramaswamy will serve as volunteers outside the government to advise Trump on ways to cut spending and reduce regulations. Trump is exploring the use of executive powers to act on their recommendations, potentially testing Congress’s spending powers.
“While you’re looking for ‘super-high IQ revolutionaries’ for ‘unglamorous cost cutting,’ all that’s really needed is a little common sense,” Ernst, the new chairman of the Senate DOGE Caucus, said in the letter . . “If you can’t find trash in Washington, there can only be one reason: you haven’t looked.”
She took aim at spending approved under President Joe Biden, including an estimated $128 billion in federal funding for California’s high-speed rail line. Trump had canceled federal funds for the project, but Biden returned the money. To date, the project has received at least $3.3 billion in federal funding.
Ernst lamented that Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill gave $7.5 billion to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations and has created 17 stations so far.
And while $42 billion had been allocated for broadband expansion, she claimed no projects had started yet. The projects are expected to start in earnest in 2025, following a delayed rollout.
Fixing “bureaucratic blunders” in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would save $10 billion a year, according to Ernst.
She called for an Internal Revenue Service audit after a report she requested found that more than 5,800 temporary workers and contractors owed nearly $50 million in back taxes.
Ernst also questioned spending on “silly science,” citing National Science Foundation research on how fast a shrimp can run on a treadmill. NPR reported that the overall study measured how shrimp, a major U.S. industry, respond to changes in water quality.
“My fellow Iowans sent me to the Senate ten years ago to make the pigs squeal,” Ernst wrote. “It’s been a very lonely fight. In this era of political polarization, Democrats and Republicans always come together in agreement on one issue: life on the high shelf.”
Ernst’s promise to “make ’em squeak” in Washington, DC dates back to her first Senate bid in 2014. She subsequently launched regular “Squeal Awards,” highlighting examples of what she classified as government waste.
Ernst will work with Republican Reps. Aaron Bean of Florida and Pete Sessions of Texas, co-chairs of the House DOGE Caucus.
Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida, Roger Marshall of Kansas and James Lankford of Oklahoma will join Ernst in the Senate DOGE Caucus.
Ernst told DOGE leaders that the list was not “exhaustive” and said she would unveil more recommendations soon.
“My team and I stand ready to help you make some important cuts,” Ernst wrote.
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: Senator Joni Ernst pitches $1 trillion in cuts to DOGE leaders
