U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst has identified about $1 trillion in potential federal spending cuts as part of the new Senate partnership the Iowa Republican is heading 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 pitched 22 areas as part of a first wave of potential spending cuts as the two prepare to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.
DOGE will not be an actual government department; instead, Musk and Ramaswamy will serve as volunteers outside the government to advise Trump on ways to slash spending and reduce regulations. Trump is exploring using executive powers to act on their recommendations, setting up a potential challenge of congressional spending powers.
“While you’re seeking ‘super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries’ for ‘unglamorous cost-cutting,’ all that’s really needed is a little common sense,” Ernst, the new chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus, said in the letter. “If you can’t find waste in Washington, there can only be one reason: you didn’t look.”
She took aim at spending authorized under President Joe Biden, including federal funding for an estimated $128 billion California high-speed rail. Trump had canceled federal funds for the project but Biden restored the money. To date, the project has received at least $3.3 billion in federal funding.
Ernst lamented that Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law gave $7.5 billion to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations and so far has created 17 stations.
And while $42 billion was earmarked to expand broadband, she claimed no projects had begun. Projects are anticipated to start in earnest in 2025 after a delayed rollout.
Fixing “bureaucratic blunders” on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would save $10 billion a year, Ernst estimated.
She called for an audit of the Internal Revenue Service after a report she requested found more than 5,800 agency employees and contractors owed almost $50 million in back taxes.
Ernst also questioned spending on “silly science,” pointing to research from the National Science Foundation 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 10 years ago to make the porkers squeal,” Ernst wrote. “It’s been a very lonely fight. In this era of political polarization, Democrats and Republicans always come together in agreement over one issue: living high off the hog.”
Ernst’s promise to “make ’em squeal” in Washington, D.C. dates back to her initial 2014 Senate bid. 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 Sens. 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 the DOGE leaders the list was not “exhaustive” and said she would unveil more recommendations soon.
“My team and I are ready to help you make some prime cuts,” Ernst wrote.
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Sen. Joni Ernst pitches $1 trillion in spending cuts to DOGE leaders
