Republican Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) faced a wave of boos from Democratic colleagues as she attempted to block efforts aimed at saving taxpayer dollars through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. In response to a Democrat amendment seeking to defund DOGE, Ernst was met with objections from the left as she attempted to defend the plan to help reduce unnecessary government spending.
On Friday, Ernst, Senate DOGE Caucus Chair, defended DOGE from Democrats' attempt to end the cost-saving effort and prevent it from eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. She highlighted DOGE’s work, which has already saved $714 per taxpayer, and detailed how this is just the start of downsizing government and getting Washington to better serve the American people.
Since January, DOGE has saved $115 billion, or roughly $714 per taxpayer. Senator Ernst highlighted some of the group's findings, such as the Small Business Administration distributing over $300 million in loans to children as young as 11. She also pointed out that agencies were wasting money on tens of thousands of unused software licenses and that the Department of Veterans Affairs had spent $56,000 watering eight plants over five years.
“I brought the receipts!” Ernst said. “Here they are, folks. You’re paying about $1,400 to water each of these plants every year. Thanks to DOGE, that contract was canceled, now the plants will be watered for free.”
Ernst questioned why Democrats are focused on opposing efforts to expose government waste rather than addressing the waste itself.
“While DOGE keeps delivering more savings every day, Democrats are more upset by the effort to stop wasteful spending than by the misuse of tax dollars,” she continued. “A vote for the Van Hollen amendment is a vote in favor of SBA loans to ‘children,’ who are most likely fraudsters, a vote for more spending on unused software licenses, and a vote for continuing to pay thousands of dollars to water a few plants.”
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