Democrats Block Ernst Effort to Return Unused COVID Dollars to Taxpayers

WASHINGTON – Today, Democrats blocked Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) bill to claw back billions of unused COVID dollars and return them to taxpayers.

Ernst’s Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act identifies $65.5 billion currently sitting in outdated COVID slush funds that should be returned to the American people instead of funding pointless projects like binge-drinking monkeys in Oregon.

Watch Ernst’s remarks here.

Ernst’s full remarks

“Mr. President, the COVID pandemic is over, and the emergency spending spree should be over too.

“The COVID-era Obamacare boosts were temporary. And now those temporary benefits are set to return to pre-COVID levels. Exactly as the law intended.

“These emergency measures were for an actual emergency. Not a forever program. And definitely not a backdoor expansion of Obamacare.

“Health care costs increased for EVERYONE during the Biden years, not just those on Obamacare.

“We need a plan that brings down health care costs for everyone.

“In addition to ending the emergency spending spree, as the law says, we need to claw back every last COVID slush fund dollar before Washington finds a new way to waste it.

“There are billions of dollars still sitting in the U.S. Treasury with ‘for COVID’ written on them.

“This summer, the GAO, the Government Accountability Office, identified $65 billion—that’s billion with a B—still in COVID slush funds.

“Let’s close the book, return to reality, and give taxpayers the accountability they’ve long demanded.

“Because yes, their hard-earned money ended up paying for binge-drinking monkeys in Oregon — What? I’ll say what? It is unbelievable, but it’s true.

“The Oregon Health & Science University raked in more than $18 million for this.

“In one study, monkeys were fed eight to sixteen alcoholic drinks a day to see how their chronic boozing affects COVID-19.

“Taxpayers didn’t sign up for that, and it’s long past time we put a stop to it.

“Let me also give you some examples of unspent COVID funds:

“$3 million is sitting in an account for museum and library services…for COVID.

“$390 million for USAID’s Emergency Connectivity Fund for Educational Connections and Devices.

“USAID is no more, so these millions should have been returned to taxpayers yesterday.

“$4 million for International Broadcasting Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

“I challenge you to find any American on the street who would want their tax dollars going toward COVID funds for international broadcasting six years after the COVID pandemic.

“$389 million in COVID funds sits unspent for HHS program management and I think they’ve managed COVID enough.

“$1 million for USDA’s Marketing Services—I can tell you the Iowa farmers would much prefer these funds be put toward a better use.”

“$1 million for an account that just simply says ‘Science,’ at the State Department… my friend Secretary Rubio’s is holding down a lot of different jobs, but science?

“Let’s give that COVID ‘science’ money back to taxpayers.

“And those are just a few examples.

“I’ve tracked 82 program accounts, 82 program accounts with remaining COVID funding.

“My Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act is very simple.

“The COVID pandemic was six years ago.

“It’s past time for the unspent COVID funds to be clawed back.

“Let’s pass my bill and send these funds back to the Treasury.”

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