Ernst Calls to Cut Do-Nothing Bureaucrats
Taxpayers are on the hook to pay bureaucrats $4.8 billion not to work during the Schumer Shutdown.
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus, delivered a speech outlining the cost of the Schumer Shutdown on hardworking Americans and gave a list of non-essential bureaucrats, including government-funded mascots, that President Trump should furlough forever to save taxpayer dollars.
Ernst drew a sharp contrast between President Trump, who is fighting to ensure our servicemembers get paid, and do-nothing bureaucrats, who will receive backpay despite not working during the shutdown.
She also exposed bureaucrats, who were not doing work even before the shutdown, including napping or playing games on the job and billing taxpayers for “working” more than 24 hours in a single day. She highlighted herDismantling Double Dippers Act that requires a regular cross-check of federal employment rolls to catch bureaucrats who are cashing two paychecks.
Watch Senator Ernst’s remarks here.
Ernst’s full remarks:
“It’s Day 16 of the Schumer Shutdown.
“During this time, President Trump has been working to guarantee our troops get paid, ensure women and children continue receiving food assistance, and end the conflict in the Middle East.
“Meanwhile, the Democrats continue holding the government hostage.
“As a result, air traffic controller shortages are causing flight delays and some rural airports in Iowa may soon be forced to suspend operations.
“Seniors have lost access to some home health services.
“The FDA is unable to process new drug and medical device applications, delaying the availability of new medical products, and
“Senator Schumer is taking pride in his shutdown, claiming, ‘every day gets better for us.’
“Who is this ‘us’ that it’s getting better for? Because I know my folks back home really don’t appreciate that attitude.
“Only a Washington politician would delight in causing such dysfunction.
“And while Congress will be paid for failing to do its job, many essential government employees who have continued to work through this shutdown will likely miss their next paycheck.
“The president is ensuring our troops get paid this week, a move that is being protested by some Democrats.
“Now, my daughter serves on active duty. She is a young Army officer, and she had to sit down and counsel her troops last week on where they could go to get loans so they could make their obligated payments.
“So, thank you President Trump for taking care of my daughter and her soldiers.
“Meanwhile, 750,000 ‘non-essential’ government employees who haven’t worked at all in these past weeks will be paid for doing nothing.
“It costs 400 million dollars every ‘work’ day to provide backpay to those that are furloughed by Schumer’s Shutdown.
“As of today, the price tag to pay non-essential bureaucrats not to work is 4.8 billion dollars.
“4.8 billion dollars.
“Taxpayers should all be asking—why is Washington spending money on anyone or anything that is ‘non-essential?’
“So here are some of my suggestions for getting rid of the “riff”raff with a RIF:
“First up, eliminate the positions of federal employees and contractors who weren’t even working before the government shut down.
“While millions of Americans have two or more jobs to make ends meet, these federal employees aren’t working at all.
“There are dozens of National Laboratory employees with nothing to do who spend the workday catnapping or playing cards and games.
“To pass time, one of them started journaling.
“One of his entries reads, ‘Did nothing all day today over 10 hours in here.’
“The following day, he wrote, ‘I do hope to play another good game of chess.’
“They’re not the only ones with nothing to do.
“A Department of Energy contractor actually filed a complaint that he was getting paid for work he wasn’t doing.
“So good on him, at least he’s honest.
“For years, he and his co-workers have been spending their time looking for things to do, watching Netflix, and taking naps.
“He says he is ‘begging for work,’ adding ‘I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do nothing.’
“If federal employees can’t even justify their own salary, how can anyone else?
“I’ve also uncovered bureaucrats who are holding several different government jobs simultaneously, but aren’t doing any of them.
“For example, a full-time HUD employee was being paid for two other full-time government contractor jobs—that’s three full-time jobs in total.
“She frequently billed taxpayers for ‘working’ more than 24 hours in a single day!
“Gosh, if I can find more than 24 hours in a single day, that would be pretty extraordinary.
“But this woman was paid $225,000 for hours she never worked for nearly three years.
“Three full time jobs, people, she wasn’t working any of them.
“This isn’t an isolated case, either.
“I’ve introduced my Double Dippers Act to crosscheck payrolls to identify and stop bureaucrats from double billing taxpayers for work they’re not even doing.
“Don’t laugh, this is true here.
“There are plenty of other non-essential jobs that can be eliminated immediately, beginning with the multitude of gimmicky government mascots.
“I’m not talking about Smokey the Bear, but rather the other costumed characters you’ve probably never even heard of, like:
“Owlie Skywarn with the National Weather Service;
“Another Park Service mascot, Riley the Roadrunner;
“Puddles the Blue Goose with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
“And, everybody’s favorite, Franklin the Fair Housing Fox from HUD.
“I say, let’s fur-lough these furballs forever.
“Tax dollars should never be spent paying for any of these do-nothing jobs, especially when there are severe staffing shortages for critical jobs like air traffic controllers and VA health care providers.
“The folks who are working these important jobs are too often overworked, understaffed, and underappreciated.
“So, these folks can go.
“I commend these essential workers, who are doing the jobs that we need done on a daily basis.
“They continue to answer the call of duty during this Schumer Shutdown without knowing when they may receive their next paycheck.
“For putting your country first, on behalf of my fellow Iowans, I would like to extend a very hearty ‘thank you.’
“And to those who have been collecting paychecks without working, even before this shutdown began, all I can really say is ‘thanks for nothing.’”
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