Ernst Pushes for Transparency of Taxpayer Dollars

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus, continued her work to root out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing when she called for accountability for bureaucrats who have abused government credit cards and transparency over the Pentagon’s use of taxpayer dollars.

After sounding the alarm that the federal government holds approximately 4.6 million active purchase cards and accounts, racking up $40 billion in spending last year, Ernst highlighted her DECLINE Act that would make sure charge cards and accounts are promptly deactivated and closed when a federal employee leaves their job, ensuring taxpayer dollars aren’t used inappropriately.

Watch Senator Ernst’s remarks here.

Ernst also emphasized how the Pentagon has not implemented her COST Act – passed as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that is now law – that requires a price tag to be attached to Pentagon projects supported with taxpayer dollars. She pushed the Inspector General nominee to ensure that the Pentagon will uphold its commitment to stopping China and other foreign adversaries from getting access to sensitive information while increasing transparency for the American people.

Background:

Ernst and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) commissioned a government-wide review of federal charge card programs after learning that federal employees used government charge cards for more than 11,000 transactions at “known high-risk merchants,” including casinos, night clubs, and bars.

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