Ernst Stops Secret Pentagon Spending

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) secured a major win for taxpayers in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 with the inclusion of an amendment to end Pentagon bureaucrats’ game of hide and seek with tax dollars.

The amendment is based off of her bipartisan Stop Secret Spending Act and requires all spending to be on the public website USAspending.gov. This will lift the veil of secrecy on billions of dollars of secret spending arrangements known as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), so Americans can view who is receiving their tax dollars and for what purpose.

OTAs are flexible spending arrangements not subject to standard federal acquisition laws and requirements. While OTAs allow DoD to streamline R&D and acquisitions, hiding the deals from taxpayers reduces accountability.

“I am ending Pentagon bureaucrats’ game of hide and seek with your tax dollars,” said Ernst. “Americans have a right to know where their hard-earned dollars are going. I’ve long been working to make the Pentagon more transparent and accountable and will continue to work to review the hidden receipts.”

Background:

Earlier this year, Ernst exposed more than $18 billion in government spending was hidden from taxpayers by using OTAs and, from fiscal years 2020-2022, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that more than $40 billion was hidden from the public through OTAs.

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