WTAS: Praise for Ernst Work to Codify Trump Effort to Eliminate Improper Payments

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is earning sweeping praise for her new bill that will save taxpayers tens of billions annually. The bill will effectively eliminate improper payments across the federal government by codifying one of the Trump administration’s largest cost savings actions taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Before any government expenditure can go out the door, the Delivering On Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act requires the Department of Treasury to have a description of the payment, link it to a budget account, and crosscheck the payment against government databases to ensure accuracy and eligibility. In Fiscal Year 2024, more than $160 billion in fraudulent and improper payments occurred.

Here is some of the praise for the bill:

“The Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act is an extremely critical step towards codifying the policies in President Trump’s Executive Order. Before DOGE, taxpayer dollars have been the subject of waste and abuse. This legislation is as commonsense as it is bipartisan as it brings much-needed accountability by mandating that each agency undergoing review by the Treasury Department will have to report key financial information, thus ensuring fiscal responsibility and ending improper payments,” said Greg Sindelar, America First Policy Institute President & Chief Executive Officer.

“Senator Ernst’s DOGE in Spending Act is a great step in assisting Congress in its work to analyze and track spending. It’s crucial that we respect taxpayers’ dollars and help drive down the costs that have led to billions in mismanagement and led to record inflation under the previous administration. Congress and the President must know where taxpayer funds are going to make coherent budgets and to execute the laws properly,” said Daniel Garza, The LIBRE Initiative President.

“Congress and the President need to know where taxpayer funds go to make coherent budgets and to execute the laws properly. Senator Ernst’s DOGE in Spending Act would shine more light on federal spending so Congress can continue what’s working and change what isn’t,” said Kurt Couchman, Americans for Prosperity Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy.

“The Delivering on Government Efficiency in Spending Act will require the Treasury Department to make all federal payments public and searchable. The increased spending transparency will help identify and eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. Taxpayers are grateful to Sen. Ernst for her continued leadership in holding the federal government accountable, and there should not be any objections from members of Congress to this commonsense legislation,” said Tom Schatz, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste President.

"Under President Trump's leadership, the DOGE effort has uncovered an unprecedented level of waste, fraud, and abuse. But there’s one big problem with DOGE's work: Most of its work can be undone by a future president with the stroke of a pen. To make President Trump’s DOGE reforms permanent, Congress must act. Fortunately, under the leadership of Senator Joni Ernst, the Senate DOGE Caucus is doing precisely that, through the Delivering On Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act. If passed, the DOGE in Spending Act would help prevent future fraudulent and improper payments by providing the Treasury Department with the information needed to end improper payments, stop fraudsters, and protect American taxpayers. At the end of the day, the DOGE in Spending Act is just common sense,” said Tarren Bragdon, Foundation for Government Accountability President and CEO.

“Open the Books has previously reported massive instances of wasted money that could have been avoided had federal agencies been in communication with the Do Not Pay system at Treasury. This legislation would mark a major step in curing that, too. The Delivering on Government Efficiency in Spending Act will improve transparency for taxpayers and accountability across federal agencies; it’s a no-brainer for passage,” said John Hart, Open the Books CEO.

“Heritage Action strongly supports The Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act to implement fiscal accountability within the federal government,” said Ryan Walker, Heritage Action Executive Vice President. “Each year the government loses billions in hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fraud. This DOGE-inspired legislation codifies the Trump executive order to ensure U.S. dollars are not improperly spent or lost, that waste is reduced, and we can accurately track federal spending. Heritage Action applauds Republican lawmakers for pushing this Act, and urges Congress to quickly codify this commonsense legislation.”

###