ICYMI: Ernst Standing up for Taxpayers in Washington

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has been leading the fight in Washington to end taxpayer-funded union time (TFUT), the insane practice of requiring taxpayers to foot the bill for federal employees engaging in union activity while on the clock, including lobbying Congress for higher pay, negotiating telework agreements, and securing other cushy perks.

While data was not released under the Biden administration, the most recent report from 2019 showed federal employees spent 2,606,390 hours engaged in union activities while on the clock for the American people, costing taxpayers $160 million in just one year.

To uncover the true cost of TFUT, Senator Ernst demanded in December 2024 that 24 federal agencies provide accurate and up to date data. Ernst’s efforts have already uncovered the jaw-dropping details of the true cost to taxpayers at three federal agencies.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) revealed an 11% increase in costs since 2019, racking up more than $400,000 annually.

NY POST | Nuclear agency had 11% increase in taxpayer-funded union time from five years ago, records show

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) similarly admitted that north of $400,000 was spent every year for union activity.

NY POST | NASA spent over $400K taxpayer dollars on union time last year

The real bombshell came from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), which oversees the TRICARE health benefits for servicemembers, who said its bureaucrats spent 87,000 hours on union activity costing taxpayers $3.3 million.

NY POST | Workers at Defense Health Agency spent $3.3 million and 87,000 hours working on their own union benefits

Because the data from these three agencies is just the tip of the iceberg, Senator Ernst sent a letter to the Trump administration requesting that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) resume tracking and publicly disclosing the total cost of TFUT across government to provide taxpayers with a true accounting. The Trump administration has agreed and will soon publish a government-wide report. Ernst also introduced the Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act to require the annual public disclosure of the cost of TFUT to the American people.

Transparency is an important step but Ernst has also introduced the Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallet Act to require federal unions to reimburse taxpayers for all costs involving TFUT to potentially save the American people more than a billion dollars over the next decade.

Her bill will ensure that no more tax dollars are spent on bureaucrats securing cushy perks as was the case at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Ernst uncovered that the IRS’s union secured a cushy telework agreement allowing employees to come in just two days per two-week pay period. To rub salt in the wound, all of the negotiations were done on taxpayers’ dime.

NY POST | IRS workers only had to show up to work once a week in person, before Trump took over

Last week, Ernst sent a letter to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner about how his department has been ground zero for TFUT abuse by bureaucrats. She detailed examples of bureaucrats launching real estate careers, going on beach vacations, and even sitting in jail cells all while allegedly on union time.

THE DAILY CALLER | Joni Ernst Reveals More Examples Of HUD Bureaucrats Bilking Taxpayers

Ernst’s efforts to fight for taxpayers have earned her sweeping praise.

NY POST | Public-sector workers spent 87,000 hours screwing you — just at one agency, just in two years

The New York Post Editorial Board wrote about Senator Ernst and called her, “A fierce advocate for the troops as well as a staunch fighter against fraud and waste as head of the Senate DOGE caucus.”

The Public Labor Unions Accountability Committee, who advocates for holding public sector unions accountable, has applauded Ernst’s work and emphasized that American taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going.

FOX NEWS | MARY KATHARINE HAM: Teachers union bosses put themselves first, teachers and students last

Fox News contributor, OutKick columnist, and Senior Advisor to the Public Labor Unions Accountability Committee Mary Katharine Ham praised Ernst’s efforts and demanded that public sector unions be removed from politics. Ham also called out the true cost of public sector unions on the Ruthless podcast and the Guy Benson Show.

WASHINGTON EXAMINER | No more union time on taxpayer dime

The Washington Examiner Editorial board applauded Ernst’s Protecting Taxpayer’s Wallet Act in a piece calling for the end of union time on the taxpayers’ dime.

Americans For Fair Treatment, an advocacy group for getting union spending out of politics, has also praised the Protecting Taxpayer’s Wallet Act and called for its swift passage to bring a little fiscal sanity to Washington.

SEAN HANNITY | IR-MESS! IRS Workers Only Had to Show Up for Work One Day a Week Before Trump 2.0: Report

Hannity called out the insanity of IRS bureaucrats only having to show up once a week after Senator Ernst unearthed the arrangement.

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