Ernst Week in Review
Forget Area 51; Spending at the Pentagon is out of this world!
While social media was abuzz this week about “storming” Area 51, Senator Joni Ernst, a combat veteran and a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, called for the Department of Defense (DoD) to address massive inefficiencies in its storage and inventory that is costing taxpayers in Iowa and across the country hundreds of millions of dollars.
Following a report estimating the DoD could save more than $500 million by simply minimizing unnecessary overlap and duplication and more efficiently using its distribution centers, Senator Ernst introduced legislation to allow DoD to consolidate unneeded and underutilized warehouses and storage centers to reduce costs and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chain.
In a column, the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote, “U.S. Sen Joni Ernst is latching on to the Area 51 moment to bring attention to government waste. […] Ernst’s office compiled a list featuring alien-themed examples of federal largesse — $222 million for a failed flying saucer, $125,000 to study interplanetary pizza delivery and an untold sum to develop an alien invasion survival guide.”
Senator Ernst joined Mornings with Maria on Fox Business to discuss her bill, the Defense Storage and Supply Efficiency Improvement Act.
Click here or the image above to watch Senator Ernst discuss her bill.
In addition, Senator Ernst awarded her September Squeal Award to both Congress and the Pentagon for failure to address these costly and unnecessary expenses.
Click here or on the image above to watch this month’s episode of Squeal TV.
Applauding the Trump Administration’s Scrapping of Obama’s WOTUS Rule,
Calling on Congress to Codify a Reasonable Definition
Since entering office in 2015, Senator Ernst has worked tirelessly to remove the burdensome Obama-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule for Iowa’s farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses—which gave the federal government the authority to regulate 97 percent of land in Iowa.
This week, Senator Ernst, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, thanked the Trump Administration for finalizing this rollback. Senator Ernst also called on her colleagues to pass her legislation, the Define WOTUS Act, to codify a reasonable definition of WOTUS into law—clearly defining what is, and what is not, a federally regulated waterway.
Click here or the image above to watch Senator Ernst’s remarks.
Communicating Priorities
Click here or the image above to watch Senator Ernst present Senator Grassley with a birthday present!
###
