Ernst Says No More Union Time on Taxpayers Dime

WASHINGTON – As part of her sweeping effort to get the absent federal workforce back to work and serving the American people, U.S. Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is introducing the Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallet Act to crackdown on taxpayer-funded union time.

The bill will stop the 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 others securing cushy perks.

“Federal employees have been on a four-year vacation from work but were quite busy locking in pay raises and cushy telework agreements with the Biden administration,” said Ernst. “We need a full accounting of how many work hours and tax dollars have been spent to fully understand just how broken the federal workforce is. I am getting bureaucrats back to work and serving taxpayers instead of themselves.”

"Forcing the American Taxpayer to foot the bill for federal union organizing is outrageous and absurd. If federal employees and resources are going to be used for union tasks, the unions should foot the bill,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who is introducing this legislation in the House.

In addition to this legislative action, Senator Ernst partnered with Congressman Michael Cloud (R-Texas) to ask the Trump administration to restart the annual reports fully accounting the cost of taxpayer-funded union time.

“The Biden administration allowed federal employee unions to run wild, sticking taxpayers with the tab. At the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), whistleblowers have come forward with evidence of HUD improperly paying TFUT to a number of employees, and investigations have substantiated these allegations. Specifically, a whistleblower with first-hand knowledge alleged that a HUD union official was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol during the work day and was able to successfully assert she was engaged in union activities pursuant to TFUT while in custody,” wrote the lawmakers.

Background:

Ernst’s investigations previously exposed bureaucrats claiming to be on taxpayer-funded union time while sitting in a jail cell and on permanent vacation in Florida.

Cracking down on taxpayer-funded union time is part of Senator Ernst’s broader push to get the broken federal workforce back to work as chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus through her telework report.

Her playbook has already racked up a win with the announcement of the sale of the Wilbur J. Cohen building, a 1.2 million square foot monument to waste, where just 72 of 3,341 workers were showing up to work.

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