From Breitbart: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is pressing the Trump administration to take advantage of the ongoing shutdown, suggesting more than $2 trillion in federal spending reductions in a detailed letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought that lists a wide range of programs and expenses for potential cuts.
In a message on X, Ernst previewed the effort, writing, “I heard @russvought was looking for waste to cut during the Schumer Shutdown. Here is a list of non-essential government expenditures that would save taxpayers more than $2 trillion.” Her October 3 letter to Vought lays out a sweeping list of proposed reductions spanning multiple agencies and programs.
The Iowa senator first called for rescinding more than $23 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief funds identified by the Government Accountability Office, along with trillions of dollars she said remain in “secret slush funds” not obligated for any specific purpose. She also urged the administration to auction or consolidate vacant federal office buildings, noting agencies have not met the occupancy standards required under the Use It Act.
Among her other recommendations are 750,000 “non-essential” federal employees currently furloughed during the shutdown, which she estimated cost taxpayers roughly $400 million per day in compensation. She encouraged OMB to coordinate with the Office of Personnel Management to “right-size” the federal workforce.
Other items on Ernst’s list of recommended cuts include:
- Biden’s failed $7.5 billion electric vehicle charging station program
- U.S. Postal Service’s $3 BIL order of electric delivery trucks
- Federal employee credit cards
- Federal employee performance bonuses
- Woke research projects, including shrimp treadmills and studies of potato chips resembling Elvis
- $1.5 billion agencies spend annually on promotional items and mascots
- Funding research at Chinese laboratories
- $15 billion in voluntary contributions to the United Nations
- USDA programs such as subsidies for cricket farms or pig video game research
I heard @russvought was looking for waste to cut during the Schumer Shutdown.
Here is a list of non-essential government expenditures that would save taxpayers more than $2 trillion.👇 pic.twitter.com/1SI8FOERnq
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) October 3, 2025
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