Ernst, Miller-Meeks Applaud House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Expose Boondoggles

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ unanimous passage of their bipartisan Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act . This legislation requires taxpayer-funded projects that are more than $1 billion over budget or more than five years behind schedule to be made public. The bill now heads to the president’s desk, and it is expected to become law. “Going a billion dollars over budget isn’t a rounding error—it’s a financial trainwreck at taxpayers’ expense,” said Sen. Ernst. “Taxpayers deserve transparency, and this legislation will shine a light on these boondoggles and hold Washington accountable for its out-of-control spending.” “Iowans work hard for their money, and they expect Washington to be a good steward of every taxpayer dollar,” said Rep. Miller-Meeks . “When billion-dollar projects go years over schedule and billions over budget, taxpayers deserve answers and accountability. The Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act will shine a light on these financial train wrecks and make sure Congress and the American people know where their money is going. I’m proud to see this bill pass Congress and head to the president’s desk, and I thank Senator Ernst for her partnership in getting this important legislation across the finish line.” Following a report released by Ernst that exposed more than a dozen projects that collectively experienced $162 billion in cost overruns, Ernst and Miller-Meeks have worked hand in hand to lead the fight to pass this bill to require the Office of Management and Budget to compile and publicly report information on federally funded projects that are over budget and behind schedule. Read the bill here . Background Ernst has spent years working to expose and eliminate wasteful government spending, including successfully advocating for the defunding of California’s high-speed rail project, which she has highlighted as an example of a major government project plagued by cost overruns and delays. In 2022, Ernst secured a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act requiring the Department of Transportation to track taxpayer-funded projects that were significantly over budget or behind schedule. She continued pushing for greater transparency through the introduction of the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act in 2023 to shine a light on costly and delayed federal projects. In December 2025, Ernst successfully led the U.S. Senate to pass her bipartisan Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act . Earlier this year, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed the bill out of committee. With the national debt now exceeding $40 trillion, the boondoggle report will give Congress a list of failed projects to fix or cancel to save taxpayers billions of dollars every single year. ###