Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says President Trump is scrutinizing federal spending with his recent actions which at least temporarily suspended funding for government programs and agencies. Ernst says she wants to reassure Iowans who are concerned about things like their SNAP and Medicare benefits.
“(Trump) is protecting funds that serve Americans,” Ernst says, “and examining how to save taxpayer dollars over programs that don’t work. The Office of Management and Budget has said — just so everyone understands — that things like SNAP, Medicare and any direct benefits to individuals will not be affected.”
The OMB this week rescinded the Trump Administration’s pause on federal grants and loans after a federal judge temporarily blocked the president’s aid freeze. However, White House officials claim the executive order on funding reviews remains intact. Those orders included funding associated with immigration, energy, and DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says Trump wants to eliminate funding that benefits programs and initiatives in foreign countries.
“We’re not talking about the programs that benefit our citizens in small town Iowa,” she says. “There’s a lot of other programs where we’re basically just funneling dollars to corporations that don’t ever benefit Americans. So, I do think he’s doing the right thing.”
Ernst, who chairs the U.S. Senate’s DOGE Committee, cited money spent on humanitarian aid for Ukraine, which is at war with Russia.
“When we are directing dollars, say, to humanitarian efforts that are going to Ukraine,” Ernst says, “what we have found out — especially through the work that I have done in scrutinizing USAID — is that the billions of dollars that are going to these types of activities where it’s humanitarian aid, the USAID was not able to actually push those out intro contracts to benefit the Ukrainian people.”
Ernst talked with KMA on Wednesday, shortly before the federal funding freeze was rescinded. Iowa Democrats blasted Trump’s funding freeze.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said veterans, farmers, children, and senior citizens could all lose vital services due to what she called, “incompetence in Washington.” Hart added, “Widespread confusion is only making a bad situation worse.”
(By MIke Peterson, KMA, Shenandoah)