Good afternoon folks - 

With each Iowans' share of the national debt surpassing $60,000, one of my top priorities in the Senate is to find ways to eliminate wasteful spending and inefficiencies throughout the federal government. We simply can't afford to support Washington's reckless spending habits. That's why I give out the Squeal Award each month to call out a Washington expense, program or area of waste that must be cut.


Squeal Award: EPA’s Reckless WOTUS Publicity Spending 

Last December, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) – the “congressional watchdog” responsible for investigating how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars – issued a report that found the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) social media campaign to promote its flawed expansion of the Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS) broke the law. 

As I said, the EPA was on shaky legal ground when it decided to use taxpayer dollars to lobby the American public to support its harmful WOTUS rule. The agency used election-style tactics in an effort to gain support for this misguided rule, and the GAO called the EPA out for its egregious, and illegal actions.

It is clearer than ever that the ill-conceived WOTUS rule is nothing more than a blatant power grab by an agency that is committed to expanding its reach over Iowa. 

Now, at the request of Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi, a new GAO report uncovered that the EPA increased their public relations staff by 16 percent in less than 10 years, to a total of 142 employees solely dedicated to pushing the EPA's message.

With our national debt exceeding $19 trillion, taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll an illegal public relations campaign for the EPA’s reckless and out of touch agenda that promotes harmful regulations.

I remain committed to scrapping the EPA’s WOTUS rule entirely, but until then, I hereby present this month’s Squeal Award to the EPA. 


Do you have an example of government waste or inefficiencies that I should take a look at? Send me an email by clicking here.

Thank you!