Sioux City Times

Senator Joni Ernst addressed several national security and fiscal responsibility issues in a series of tweets posted on July 11, 2025. The statements covered topics ranging from Pentagon audits to international defense cooperation and the allocation of taxpayer funds for scientific research.

In her first tweet, Ernst criticized the Department of Defense's failure to pass an audit, drawing a comparison with the legal consequences faced by American citizens for similar offenses. She stated, "It is inexcusable that the Pentagon has never passed an audit while American citizens can be jailed for the same offense. Stopping secret spending and using AI to catalog inventory are significant steps in delivering an accurate accounting of every dime spent." This post was made on July 11, 2025.

Later that day, Ernst highlighted her work on the DEFEND Act, which she said fostered increased cooperation between Israel and Abraham Accords nations. She noted recent security challenges as a reason to update the legislation. On July 11, 2025, she wrote, "My DEFEND Act created unprecedented cooperation between Israel and Abraham Accords nations, but October 7th was a reminder that our enemies are constantly evolving. By updating my DEFEND Act in the NDAA, we can ensure that America and our partners stay one step ahead of our".

In her final tweet of the day, Ernst announced efforts to end U.S. funding for foreign laboratories and experiments conducted by Chinese scientists using American tax dollars intended for national defense. She described this legislative provision as both fiscally responsible and beneficial for taxpayers. On July 11, 2025, she stated, "I’m ending the funding of foreign adversaries’ labs and shady experiments by Chinese scientists with tax dollars intended to defend our nation. My provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act is a victory for taxpayers and common sense."

The DEFEND Act referenced by Senator Ernst aims to enhance regional missile defense coordination among Israel and Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework.

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