Sioux City Times

Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican representing Iowa, recently addressed government spending and accountability in a series of posts on her official X account. The tweets, dated July 30, 2025, focused on cost overruns in infrastructure projects and proposals to reduce federal property holdings.

In her first post, Ernst criticized the rising costs of a rail project: "The Queens Railroad project might have had a $400 million initial price tag, relatively small for this list, but it has gone completely off the rails and more than tripled in cost to $1.4 billion. Another crazy train that needs to be derailed!" (July 30, 2025).

She continued by highlighting efforts with the Trump administration to address what she referred to as excessive government projects: "As I continue to work with the Trump admin to restore accountability to Washington, there is no better place to focus than on these boondoggles that need to be brought to a squealing halt! " (July 30, 2025).

Later the same day, Ernst referenced recent actions by Secretary Rollins at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding federal property management: "After @SecRollins announced USDA’s plan to move DC staff into farm country and close several unused buildings, it’s time to pass my FOR SALE Act to offload these vacant properties, saving taxpayers millions!" (July 30, 2025). The FOR SALE Act is legislation proposed by Ernst aimed at selling or repurposing unused federal properties in order to reduce maintenance costs and generate revenue for taxpayers.

The issue of cost overruns in public infrastructure projects such as railroads has been a longstanding concern among lawmakers seeking greater fiscal oversight. Similarly, efforts to divest unused federal real estate have been debated in Congress as part of broader initiatives for government efficiency.