Sioux City Times

Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator from Iowa, used her social media platform on November 4, 2025, to comment on federal spending and recent political developments.

In a post published at 18:26 UTC, Ernst questioned government expenditures on unused properties: "Why is the federal government wasting tax dollars maintaining thousands of vacant buildings? It’s time to sell these fixer-uppers with my DISPOSAL Act and save billions."

Later that evening, at 20:52 UTC, she addressed the ongoing government shutdown by stating: "American families are hurting from the Schumer Shutdown. It’s time for Democrats to end this cruel political stunt."

At 21:14 UTC, Ernst commented on early COVID-19 investigations involving Dr. Ralph Baric: "Leading coronavirus virologist, Dr. Ralph Baric, briefed the intel community in January 2020 that COVID may have leaked from a lab and that the wet market theory lacked evidence. Days later, he met with Fauci and changed his story. Baric must testify publicly before Congress."

Senator Ernst has previously advocated for reducing government waste through legislation such as the DISPOSAL Act. She has also been an outspoken critic of prolonged government shutdowns and has called for increased transparency regarding the origins of COVID-19.