Sioux City Times

Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator representing Iowa, has used her social media platform to comment on federal spending and the ongoing government shutdown in early November 2025.

On November 6, 2025, Ernst posted about unspent COVID-19 relief funds: "More than $65 billion is sitting in COVID slush funds – even though COVID is over! We need to return that money to the American people with my Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act."

The following day, she addressed the partial government shutdown and its effects on public services. On November 7, 2025, Ernst wrote: "Democrats shut down the government. We shouldn’t have to cobble together money to pay our servicemembers or fund SNAP. They should join us to reopen the government and end the chaos TODAY!" Later that day, she continued: "The cost of the Schumer Shutdown is staggering. $11.2 billion in backpay is owed to 750,000 non-essential federal employees who have not been able to serve the American people during the longest shutdown in history. This price tag is growing by $400 million every 'work' day!"

Senator Ernst's comments come as Congress faces prolonged gridlock over budget negotiations, leading to a record-length federal shutdown affecting hundreds of thousands of workers and disrupting services such as military pay and nutrition assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Disputes over federal funding allocations—including debates about leftover pandemic relief funds—have contributed to delays in passing appropriations bills necessary for reopening government operations.