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Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has called upon Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to provide a comprehensive list of transportation projects that have exceeded their budgets by more than $1 billion or are running over five years behind schedule. Ernst’s request stems from a provision she authored within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which mandates the reporting of such costly and delayed undertakings.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, Ernst expressed frustration with the Biden administration’s alleged refusal to enforce her “Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act” provision, leaving taxpayers in the dark about the true extent of wasteful spending on these projects. She emphasized the need for transparency and accountability, urging Duffy to slam the brakes on runaway spending.
EXCLUSIVE: Joni Ernst Asks Transportation Sec To Hand Over List Of $1 Billion Projects That Are Way Behind Schedule https://t.co/Kg1QRCEGTD
— IJR (@TheIJR) April 1, 2025
Ernst highlighted California’s high-speed rail project as a glaring example of a project plagued by massive cost overruns and lengthy delays. With an estimated $100 billion over budget and more than a decade behind schedule, the project has become a symbol of taxpayer funds being squandered on what Ernst referred to as the “California crazy train to nowhere.”
Despite Ernst’s repeated requests over the past several years, the Department of Transportation has yet to issue a single report detailing these problematic projects. “Since I am keeping my own running list, I can assure you there are plenty of boondoggles being funded by DOT before you became secretary deserving of your attention and a place in this report,” Ernst wrote to Duffy.
In February, Ernst released a list of five rail projects, including California’s high-speed rail program, two other rail projects in the San Francisco area, and light-rail projects in Maryland and Minnesota, which collectively totaled over $110 billion in cost overruns.
Only about 6️⃣% of President Biden’s “infrastructure” plan would go toward roads and bridges.
Hardworking Iowans and Americans want Congress to focus on real infrastructure needs—not progressive policy wish list items. pic.twitter.com/s1bslgprvZ— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) April 13, 2021
Duffy announced a probe into California’s high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles in February to determine if $4 billion in federal funding should remain committed to the project, which has failed to meet its 2020 goal of opening its first segment between Merced and Bakersfield.
Ernst has been a vocal advocate for eliminating government waste since her election to the United States Senate in 2014, with a recent focus on the effects of telework and remote work on federal agencies. In a seven-page letter to Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in November, Ernst detailed waste ranging from addressing unused space in buildings to uncommitted spending for COVID-19 relief, with the proposed cuts totaling over $2 trillion.
