On the recordSeptember 23, 2020
Mr. President, I grew up on a family farm with modest means. As a young girl, I saw Washington, DC, as a place for men in big fancy suits and big fancy houses. While a lot has changed since that time--for one, there are a lot more women like me serving in the Senate--so much here is still the same. You see, too many folks in Washington get their paychecks from American taxpayers but don't honor the folks who pay their salary. Instead of holding bad actors accountable, whether it is reckless spending or raunchy behavior on taxpayers' time, it gets swept under the rug. Let me give you an example. I have a bill right now. It is called the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act. It passed committee unanimously. It is actually one of the simplest bills I have ever introduced. It literally requires the government to report on projects that are, No. 1, behind schedule and, No. 2, overbudget. It is a simple reporting requirement. Again, it passed through the committee unanimously. The bill has the support of my Republican colleagues, but I am being stonewalled by my friends across the aisle. Folks, I cannot fathom why some Senate Democrats would oppose a reporting requirement to identify wasteful spending. You might ask: If this bill is so simple, why does it mean so much to you? Because it matters to my fellow Iowa taxpayers. They expect Washington to use their tax dollars wisely, not throw them down bottomless sinkholes that go unnoticed.…





