The “squeal awards,” created by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), will be given to a number of government agencies that reportedly spend too much taxpayer money on unnecessary public relations initiatives.
One of the agencies Ernst lists on her website is the Department of Defense (DoD). She claims the agency is spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer's dollars on under-used and unneeded warehouses.
"There’s no excuse for hundreds of millions of dollars to go to waste for keeping underused and unneeded warehouses open. The Pentagon has asked Congress for the authority to rid themselves of some of these storage facilities, but they lack the authority to do it."
Ernst also mentions an incident where the DoD used taxpayer money to purchase $30 million worth of electronic equipment manufactured by Chinese companies.
“Spending millions of taxpayer money on computers, printers, and other tech equipment with known cybersecurity risks just doesn’t make sense and threatens to undermine our national security,” said Ernst.
“That’s why I’m urging the Pentagon to pull the plug on these purchases, so we’re not only saving hard-earned tax dollars but standing up to cyberattacks from China, and other bad actors,” she added.
“These costs come at the expense of real national priorities. The $1.4 billion spent on government PR and advertising every year, for example, is twice the amount dedicated to breast cancer research. It’s time to bag the swag,” she added.
Spending included $30,000 by NASA on a three-day “Martian extravaganza” event, $10,000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a “Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide,” and $630,000 by the State Department on Fake Facebook followers to, allegedly, make them more visible on the social media platform.
In addition, GAO indicates that agencies spent upwards to $140,000 on trinkets and key chains, as well as $250,000 on mascot costumes.
“As an Iowa State Cyclone fan, I’ll be the first to say that mascots can be fun. But there is no justification for spending a quarter of a million dollars in taxpayer money on mascots,” said Ernst.
The bill Ernst is trying to pass would require that agencies report their previous year’s spending when requesting their subsequent year’s budget.