Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst released a report on Wednesday outlining 12 projects that are either exceeding their budgets or experiencing significant delays.
The report, comprising 50 pages, was compiled after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance regarding 14 Department of Transportation projects that have at least $1 billion in cost overruns or are more than five years behind schedule. Ernst indicated that further projects came under scrutiny following the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw funding for California’s high-speed rail initiatives.
“As bureaucrats keep inflating costs, taxpayers shouldn’t have to support failing projects,” Ernst told DCNF. “We can’t just let taxpayers fund a billion-dollar failure. It’s time to stop these wasteful expenditures.”
According to a draft seen by DCNF, the projects in Ernst’s report have amassed budgets totaling at least $162.9 billion, with California’s high-speed rail accounting for around $95 billion in overruns.
Ernst had asked for Duffy’s list of projects meeting specific criteria—scheduled for completion five years out or costing at least $1 billion—under Section 11319 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by then-President Joe Biden in November 2021.
The report criticized the Duffy list as largely inadequate, calling it a “one-page chart with little detail” that misses key information and doesn’t include well-known failures.
One identified project, the Columbus Crossroads Corridor, has faced delays. Initially expected to finish in 2018, it has been pushed back to a completion date in 2037, with costs climbing to more than $881 million.
Another major project is the Honolulu Rail Transport Project, which has seen cost overruns of $4.8 billion since its inception in 2012, coupled with delays pushing its expected completion back from 2020 to 2031. The Maryland Light Rail Project, part of the Washington Metro purple line, is also mentioned, with a budget overrun of $3.1 billion and delays extending past February 2028.
“When taxpayer money is involved, accountability is essential,” Duffy commented to DCNF. “Thank you, Senator Ernst, for ensuring federal funds are used effectively.”
Ernst highlighted additional government programs exceeding budgets, such as the Veterans Affairs electronic records system, which has financial overruns, potentially impacting veterans’ care adversely.
She also pointed out overruns in defense projects, including new aircraft for Air Force One and new Coast Guard icebreakers, which alone cost $2 billion. The report also mentioned $3.1 billion in renovations to the Federal Reserve headquarters.
Since her election to the Senate in 2014, Ernst has focused on waste in government spending and has recently examined the effects of remote work on federal agencies. She recently sent a seven-page letter to Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, detailing instances of waste that might lead to over $2 trillion in potential savings.
