by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch
July 17, 2025
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst praised the cuts to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) included in the bill passed in the early hours of Thursday to cancel $9 billion in federal funding for foreign aid efforts and public broadcasting.
Ernst spoke in support of the cuts made through the rescissions bill, requested by President Donald Trump’s administration, that will claw back federal funding that had previously been approved, some of which were provisions targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) service earlier in 2025.
The Iowa Republican has regularly criticized USAID spending and supported the DOGE cuts and the closure of the foreign aid agency.
