U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) says greater transparency concerning the federal workforce is her Christmas wish this year, arguing taxpayers should have access to basic information about government employees. In a year-end message to constituents, Ernst criticized D.C. bureaucrats for what she calls the willful withholding of key details about government workers. Ernst cites research from a non-partisan group, Open the Books, which found more than a million federal employee records were redacted during the Biden administration, even as the size and cost of the federal workforce grew to an estimated 2.1 million people. Ernst says that staffing information for the White House and Congress is already public and questioned why similar disclosures are not required across other federal agencies. According to Open the Books, federal payroll costs are nearly $1 billion per day, with nearly 1,000 employees earning more than the president, who earns a $400,000 annual salary. Ernst highlights her previous investigations into federal employees who took bubble baths and ran personal businesses while on the clock. Ernst announced plans to introduce the Where’s the Workforce At Listed by Duties and Office Act, or the “Where’s WALDO Act,” which would create a public directory that lists federal employees’ job descriptions, locations, and salaries. A link to Ernst’s proposed legislation is included below.
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