Ernst Increases Access to Child Care for Military Families and Transparency for Defense Spending

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, secured major wins in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), advancing her priorities for Iowans, servicemembers and their families, taxpayers, and America's national security.

"Our men and women in uniform are our military's greatest asset. As a combat veteran, I've made it my mission to ensure servicemembers have the resources they need to remain the most lethal fighting force in the world," said Ernst. "A strong America starts with a strong military. The FY 2027 NDAA delivers for our servicemembers, military families, and Iowa communities while making sure Washington is accountable for every taxpayer dollar. I'm proud to have advanced these priorities and will keep fighting to ensure our military is ready to deter and defeat any threat."

The bill passed the Senate Armed Services Committee with bipartisan support and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Securing Iowa's Role in Our National Defense

Working with Iowa State University and Ames National Laboratory

Ernst secured a Critical Minerals Recycling provision establishing a pilot program to recycle critical minerals from Pentagon hard drives.

As the U.S. strengthens Rare Earth Element and critical material supply chains, this provision ensures the Department preserves and reuses the materials we already have.

Putting Warfighters and Their Families First

Expanding Child Care Access for Military Families

As a mother and grandmother who served in uniform, Ernst understands all too well the unique challenges military families face. Ernst championed her HERO Child Care for Military Families Act, which cuts through red tape, increases child care availability, and reduces hiring delays.

The HERO Act expands access to Pentagon child care assistance by allowing more providers to participate, giving military families more options. It also establishes a preclearance system for child care workers to speed up hiring and reduce staffing shortages. Finally, it creates a department-wide data system to track child care capacity, waitlists, vacancies, and unmet needs, helping leaders address gaps before they become crises.

Advancing Readiness with Equal Expectations

As the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate, a landmark amendment Ernst secured will codify sex-neutral occupational performance standards, ensuring military jobs are filled based on merit and readiness while maintaining the high standards our national defense demands.

Ensuring Every Defense Dollar Counts

Stopping Secret Spending at the Pentagon

All government spending is required by law to be publicly disclosed on the searchable public website USAspending.gov. Yet, Pentagon bureaucrats are hiding how tens of billions of dollars are being spent through arrangements known as "other transaction agreements" (OTAs).

The Pentagon has obligated $77.5 billion for OTAs over the past five years and another $7.6 billion since October of last year.

At least two unvetted foreign contractors that were part of OTA projects received awards and had access to U.S.-only information, according to a 2021 PENTAGON OIG audit. The Pentagon may be paying questionable and inappropriate costs being charged by OTA participants. For example, the OIG found the Navy may have paid $800,000 in questionable and inappropriate costs for an OTA project.

The Government Accountability Office says without greater transparency of OTAs, the Pentagon "cannot assess the extent to which OTAs are delivering capabilities to the warfighter."

Ernst secured a major win for taxpayers and our warfighters with her Stop Secret Spending Act, which requires unclassified OTAs to be made public just like all other government spending, allowing taxpayers to see for themselves exactly how the money they send to Washington is being spent.

Advancing the Pentagon's Path to a Clean Audit

After the Pentagon failed its most recent financial statement, upholding its unenviable title as the only federal agency to have never passed an audit, Ernst led the charge to account for every cent the department spent.

Ernst's Reviewing Every Check and Each Invoice Purchasing Troops' Supplies (RECEIPTS) Act requires the Pentagon to achieve a clean audit by 2028 and to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) technology to reduce the reliance on costly consultants.

The RECEIPTS Act rewards military departments and defense agencies that achieve clean audits after FY 2028 with greater budget flexibility, creating a clear incentive to pass a financial audit. The bill also authorizes $300 million for AI, automation, and business system modernization to accelerate audits and improve financial accuracy, fully offset by eliminating existing consulting contracts.

Canceling Zombie Charge Cards

DOGE exposed that the federal government holds approximately 4.6 million active purchase cards and accounts, with $40 billion in spending in 2024. Ernst and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) commissioned a government-wide review of federal charge card programs after learning that federal employees used government charge cards for more than 11,000 transactions at "known high-risk merchants," including casinos, night clubs, and bars.

Ernst's Deactivating and Eliminating Cards Linked to Inactive or Nonexistent Employees (DECLINE) Act ensures charge cards and accounts are promptly deactivated and closed when a federal employee leaves their job. It also prohibit the use of government-issued charge cards at casinos, strip clubs, and similar establishments, closing a long-standing gap in spending accountability.

Advancing Peace Through Strength

Partnering with Our Nordic Allies

Ernst also secured a landmark Arctic defense provision directing the Pentagon to deepen military partnerships with Nordic allies across the air, missile, maritime, cyber, and space domains, strengthening America's northern flank against Russian and Chinese threats.

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