Trump signs Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, targeting costly federal projects

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) requiring the federal government to publicly disclose major projects that are significantly over budget or behind schedule.

The law, dubbed the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, requires federal agencies to publicly report projects that are at least $1 billion over budget or five years behind schedule.

“Washington math doesn’t add up, but my Billion Dollar Boondoggle law will restore accountability to its shady accounting,” Ernst said. “Taxpayers deserve this transparency, and it will protect them from being put on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars sunk into failed and mismanaged projects plagued by massive cost overruns and never-ending delays.”

Ernst led the bill in the Senate alongside Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), while Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) pushed it in the House. The legislation passed both chambers with bipartisan support before being sent to the White House.

“Granite Staters deserve to know that their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent responsibly,” Hassan said, calling the measure a “commonsense, bipartisan bill” that will give the public greater visibility into federal spending.

Miller-Meeks said the law would give Congress and the public “greater visibility into federal projects that go over budget and fall behind schedule.”

“For years, Washington buried its biggest money pits where taxpayers would never find them,” Ernst said. “Only in Washington can a project run 21 years behind schedule and still keep cashing checks. Not anymore. With my law, every boondoggle gets dragged into the daylight, starting with five more projects about $100 billion over budget.”

The new law comes as Ernst released five additional projects she identified as “boondoggles,” which include major infrastructure and defense programs.

The War Department’s F-35 modernization program has increased from $395.7 billion to $485.2 billion since 2012, putting it $89.5 billion over budget. The program is also five years behind schedule, with completion now expected in 2031.

Ernst also flagged two [URL='https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/department-of-transportation/']Transportation Department[/URL] projects: the Hudson River Tunnel between New York and New Jersey and Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The Hudson River Tunnel is $3 billion over budget, rising from $12.7 billion to $15.7 billion, and three years behind schedule. The rebuilding of Baltimore’s Key Bridge is projected to cost as much as $5.2 billion, up to $3.5 billion above the original estimate, and is two years behind schedule.

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At NASA, the Dragonfly spacecraft project has nearly quadrupled in cost, from $850 million to $3.35 billion, putting it $2.5 billion over budget and more than two years behind schedule.

The Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Medical Center, meanwhile, is $1.2 billion over budget, with costs rising from $450.3 million to $1.6 billion. The project is 21 years behind schedule, with completion now expected in 2036.

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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]