Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, demonstrated the numerous ways in which the federal government spent and wasted excessive amounts of money.
For instance, taxpayer dollars were used to teach pigs how to play video games. “Dolphin-friendly apps” were installed on underwater touch pads for dolphins and a comedy center was established in New York.
Biden has been the recipient of Ernst’s monthly Squeal Award, which recognizes the most outrageous instances of government waste.
Ernst highlights excessive government spending
Ernst’s monthly “Squeal Award” has been awarded to the Biden administration. The award draws attention to the most egregious instances of government waste.
Ernst stated these types of spending that cannot be justified are frustrating for taxpayers, but they continue to occur because no one knows where the trillions of dollars the government pays each year goes. She believes this is deliberate.
“Pigs were trained to play video games… with your tax dollars.”@USDA and @NSF officials approved 3 separate grants to fund experiments seeking to determine whether farm pigs and dolphins can be trained to play video games, said Sen. @JoniErnst. https://t.co/8r05ngUjLE
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) March 13, 2023
The Republican senator compared Biden’s expenditures to a game of Whack-a-Mole, in which the country is continually pushed deeper into debt. She asserted the administration was concealing its waste to avoid being revealed.
The “Swinecraft” program, which educates pigs to play video games, is an example of needless government spending. Pigs were taught to operate a video game task using a joystick and the results showed they were all able to hit one-walled targets on their first attempt.
Ernst also drew attention to a study supported by the National Science Foundation that involved providing dolphins with an underwater “touchpad.” To assess the intelligence of the sea mammals, the touchpad was outfitted with “dolphin-friendly” software.
The Republican senator also talked about the National Comedy Center in New York, whose construction cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Ultimately, she disclosed that millions of dollars have been utilized by four government entities to develop insect-based foods and support insect farms.
Watchdog group criticizes government funding of animal experimentation
The White Coat Waste Project is a watchdog organization that analyzes government expenditures.
Senior Vice President Justin Goodman reacted to Ernst’s new findings, remarking, “The wasteful white coats are at it again.” He attacked the National Science Foundation for financing animal treadmill experiments and dolphin iPad training.
While Americans are struggling to afford everyday necessities, President Biden is making sure absurd and wasteful programs are still receiving millions in taxpayer $. #MakeEmSqueal https://t.co/bBLfXcdj1s
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) March 15, 2023
Goodman also drew attention to the USDA’s financing of controversial trials involving kitten cannibalism, which he described as “horrifying” and required the procurement of cat flesh from China’s wet markets.
Ernst’s discovery that government funds were used to teach pigs to play video games was also mentioned as an instance of wasteful spending.
Goodman likewise talked about Ernst’s efforts to stop “Anthony Fauci’s plan to waste $1.8 million on five cruel, completely pointless trials on puppies to test a new seasonal allergy medication.”
According to a report by Ernst, the Department of Health and Human Services continues to list China’s Wuhan laboratory as a foreign institution authorized to conduct animal experimentation, including on bats.
