Washington, D.C. – Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst announced on December 19, 2025, the launch of a public database naming 383,000 federal bureaucrats collectively drawing $38.3 billion in annual salaries from taxpayer dollars. The initiative, dubbed “The Bureaucrat Book,” aims to shine a spotlight on what Ernst calls an “unaccountable swamp” of high-paid government employees, many in non-essential roles.
Ernst, a vocal fiscal hawk and chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, revealed the project during a Capitol press conference, flanked by charts highlighting six-figure salaries in agencies like the Department of Education and Environmental Protection Agency. “Americans deserve to know exactly who is spending their hard-earned money,” she declared, promising regular updates with names, titles, agencies, and compensation. The database, hosted on her Senate website, draws from public payroll data under the Freedom of Information Act, focusing on GS-13 and above positions earning over $100,000.
The move builds on Ernst’s “Waste Watch” series, which has targeted lavish conferences and redundant programs. Supporters praise it as transparency long overdue, with House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington calling it “a powerful tool to hold the bureaucracy accountable.” Critics, including Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, slammed it as “doxxing public servants” that could endanger workers and families, warning of harassment risks in a polarized climate.
As Trump’s administration pursues $2 trillion in spending cuts, Ernst’s database could fuel debates over federal workforce reductions. With midterms approaching, it positions Republicans as champions of efficiency—or risks painting them as witch-hunters. For now, the names are out, and the reckoning begins.
