Democrats and Republicans can both agree that the political elitist class in Washington, D.C. is too powerful and too rich. Most of these elites use the political system to gain an advantage for themselves and not the American people they were elected to serve. That of course leaves a bad taste in the mouths of U.S. citizens who are struggling while the political elite are thriving.

One of the reasons President Donald Trump was able to win in historic fashion last November was because of his promise to cut down on the political elitism and the overall bureaucracy that’s so rampant in the federal government. By tapping tech mogul Elon Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Trump admin has already gotten to a strong start with slashing government waste and fraud.

This in turn has also helped to cut down on career bureaucrats and politicians who belong to this elite class in Washington, D.C. But some believe that there’s still far more work to be done in order to completely wipe the Deep State off the map and help the federal government get back to it’s goal of helping to serve Americans.

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), who is the chairwoman for the DOGE caucus, has discovered a “slush fund” that she believes is an absolute waste of taxpayer dollars. This fund was created to assist presidential candidates financially with their campaigns, something Ernst believes isn’t the responsibility of the taxpayer. Not only that, but the last time the fund was used successfully was in 2004 by President George W. Bush.

Ernst Seeks to Eliminate Dormant $400M Presidential Campaign Fund

Senator Joni Ernst is pushing to eliminate a long-dormant federal fund meant to assist presidential candidates, calling it “welfare for politicians.” Through her proposed legislation, the Eliminating Leftover Expenses for Campaigns from Taxpayers (ELECT) Act, Ernst aims to reclaim the $400 million sitting untouched in the account, which has largely gone unused since the turn of the millennium.

“This Presidents Day I am fighting for the integrity of the office because the last thing we need to spend tax dollars on is more political attack ads,” Ernst said. “There is no better way to pay down the $36 trillion debt than by defunding welfare for politicians. Washington should be working to benefit all Americans instead of itself.”

Ernst, who chairs the DOGE caucus in the Senate, emphasized that the fund has not meaningfully served its intended purpose for decades. The last successful presidential candidate to draw from it was George W. Bush during his 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Since then, only a handful of unsuccessful candidates have tapped into the fund, including former Vice President Mike Pence and Green Party candidate Jill Stein during her 2024 presidential campaign.

Pence reportedly received over $1 million during his short-lived GOP primary bid, while Stein collected $380,000. The late Senator John McCain (R-AZ), also received $84.1 million in public funds for his 2008 presidential campaign. According to an FEC release from that time, major-party nominees were entitled to $20 million as well as a cost-of-living adjustment dating back to 1974.

The proposal to defund the account was initially floated in a DOGE-focused letter from Ernst to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in November. Stein, speaking to Fox News Digital, argued that the fund had been “raided” of $375 million and claimed that both parties have sought to weaken its effectiveness. She pointed to efforts like H.R.-1, the For the People Act, which she said attempted to make public funding “out of reach of grassroots candidates” during President Biden’s tenure.

She also highlighted the IRS’ 1040 tax form checkbox, which allows filers to voluntarily contribute $3 to the fund, arguing that this feature distinguishes it from other public expenditures. “It’s outrageous,” Stein said, describing the move to eliminate the fund as “part of a bipartisan, anti-democratic effort to stifle competition in presidential elections – specifically by denying voters the option to support publicly financed candidates who refuse the legalized bribery of big corporate contributions.”

Citing a Gallup poll, Stein contended that most voters want an alternative to the two dominant parties, stating, “Publicly funded campaigns are the antidote to the massive legalized corruption that puts more money in the hands of billionaires than ever… the American people abhor the corporate buyout of our elections.” She further argued that eliminating public funding strips voters of the ability to support candidates who reject pay-to-play politics, adding that reforms like ranked-choice voting, inclusive debates, and ballot access improvements are necessary to make elections more democratic.

A source familiar with FEC regulations noted that candidates can also seek public funds to pay off campaign debt. According to IRS Code 9006, which dates the fund’s origins back to the 1970s, eligible candidates can receive payments “upon receipt of a certification from the [Federal Election] Commission.” The code specifies that “Amounts paid to any such candidates shall be under the control of such candidates.”

While the fund remains largely dormant, a portion of it has previously been redirected for other purposes. In 2014, Congress repurposed funds originally allocated for political party conventions, instead channeling them into pediatric cancer research. Then-Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., spearheaded the effort, and President Barack Obama signed the bill into law. The legislation, named the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, was championed by then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., after he learned about a young Leesburg girl’s battle with cancer.

Ernst’s proposal points to another attempt to repurpose taxpayer dollars toward public interests rather than funding what she views as outdated political subsidies. Whether the initiative gains traction in a divided Congress remains to be seen, but it’s obvious that the American people are sick and tired of political elites benefiting off their tax dollars while they continue to suffer.

Do you support Ernst’s proposal to eliminate this slush fund? What other aspects of the federal government should DOGE target? As always, let us know down in the comments below!