DOGE goes after $1.8 billion 'propaganda' fund for mascots, comic books and candy

A apical Republican is moving to slash government-funded advertizing 'propaganda' similar mascots, comic books, snuggies and stuffed animals that outgo taxpayers astir $2 cardinal annually.

Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has reintroduced a measurement to restrict national funds utilized for nationalist relations gimmicks.

Her Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government (SWAG) Act seeks to extremity unnecessary advertizing initiatives connected fidget spinners, koozies, apparel and different trinkets arsenic portion of Donald Trump and Elon Musk's program to slash trillions successful wasteful spending.

The purpose is for national agencies to chopped costs spent connected initiatives that aren't captious to their halfway mission, specified arsenic promotional items, what Ernst calls propaganda. 

The measure volition besides unit authorities unit to way the instrumentality connected investments successful advertizing programs

According to an investigation by Rebuild Local News, a nonprofit advocating for section quality outlets, the authorities doubled its PR fund betwixt 2018 - 2023 from $780 cardinal annually to $1.8 billion.

Though the immense bulk of that national advertizing fund goes towards subject recruitment, overmuch of it gets wasted connected frivolous knickknacks Ernst argues. 

Particularly egregious are the myriad mascot costumes made to bolster the national governments image, the Iowa Republican told DailyMail.com. 

The Department of Agriculture's creepy greenish mutant pest named 'Vin Vasive' - a play connected an invasive taxon - and the Department of Homeland Security's carnivore and canine mascots, 'Agent Teddy' and 'Tracker,' would each beryllium defunded nether her measure. 

So excessively would 'Champa Boom,' the bespoke mascot for the DOD's MacDill Air Force Base that is styled arsenic a subject level and reportedly outgo $9,000 to make.  

'You mightiness mistake Washington for a precise costly kid's day party, with national employees playing formal up, appearing arsenic mascots, and making coloring books,' Ernst told DailyMail.com successful a statement. 

'I americium going to clang the enactment and container this costly swag. Misbehaving bureaucrats request to halt wasting taxation dollars trying to refurbish their atrocious reputation, and absorption connected serving the American people.'

Effectively the measure would defund each mascots that person not been authorized by Congress.  

Congressionally approved mascots similar the U.S. Forest Service's Smokey the Bear and Woodsy Owl would not beryllium impacted by the bill. 

Government funded promotional blankets, buttons, candy, clothing, coloring books, graphic novels, cups, fidget spinners, hats, vacation ornaments, jar grip openers, keychains, koozies, magnets, cervix ties, snuggies, stickers, accent balls, stuffed animals, thermoses, tote bags, trading cards, and penning utensils would besides beryllium impacted. 

For example, a comic publication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled 'The Junior Disease Detectives: Operation Outbreak' aimed to thatch kids astir the root communicative of a virus, would besides beryllium defunded. 

Ernst has been laser-focused connected her DOGE designation successful caller months. 

Last week she introduced a measure to betterment the 'greenie' mathematics done nether the Biden administration she claimed inflated costs by up to $600 billion. 

In December she announced different measurement that would track national teleworker's enactment activity by requiring agencies to 'periodically reappraisal the web postulation generated by each specified teleworking employee.'