A top Republican is working to slash government-funded advertising ‘propaganda’ like mascots, comic books, snuggies and stuffed animals that cost taxpayers nearly $2 billion annually.
Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has reintroduced a measure to restrict federal funds used for public relations gimmicks.
Her Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government (SWAG) Act seeks to end unnecessary advertising initiatives on fidget spinners, koozies, clothes and other trinkets as part of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plan to slash trillions in wasteful spending.
The aim is for federal agencies to cut costs spent on initiatives that aren’t critical to their core mission, such as promotional items, what Ernst calls propaganda.
The bill will also force government staff to track the return on investments in advertising programs
According to an analysis by Rebuild Local News, a nonprofit advocating for local news outlets, the government doubled its PR budget between 2018 – 2023 from $780 million annually to $1.8 billion.
Though the vast majority of that federal advertising budget goes towards military recruitment, much of it gets wasted on frivolous knickknacks Ernst argues.
Particularly egregious are the myriad mascot costumes made to bolster the federal governments image, the Iowa Republican told DailyMail.com.
‘We’re doggone excited to reintroduce our German shepherd mascot, Tracker,’ a Border Patrol social media account posted in August 2024
USDA character ‘Vin-Vasive’ the mascot used to warn about invasive species
MacDill Air Force Base’s ‘Champa Boom’ mascot that reportedly cost $9,000 to make
The Department of Agriculture’s creepy green mutant pest named ‘Vin Vasive’ – a play on an invasive species – and the Department of Homeland Security’s bear and dog mascots, ‘Agent Teddy’ and ‘Tracker,’ would all be defunded under her measure.
So too would ‘Champa Boom,’ the bespoke mascot for the DOD’s MacDill Air Force Base that is styled as a military plane and reportedly cost $9,000 to make.
‘You might mistake Washington for a very expensive kid’s birthday party, with federal employees playing dress up, appearing as mascots, and making coloring books,’ Ernst told DailyMail.com in a statement.
‘I am going to crash the party and bag this costly swag. Misbehaving bureaucrats need to stop wasting tax dollars trying to refurbish their bad reputation, and focus on serving the American people.’
Effectively the bill would defund all mascots that have not been authorized by Congress.
Congressionally approved mascots like the U.S. Forest Service’s Smokey the Bear and Woodsy Owl would not be impacted by the bill.
Government funded promotional blankets, buttons, candy, clothing, coloring books, graphic novels, cups, fidget spinners, hats, holiday ornaments, jar grip openers, keychains, koozies, magnets, neck ties, snuggies, stickers, stress balls, stuffed animals, thermoses, tote bags, trading cards, and writing utensils would also be impacted.
The Junior Disease Detectives: Operation Outbreak Graphic Novel
Border Patrol’s ‘Agent Teddy’ plays with kids on career day
‘Champa Boom’ posing for pictures on Halloween
For example, a comic book by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled ‘The Junior Disease Detectives: Operation Outbreak’ aimed to teach kids about the origin story of a virus, would also be defunded.
Ernst has been laser-focused on her DOGE designation in recent months.
Last week she introduced a measure to reform the ‘greenie’ math done under the Biden administration she claimed inflated costs by up to $600 billion.
In December she announced another measure that would track federal teleworker’s work activity by requiring agencies to ‘periodically review the network traffic generated by each such teleworking employee.’
