‘Over $1.2 Million Spent on Unnecessary Luxury in the Name of Renovation by Biden Administration’s State Department,’ Says Senator Ernst
Senator Ernst Declares Fight Against Wasteful Summer Pool Parties by Biden Administration with Trump Team’s Support
[Washington, July 21, 2025] — The U.S. State Department under the Biden administration has spent over $1.2 million renovating swimming pools at U.S. embassies and diplomatic residences in several war-torn countries such as Haiti, Sudan, and Iraq—according to a report released by the office of Republican Senator Joni Ernst.
“Biden’s State Department has thrown a lavish summer pool party funded by taxpayers,” Senator Ernst said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
She added, “Bureaucrats may think wasting a few million dollars is no big deal, but I’m fed up with this kind of waste in Washington. I will continue to fight against such extravagant spending in cooperation with the Trump administration.”
The New York Post first reported the news, stating that Senator Ernst’s report claimed the Biden administration’s State Department approved pool renovations in the following locations: two in Haiti, five in Iraq, three in Sudan, one in Russia, one in Zimbabwe, and one in Ghana—amounting to a total expenditure of over $1.2 million.
Just three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, between June and August of 2022, $41,259 was spent on pool reconstruction at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
At the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, $444,000 was allocated to replace the dehumidification system of an indoor pool, starting on September 27, 2024. Meanwhile, the U.S. Consulate in Erbil received over $10,000 for mechanical pool repairs.
In Sudan—where the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended operations in 2023 due to ongoing violent conflict—a pool deck was installed in 2021 at a cost of $24,000 in taxpayer funds.
The report also noted that some projects have not yet received full payment—for example, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia was allocated $173,000 for pool improvements, but that amount has not been fully disbursed yet.
Fox News also reported that similar criticism occurred during the Obama administration, when large sums of taxpayer money were used to purchase expensive artwork for U.S. embassies abroad.
This latest report comes amid a broader investigation by the Government Efficiency Office, which has uncovered billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and mismanagement across various federal agencies—prompting initiatives to curb the misuse of public funds.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has led efforts to shut down several State Department programs, most notably the recent announcement to terminate USAID, citing its failure to serve U.S. interests effectively.
Rubio stated, “The era of government-sanctioned incompetence is over. Under the Trump administration, our foreign aid mission will be interest-driven. Starting July 1, all USAID operations will be fully shut down. Only aid programs that directly align with administration policy and American interests will continue, and they will be managed by the State Department—with greater accountability, planning, and efficiency.”
