S. 636: Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-03-09 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 56.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-03-09 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 56. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2021

Plain summary

Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance requiring federal agencies to report annually to Congress regarding certain federally funded projects that are (1) more than five years behind schedule, or (2) have expenditures that are at least $1 billion more than the original cost estimate for the project.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 636, Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2021 (2021-04-06)

Cosponsors on this site

Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Rick Scott (R-FL), James Lankford (R-OK), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] reported raising $2.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
CBO cost estimate: The Congressional Budget Office's estimate of how a federal bill would change government spending and revenue. CBO is nonpartisan.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117s636.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/s>

Record fed-us-cong117-s636 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117