Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Joni Ernst

Republican on Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 2026-08-07

221 words · 12 sentences · 14 clauses

Statement grade

A+

Average 95 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 80%Positioning 4%The ask 5%Procedure 11%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Claims · 176 wordstaxpayers deserve to know how the money they send to Washington is being spent. For 20 years now, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act has required unclassified government spending to be put online in a searchable public website, USAspending.gov.¹ This allows taxpayers to review the receipts for themselves. Bureaucrats, however, have been hiding tens of billions of dollars distributed through secret spending arrangements known as other transaction agreements, or OTAs, by not publicly disclosing these expenditures on USAspending.gov. With fraudsters stealing $1.4 billion every single day, we need this information now so we can account for who is taking tax dollars and why.² In June, the Senate unanimously passed my bipartisan Stop Secret Spending Act to require OTAs to be publicly disclosed on USAspending.gov, just like all other government spending.³ Last month, the House approved the bipartisan companion bill introduced by Representatives Moore and Panetta.⁴ Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate agree that Washington needs to finally end the secrecy about how tens of billions of dollars are being spent every year. Positioning · 9 wordsThat is a win for everyone, especially our taxpayers.Positioning The ask · 12 wordsLet’s send this bill to the President today so it becomes law. Mr. President, Procedure · 24 wordsnotwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 2069, which was received from the House.ProcedureOff point

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 84

4 of 7 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “That is a win for everyone, especially our taxpayers.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “2069,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “which was received from the House.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

3 of 7 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R.”This is a procedural unanimous-consent request rather than speech on the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “2069,”A bill number cited only as part of the procedural request, not addressing the bill’s content.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “which was received from the House.”A procedural note about receiving the bill from the House, not speech on the bill.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 7 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 4

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“For 20 years now, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act has required unclassified government spending to be put online in a searchable public website, USAspending.gov”The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, enacted around 2006, has for 20 years required unclassified government spending to be published on the searchable public website USAspending.gov.search
2“fraudsters stealing $1.4 billion every single day”Fraudsters are stealing $1.4 billion per day from the US government.search
3“In June, the Senate unanimously passed my bipartisan Stop Secret Spending Act to require OTAs to be publicly disclosed on USAspending.gov”The Senate unanimously passed the Stop Secret Spending Act, which would require other transaction agreements to be disclosed on USAspending.gov, in June 2026.search
4“Last month, the House approved the bipartisan companion bill introduced by Representatives Moore and Panetta.”In July 2026, the House approved a bipartisan companion Stop Secret Spending bill introduced by Representatives Moore and Panetta.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15