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Farmers likely to see more multinational trade deals crafted in Biden administration
WASHINGTON — American farmers who have gone through the drama and turbulence of trade and agriculture policy in the Trump administration can expect a far more sedate and multinational experience when President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January. On just the third day of his administration, President Donald Trump rattled world leaders and upended exports […]
Tight 2nd District race features two candidates with state experience
Iowa state Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks ran and lost three campaigns for a U.S. House seat representing southeastern Iowa. This year, on her fourth attempt and with the seat open, the Republican is hoping she has her best shot yet. But Miller-Meeks faces a formidable opponent in Democrat Rita Hart, a former state senator who unsuccessfully […]
Big Ten football, pandemic and politics collide as U-Wisconsin leader testifies before Congress
The Big Ten athletic conference will “keep its season postponed” for fall sports until it can guarantee more rigorous COVID-19 testing and address potential long-term health complications for student athletes, a Wisconsin university official told U.S. senators Tuesday. The comments from Rebecca Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, came as speculation has swirled all […]
Are D.C. lawmakers really shirking their job if they vote by proxy?
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans have a new line of attack against some Democrats — they charge they are failing to show up for work. The criticism refers to this year’s practice of proxy voting in the House, which enables lawmakers of either party to cast votes even when they are not at the Capitol. […]
Voting rights legislation named for John Lewis stalled in Congress
Democrats are pushing for Congress to restore a key element of the Voting Rights Act as a way to honor civil rights icon John Lewis. The late Georgia congressman was a leader in getting Congress to pass the landmark law in 1965. But so far, few Republicans seem willing to go along and legislation is […]
Axne calls on postmaster general to resign
Despite the postmaster general’s announcement Tuesday that he would suspend the much-criticized changes he has been making to the nation’s mail service, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne says it is time for him to resign. Axne, a freshman Democrat from Iowa, said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who took the top position at the post office in […]
Axne prods Congress to help teachers as worries spread over going back to school
Teachers were feeling stressed out even before the pandemic began, and their anxieties have exploded as lawmakers and school leaders debate whether to launch in-person classes this fall. U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne is hoping that her push to highlight teacher mental health in a House measure will prod Congress to do more to help educators […]
Iowa cattle growers ask Congress to address a beef over market rules
Several members of Iowa’s congressional delegation want to rewrite the rules governing cattle sales in an effort to help Iowa farmers who fear big meat processing companies are increasingly shutting them out of cattle markets. The rules that Iowa lawmakers are proposing would force cattle producers in places like Texas and Nebraska – where cattle-raising […]
U.S. House infrastructure plans could benefit rural Iowa, Democrats say
To make her case that rural Iowa needs federal help fixing its roads and bridges, U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer took her colleague U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on a tour of Buchanan County in northeast Iowa. There, they saw engineers making bridges out of old […]
What Wisconsin’s voting chaos can teach other states
WASHINGTON — Wisconsin’s primary election has become a cautionary tale for election administrators and public officials all over the country. Nobody wants to see long lines of masked voters like Milwaukee saw on April 7 due to a lack of poll workers and polling places. But the Wisconsin election also offered another lesson: moving voters […]
COVID-19 pushes Postal Service’s finances to the brink
WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans are relying on the U.S. Postal Service for key supplies while they isolate themselves to slow the spread of COVID-19. But the Postal Service itself faces uncertain times ahead, as the economic fallout of the pandemic and hostility from the Trump administration threaten to hobble it. “At a time when […]
Trump reluctantly invoked an obscure wartime power. Here’s what it means.
WASHINGTON — As his administration came under fire for its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, President Donald Trump last week invoked an obscure Korean War-era law to force General Motors to manufacture ventilators that could save patients’ lives. But Trump waited weeks to do so, raising questions about how effective his actions would be. “Our […]