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Reynolds’ work to end student debt forgiveness is an effort to keep taxes high
In one of her TV ads, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds brags about cutting taxes. What it doesn’t say is this: Kim Reynolds is fighting to keep taxes higher on Iowans who already face significant economic challenges. You hadn’t heard this? Here’s what’s happening: Last month, Reynolds joined a lawsuit with some other conservative-run states challenging […]
Red states lose at the U.S. Supreme Court on nursing home vaccine mandate
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and several of her Republican colleagues lost a round to the Biden administration this week. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their challenge to an administration rule requiring that workers at nursing homes and other health care facilities receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funds get the COVID vaccine. The Biden administration announced the […]
Joni Ernst targets IRS workers while big-money tax cheats get away with it
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst loves to talk about “making them squeal” in Washington, D.C. Frequently, the Iowa Republican will target an often-obscure part of the federal budget and complain about waste. Lately, the Internal Revenue Service has been in her sights. Over the last few weeks, she’s complained about the Democrats’ plan to hire thousands […]
Iowa has made it harder to vote, study shows
Since the 2020 election, it got harder to vote in Iowa, relative to other states, according to a new study. The Cost of Voting Index, which measures the ease of voting in all 50 states, ranked Iowa 23rd in the nation in its 2022 report, a decline of four places. The new study was published […]
Looking to the midterms: A conversation with Rep. Cheri Bustos
Few people I know have been more plugged in to what voters are thinking in the Midwest, particularly along the Mississippi River, than U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos. She works tirelessly to meet people – and to listen. A Democrat from Moline, Bustos has served 10 years in Congress, representing Illinois’ 17th congressional district. Over the […]
Who is worthy of federal help? It’s time to ask different questions.
The debate over President Biden’s college debt forgiveness plan reminds me a bit about the floodwall Davenport never built. People who live in the Quad-Cities know Davenport has stubbornly gone its own way when it comes to Mississippi River flooding. Even after disastrous floods in 1965 and 1993, the city refused to put in place […]
Critics work to rally opposition to rail merger along the Mississippi
Critics of a proposed $31 billion merger between the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads are trying to marshal opposition in eastern Iowa, saying the deal would hurt the state and especially the Quad-Cities. The merger was proposed last year and the city councils in Scott County’s two largest communities – Davenport and Bettendorf […]