My Weekly Column

After years of inflation, high interest rates, increased energy costs, trade uncertainty, and bureaucratic red tape, the outlook for the farm economy is bleak. U.S. farmers and producers continue to face drops in farm income, regulations like WOTUS still pose the threat of punitive and costly fines, and inflation has made the cost of doing business more expensive and forced producers to delay new equipment purchases.

For decades, China has threatened our national security through both overt and covert measures. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and affiliated individuals and entities have rapidly increased purchases of American farmland, stolen valuable intellectual property and other critical technologies, infiltrated our schools and universities, and violated our trade laws with impunity. As the world becomes increasingly volatile, we have a duty to protect our country and the American people from CCP influence and interference.

In 2017, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) – the single largest and most comprehensive reform of the tax code in decades. As promised, this legislation boosted our economy, strengthened our global competitiveness, and let American families, farmers, and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money.

When I was first elected to Congress, I promised that I would focus my energy on finding solutions to the challenges facing our families, farmers, businesses, and rural communities. Nearly four years later, my mission hasn’t changed. I work every day to ensure that the voice of Iowans is heard loud and clear in the halls of Congress and that I do everything in my power to advance policies that strengthen our economy, support agriculture, lower costs for our families, and keep our nation secure.

At the end of 2025, pro-growth, pro-worker, pro-family tax policies authorized by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are set to expire. These provisions include the nearly doubled standard deduction for Iowa families, tax cuts for small businesses, investment incentives for our farmers, manufacturers, and job creators, and other tax items.

Strong families are the foundation of strong communities. As a husband and father of four, it is important to me that we advance policies that strengthen families and support children, especially those in need. That’s why – during my time in Congress – I have worked as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee to uplift our families and support our children.

At the end of July, our national debt officially topped $35 trillion. This development comes just seven months after our country surpassed $34 trillion in debt and less than a year since our national debt eclipsed $33 trillion last September. As a father of four, I firmly believe that we have both a moral and financial obligation to our children and grandchildren to enact real reforms that begin to reduce our exploding national debt and restore fiscal sanity to Congress.