My Weekly Column

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.

Before I voted for the Farm Bill – which passed out of the House Agriculture Committee in May – I held many town halls with farmers and producers as part of my 36 County Tour and Feenstra Agriculture Tour to ensure that the priorities of our agricultural community were included in this vital legislation. In my conversations with producers, I repeatedly heard about the need for strong crop insurance protections, more opportunities to access new export markets, and foreign animal disease prevention and response.

The right to vote forms the bedrock of our democratic republic and gives an important voice to the people — of which, by which, and for which our country was established, and President Lincoln so eloquently put during his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Men and women in uniform have sacrificed their own lives to ensure that our nation could be free and that we all have the right to participate in our system of government.

Last month, I traveled to Israel to meet with government officials about the ongoing war. We walked the Kibbutzes where innocent Israelis were murdered, raped, beheaded, and tortured by Hamas terrorists and learned more of the horrifying details about the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. We saw firsthand the food, water, medical supplies, and other aid that Israel is actively delivering to civilians in Palestine despite unfounded outcry from Hamas apologists.

When a family welcomes a newborn into the world or a medical condition leaves someone unable to work, it’s important that employees of businesses both large and small have access to paid family and medical leave. Paid family and medical leave – known as PFML for short – ensures that workers can take needed paid time off to spend with their families when a new baby arrives or, in the event of a medical emergency, allows employees to take the time that they need to heal and recover without missing a paycheck.

Our communities have faced – and continue to experience – catastrophic flooding that has devastated homes, farms, businesses, schools, and hospitals. Families have lost cherished possessions, businesses face costly cleanup, and farmers have lost crops. However, despite this challenging time for our district, Iowans are resilient. Neighbors are stepping up to help neighbors, farmers are deploying their payloaders to haul away debris, and communities are coming together to recover and rebuild.