Op-Ed
In October, my biannual 36 County Tour took me to the 185th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) in Sioux City to meet with members of the Iowa Air National Guard and receive an update on ongoing military construction projects at the base. While I’ve been fortunate to tour the 185th on several occasions, this visit was especially memorable. I had the opportunity to fly in a KC-135 Stratotanker and participate in a refueling mission with F-16 fighter jets from the South Dakota Air National Guard. To say that this experience was incredible is an understatement.
When I’m out on the road traveling on my 36 County Tour, Iowans tell me their legitimate concerns that illegal immigrants are voting in our elections. It’s a concern that I share as well, and I agree that we must ensure that only American citizens vote in American elections. Secure elections are a vital component of our representative form of government.
In August, I stepped back on campus at Iowa State where I graduated with my master’s degree in public administration years ago. My time in Ames was a formative part of my life and my studies helped guide my role as City Administrator of my hometown of Hull from 1999 to 2006, and my current work in Congress for our families, farmers, students and businesses across Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.
On Saturday August 10th, the Iowa State Fair set an all-time single-day attendance record — more than 128,000 people walked through the gates to spend quality time with family, friends, and neighbors and participate in this time-honored Iowa tradition. In total, over 1.1 million people made the trip to Des Moines to eat an assortment of fried foods, play games, win prizes, and check out the hundreds of booths littered throughout the fairgrounds. Just like the attendance record, this year’s State Fair included another unique feature. For the first time in recent memory, the U.S.
This year, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major blow to the federal bureaucracy.
One of the best parts of my job representing Iowa in Congress is meeting with familiar faces on Capitol Hill. It’s a reminder of why I am grateful to serve our families, farmers, businesses, and rural communities – a responsibility that I take very seriously. The other week, I had the chance to do just that when the Sioux Center Chamber of Commerce made the trip out to Washington, D.C.
The American economy is powered by small businesses. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), there are over 33 million small businesses nationwide that employ more than 61 million Americans – accounting for nearly 46% of all U.S. employees and more than 43% of our nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). American businesses stand at the cutting edge of new breakthroughs, innovative technologies, and enhanced efficiency that make our country one of the most competitive in the world.
Over the last few years, the agriculture economy has taken a turn for the worse. Commodity prices have fallen below producers’ break-even points, our agricultural trade deficit has eclipsed $43 billion, farm debt stands at a record $540 billion, and inflation combined with high interest rates continue to squeeze profit margins. A recent report from Purdue University also found that three in every four farmers expect conditions in the farm economy to deteriorate in 2025.
There are many reasons to pass the Farm Bill this year. Prices for corn, soybeans, and other commodities have fallen well below producers’ break-even point, over 100 million birds – including turkeys, broilers, and layers – have been infected by bird flu since 2022, and net farm income is estimated to fall by $10.2 billion this year alone. Inflation also remains a painful tax on our farmers who already face unnecessary and punitive red tape like WOTUS and looming expirations on important pro-growth tax provisions in 2025.