Op-Ed

In the United States of America, every child deserves a loving family to call their own and a safe place to call home. Our foster care system plays an integral role in fulfilling this mission and connecting vulnerable children with families who are able and prepared to support their growth, health, and success. However, our foster care system also faces enormous challenges – from foster home shortages to low retention rates of foster families – that prevent vulnerable children from finding a caring home.

For me and my family, Iowa has always been home. My parents raised my siblings and me in Hull, instilling in us our faith in God and the values of hard work, humility, and service to others. My wife and I raised our kids in Hull, too. We prioritized those same values — faith, compassion, respect, honesty, and responsibility — that make our rural communities safe, strong, and successful.

Pregnancy resource centers are a vital lifeline for women in need. These organizations provide valuable services at little to no cost to expecting mothers and young families, including pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parenting education, counseling, free diapers, and other necessities. I truly appreciate the work that pregnancy resource centers do to support Iowa families, promote the health and wellbeing of newborns, and defend the unborn. Their mission is worthy and necessary.

Every night, across our country, tens of thousands of veterans – our nation’s most cherished and honorable citizens – sleep on the streets. It’s wrong and unacceptable. The men and women who answered the call to serve our country in uniform deserve better, including a safe, warm place to call home.

The United States is in the midst of the largest foreign animal disease outbreak in our country’s history. Since the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus re-emerged in early 2022, over 66 million birds from more than 960 sites in 47 states have been impacted. More than 45 of those cases have been in Iowa, including several this fall. This continues to be a stressful and challenging time for our state’s poultry producers.

When it comes to American energy production, President Biden has made his agenda crystal clear. He prefers foreign oil over American energy, mountains of red tape over fewer regulations, federal mandates over individual choice, and higher prices at the pump over affordability for our families. Even worse, his actions confirm these preferences.

President Biden’s track record on the economy is abysmal. Spending trillions of taxpayer dollars on liberal nonsense plunged our economy into chaos, fueled 40-year-high inflation, and decimated American household wealth. His failed economic policies – which he has coined “Bidenomics” – have created uncertainty and headaches for our small businesses, forced families to dip into their savings to keep up with rising prices, and raised operating costs for our farmers.

The men and women who have served our country at home and abroad are heroes. Their sacrifices – many unseen and untold – have secured the blessings of freedom for generations of Americans. From missing important family events to facing unthinkable danger on the battlefield, their stories of resilience and patriotism are not only an inspiration, but also a sobering reminder that the price of freedom is not free.