The four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U.S. House have voted for the GOP budget plan that includes an extension of tax cuts President Trump approved in 2017.
In a written statement, fourth district Congressman Randy Feenstra said his yes vote “unlocks” the potential “to deliver on Trump’s full agenda” to cut taxes, secure the border and eliminate waste and fraud in the government. Third district Congressman Zach Nunn said he voted for the package to prevent “a 22 percent tax hike” on the average taxpayer, get the economy “back on track” and “prevent job losses.
Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines, was among about 50 protesters who gathered outside Nunn’s office in Des Moines this morning to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid. Baeth, who is a member of the Iowa House, said Nunn’s yes vote tonight is surprising.
“This is not a popular political position to take,” Baeth said. “Zach Nunn is very much a vulnerable congressman…in a swing district that’s going to be targeted in 2026 and so most people with good political sense would err on the side of the people and not the billionaires who are just trying to find cuts in the budget.”
The House GOP’s budget document calls for reducing federal spending on Medicaid by about $880 billion, but it does not say if that means fewer Americans will quality for Medicaid coverage or if Medicaid payments to doctors, hospitals and nursing homes will be reduced. “Iowa, being an older state, we already have such a hard time finding nursing home beds for our elderly,” Baeth said. “If nursing home care becomes even more difficult for nursing home operators, we might be in a world of hurt.”
About 100 people gathered outside Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks office in Davenport earlier today to protest the proposed cuts in Medicaid. Tonight, in a post on X, Miller-Meeks said she voted to advance a budget resolution “to ensure that Iowans do not see their paychecks shrink.” Miller-Meeks said “almost every Iowan would see a tax HIKE” if the tax cuts approved during Trump’s previous term as president are allowed to expire on December 31, 2025.
In a statement on X tonight, second district Congresswoman Ashley Hinson said she voted yes on the House GOP’s budget resolution so congress “can make good on Trump’s America First agenda” to secure the border, “unleash American energy” and prevent tax increases.
The budget resolution passed the U.S. House this evening on a 217-215 vote. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie was the only Republican who opposed the measure.