As debate over the origins of Covid-19 continues, the Biden Administration is launching an audit of federal grants that may have supported coronavirus research in China. Republican Senator Joni Ernst has been pushing for an investigation of a US non-profit that sent about $600,000 in federal grant … [Read more...]
Ernst says Biden budget less generous to military compared to IRS
Republican Senator Joni Ernst says President Biden has proposed a federal budget that would spend too little on the military and too much on the Internal Revenue Service. "Who does the president think he will be able to call on should we need to fight off foreign threats? His new army of IRS … [Read more...]
Ernst seeks ban on U.S. support of China’s Wuhan Institute
The U.S. Senate has approved a proposal from Iowa Senator Joni Ernst that would ban U.S. tax dollars from funding any of China's state-run labs. That would including the Wuhan Institute where new reports suggest researchers were seriously ill before the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in … [Read more...]
Senator Grassley hopeful Corps will prioritize Missouri River flood control
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is among several members of Congress asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make flood control its priority in managing the Missouri River. Grassley notes that it's not the first time he's asked the Corps to make the change, but he's optimistic he'll be heard this … [Read more...]
Iowa congressional delegation remarks on Biden’s first 100 days
The two Republicans from Iowa who serve in the U.S. Senate say President Biden hasn't followed up on his campaign pledge to pursue bipartisan solutions. Senator Chuck Grassley said the Biden presidency is only 100 days old, so there's plenty of time for Biden to be more like the "bipartisan … [Read more...]
Iowa’s U.S. Senators support major shift in military sexual assault prosecutions
Military commanders would no longer decide whether soldiers accused of sexual assault are prosecuted under a proposal Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are supporting. Ernst, a veteran of the Iowa National Guard, said sexual assault has "plagued the military for too long" and it makes … [Read more...]
Ernst warns of pushback to price transparency bill for cattle markets
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is co-sponsoring legislation designed to foster more disclosure of the prices paid for cattle, as well as a bill to block federal agencies from promoting a "meatless" diet among employees. Ernst, a Republican who grew up on a farm near Red Oak, said these issues are … [Read more...]
Ernst says Biden’s infrastructure bill gives GOP ‘heartburn’
Republican Senator Joni Ernst says President Biden's more than two-trillion dollar infrastructure plan is too bloated to get GOP support. "We don't want to see a lot of extraneous things put into the package and that's where I think we're going to run into a lot of heartburn," Ernst said during a … [Read more...]
Senator Ernst says border crisis is a national security issue
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is calling for a bipartisan effort to address issues of border security. The Biden administration says there is a big problem at the southern border, but Ernst says it has gotten well beyond that stage. "This is not just a big problem. This is a crisis at the border," … [Read more...]
Senator Ernst: excitement of federal stimulus checks will wear off with tax hikes
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the economic stimulus package will be a campaign issue for Republicans in 2022 even though it means many people are getting checks. Ernst says there are many people who think the relief should have been more targeted. "They come to me. I heard even over the weekend … [Read more...]