Farmers in Iowa and across the Midwest want quick resolution to the looming trade war due to the negative impact it’s starting to have on their bottom lines. Speaking in Des Moines over the weekend, the U.S. Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, says he isn’t sure how long the impasse with China … [Read more...]
Governor Reynolds releases personal income tax returns from 2008-2017
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has released a decade's worth of personal income tax information and is using the move to issue another challenge to Fred Hubbell, her Democratic opponent, to do the same. Hubbell has said he would do so. Reynolds issued a written statement from her campaign, … [Read more...]
Senator Ernst says President Trump is listening to concerns about trade negotiations
Senator Joni Ernst and the rest of the Iowa Congressional Delegation recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing concern about the impact of trade negotiations on farmers in the state. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says process for handling trade issues isn't exactly the way she … [Read more...]
Branstad says the potential is great if trade issues with China settled
Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad says the Trump administration will continue to stand firm on trade issues with China, despite the impact the dispute is having on agriculture. "If we get this resolved, the potential here is great," Branstad says. The 71-year-old Branstad, who became the U.S. … [Read more...]
Iowa Democrats, Republicans to hold state conventions Saturday
Democrats and Republicans will hold their state conventions in Des Moines tomorrow. Democrats will gather in downtown Des Moines and Fred Hubbell -- the party's nominee for governor --will reveal who he's chosen as a running mate. "Of course, our focus as been on the primary. We had to win the … [Read more...]
Hubbell backs 3/8ths percent increase in sales tax, for water improvement
Fred Hubbell, the Democratic Party's nominee for governor, backs an increase in the state sales tax to finance water quality projects around the state. The money would flow into a special state trust fund Iowa voters approved eight years ago, but state lawmakers have never approved the … [Read more...]
$7.4 billion state budget, $2 billion in tax cuts clear 2018 Iowa legislature
Republican lawmakers passed a more than $2 billion plan to cut taxes over the next six years and they completed work on next year's $7.4 billion state budget on Saturday. It was the 118th and final day of the 2018 Iowa legislative session. With Republican Kim Reynolds in the governor's office and … [Read more...]
Senators pondering tax rebate ‘fix’ for Knoxville Raceway
A "fix it" bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate to help the Knoxville Raceway get the money from a tax break it won in 2014. The legislature and former Governor Terry Branstad agreed the track should get a rebate on some of the state sales taxes paid on a construction project, plus any … [Read more...]
No more proficiency exams for would-be teachers if House bill becomes law
Republicans in the Iowa House have voted to remove a requirement that college graduates pass an exam before they may be hired as a teacher. The rule was included in a 2013 education reform plan touted by former Republican Governor Terry Branstad. Republican Representative Tom Moore of Griswold … [Read more...]
Eric Branstad to open PR firm office in Des Moines
The Branstad who ran Donald Trump's 2016 general election campaign in Iowa has left the Trump Administration and is returning to consulting work. Eric Branstad is the oldest son of Terry Branstad, the former Iowa governor who Trump named U.S. Ambassador to China. Eric Branstad had been serving as … [Read more...]