After the week-long delay caused by the protracted presidential election, members of the Iowa House finally received their committee assignments, allowing them to begin their work in Congress.
Across the Capitol building, Sen. Joni Ernst has joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to call for increased interfaith dialogue and Sen. Chuck Grassley is bracing for big fights on agriculture.
House members land important committees
Typically, members of the House sit on only one or two committees, while senators can sit on up to four or five committees.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has been nominated to serve on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, a committee that could allow for greater influence on topics ranging from renewable energy to consumer protection.
“I am honored to have been chosen to serve on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce,” Miller-Meeks said in a press release. “I’m proud of my background as a surgeon and I’m confident that this experience, coupled with Iowa’s leadership in clean energy, leaves me uniquely qualified for this role.”
Representative Ashley Hinson has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees government spending, a position she held during the last session of Congress.
“As the only Iowan on this committee, I will continue to watch your taxpayers’ money like a hawk, work to restore fiscal responsibility, bring critical investments home, and ensure our state has a place in the table,” Hinson said in a statement. Release.
Representative Zach Nunn was appointed to the House Financial Services Committee, which regulates finance, banking and currency.
“With Des Moines being an influential insurance and financial center known around the world, I am honored to be selected to serve on the House Financial Services Committee and intend to be a leading voice plan for the best employers and their employees in our state,” Nunn said in a statement. “When it comes to financial services, we will prioritize rebuilding our economy, fighting the pernicious influence of China, and working on all sides to put Americans back in control of their personal financial data. “
Representative Randy Feenstra was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, another influential House committee that oversees taxation and tariffs.
“From agriculture and trade issues to health care and tax policy, Ways and Means covers a wide range of legislative priorities important to our farming community and our rural way of life,” Feenstra said in a press release. “As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I will continue to be a strong voice for Iowa families, farmers, producers, taxpayers and small business owners who deserve a place at the table. “
In the Senate, Grassley will continue to serve on the Senate Budget, Finance, Justice, and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committees, as well as the Joint Committee on Taxation, taking over from Iowa. in powerful commissions.
Ernst will continue to serve on the Armed Forces, Environment and Public Works, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry committees this session.
Big votes, big stakes
China was front and center at the start of this session, along with abortion and the IRS.
The House voted to establish a select committee on strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, or more colloquially, the select committee on China. All four members of the Iowa House voted to create the committee.
“The United States is the strongest and most prosperous nation in the world, but China will stop at nothing to threaten our economy, buy up American farmland and undermine our interests,” Feenstra said in a press release. “By establishing a select committee to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s alarming aggression, Republicans are sending a clear message to China and its supporters that we will not be intimidated by their reckless behavior. In Congress, I will continue my work to stop China from buying our farmland and jeopardizing our national security.
The House, including all Iowa members, also voted to end the sale of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China.
“China poses the greatest threat to our national, economic, energy and food security. From buying US farmland to blocking investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, China cannot be trusted,” Feenstra said in a statement.
More locally, Hinson and other House members support a bill this would end foreign ownership of agricultural land. It comes after buying farmland near a military base in North Dakotawhich critics said raised security concerns.
Republicans also approved legislation on providing medical care for babies who survive abortions and funding new funds provided to the IRS by the last session of Congress. Members of the Iowa House voted in favor of both bills.
Grassley too weighed on foreign ownership of farmland by responding with a bill.
“I plan to reintroduce my bipartisan bill that prohibits the federal government from allowing foreigners to obtain credit and financial services through the farm credit system,” Grassley said.
Grassley, along with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, co-sponsored legislation to “prevent the Farm Credit Administration from underwriting foreign buyers seeking to purchase U.S. farmland.
Grassley said the bill would amend the Farm Credit Act of 1971 to “ensure that foreign nationals cannot obtain financing through federally backed financial institutions to purchase US farmland.”
He will also propose changes to the conservation reserve program that he says would make it easier for domestic farmers to buy land.
Grassley takes surveillance action
Grassley, as a senior member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced that he was seeking to review a program that allows employees of private companies to fill positions in the federal government. He said he was looking into whether a nonprofit organization linked to Google CEO Eric Schmidt created a conflict of interest for federal employees who work with the organization.
Grassley said in A press release and letter that he wants to make sure that the Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignees who worked with the Federation of American Scientists were not in a conflict of interest due to the influence of Schmidt’s money. Schmidt has donated to FAS in the past.
Ernst encourages interreligious dialogue
Ernst, who co-chairs the Abraham Accords caucus, sent a letter to U.S. Goodwill Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, pushing for increased interfaith dialogue in the region where the Abraham Accords are in effect, she announced in A press release. These countries include Israel, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan.
Also signed the letter Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Cory Booker, D.N.J. ; James Lankford, R-Okla., and Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Brad Schneider, D-Illinois; David Trone, D-Md. ; and Ann Wagner, R-Mo.
The Abraham Accord caucus was created promote peace between Israel and its neighbours.
Supreme Court, Balanced Budget
hinson introduced Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, at a press conference Saturday, where Johnson announced a bill that would ensure the number of Supreme Court justices remains at nine. The “Keep the Nine” amendment is a response to some Democrats calling for more justices on the court due to outsized conservative influence.
Additionally, Nunn presented his first billwhich would amend the Constitution to force the federal government to have a balanced budget and oblige a certain number of MPs to adopt certain fiscal and monetary measures.
“It’s time to restore a sensible, functioning government that works for the American people, not a government that irresponsibly spends money and taxes us,” Nunn said in a press release. “Having a balanced budget is a step in the right direction in restoring good public service for every American, regardless of party or background.”