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Blog Posts

đź§Ľ Clean Up Congress

In 2023, a new stock trading app went viral for a new feature — the “Pelosi Tracker” — which let users copy trades from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and netted a 45% return in its first year. The problem: Members of Congress on both sides of the...

đźšś The Road to Growth

If you’ve ever sat behind a grain truck on a two-lane road — or tried hauling equipment during harvest — you know how much infrastructure matters in Iowa. This week, we pushed for commonsense improvements to cut red tape and fix outdated federal...

🪖 New Protections for Veterans

Veterans reported losing more than $400 million to scams in 2024 alone — and that number keeps rising. The problem: The VA benefits system is so fragmented and confusing that it’s become a prime target for scammers who prey on those who served our...

đź‘® Backing the Blue

National Police Week is a time to honor the brave men and women who put on the uniform and step into harm’s way to keep our communities safe. This week, we remember Des Moines Officer Phoukham Tran, a hero who served for over 20 years before his...

❌ Deterring China

If China invades Taiwan, it won’t just be a foreign policy crisis — it’ll be an economic disaster right here in Iowa. 🚨 This morning, I joined the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party to sound the alarm.Why it matters: Taiwan isn't just...

🌾 Delivering for Iowa Farmers

Iowa's farmers and rural communities don't have time to wait on Congress. Washington hasn’t passed a Farm Bill in nearly seven years. In that time, farm income has dropped 23% while uncertainty has left producers guessing what to plant and whether...

🤰Standing Up for Moms

The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations, with 32 moms losing their lives for every 100,000 births. At the same time, data from the CDC suggests that more than 80% of those deaths are preventable....

🛡️Protecting Benefits

Nearly 1 in 4 Iowa households rely on SNAP or Medicaid to put food on the table or get the care they need. But here’s the reality: between 2018 and 2022, more than $500 billion may have been lost to waste, fraud, and abuse in America’s benefit...

🔓 Unlocking Capital

When investment capital gets trapped on the coasts, Iowa small businesses pay the price. The problem: Right now, small and mid-sized businesses are required to submit three years of audited financials opening their company to new investors, also...

🌽 Fueling Innovation

Iowa leads the nation in biofuel production. In 2022 alone, our renewable fuel innovators supported 60,000 jobs and added more than $70 billion to our economy. Why it matters: Iowa's ag economy has the potential to grow by 70% over the next...

Iowa Innovation

As digital innovation accelerates, the next wave of technology — from finance to farming — will be shaped by whoever writes the rules first. As a former cyber intelligence officer, I know what will happen if America hesitates: we'll lose ground to...

Hope is not a strategy

China is not hiding the ball — they have their eyes on Taiwan. CCP aggression and territorial ambitions have grown in recent years, with more incursions into the waters of Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia. As a Colonel in the Air Force and a combat...

Protecting Care, Preventing Fraud

More than 150,000 Iowans in our communities rely on Medicaid for healthcare. Another 60,000 count on SNAP to know where their next meal is coming from.  This morning, I visited MercyOne in Des Moines to hear directly from doctors about what these...

Main Street Deserves Better

Over the last four years, the federal government has been hitting Iowa businesses with fines as high as $150,000 for following our own state laws that conflict with outdated federal regulations. Why it matters: Main Street businesses employ nearly...

đź“¶ Connecting Rural Iowa

Did you know that 400,000 Iowans still don’t have a reliable internet connection? That's a student who can't finish their homework, a farmer who can’t use precision ag tools, or a senior who can't access telehealth. How we got here: The Biden...

Home of the Brave

Yesterday, I had the honor of presenting long-overdue medals to John James Scarpino, a 95-year-old Korean War veteran from Des Moines. At just 20 years old, John stepped up to serve our country as a lineman and communications specialist supporting...

🌟 Hope Starts Here

There's no way around it — in Iowa and around the country, we're seeing a youth mental health crisis that is harming families and our communities. Investing in mental health and recovery resources for kids who are struggling is one of the most...

Fighting for our seniors

Scammers stole $3.4 billion from retirees in 2023 — but that’s just what was reported. The real number: The FTC estimates actual losses were upwards of $60 billion. That means for every $1 in reported fraud, at least $17 went unreported. Apply that...

đź‘‚Listening to Iowans

I’ve always believed the best solutions come directly from our communities — not Washington D.C. That’s why I sat down with Iowa job creators and small business leaders yesterday for a roundtable focused on one thing: avoiding the largest tax hike...

🛑 Stopping the Scammers

Scammers are stealing millions from Iowa retirees — and they’re getting more sophisticated every day. In 2023 alone, over 13,000 Iowans reported that they were defrauded — that’s $42.6 million in hard-earned savings wiped out — and local law...