Senator Joni Ernst announces campaign manager

IOWA (KCAU) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst appears to be getting closer to announcing another re-election bid.
Her campaign announced that Bryan Kraber will be the campaign manager for Ernst's 2026 re-election. Kraber was a part of the senator's 2020 re-election campaign. Ernst says she's thrilled to have Kraber leading her re-election campaign.
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The Senator has not formally announced her re-election campaign. Ernst would be looking for a 3rd-term in the U.S. Senate.
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The Hill

15-06-2025

• The Hill

In its war against small farmers, Congress says the quiet part out loud

It's never been clearer where the loyalties of congressional agriculture committees lie. In their seemingly endless quest to shift prosperity from small farmers to large ones — to erode any protections for animals and producers that actually value organic farming — the House-passed budget reconciliation plan plants a flag firmly in the realm of 'profits over people.' The plan cuts nearly $300 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits to support (in the amount of about $60 billion) industrial agriculture operations. This is on top of the existing $180 billion projected in future subsidies for programs like Agricultural Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage and crop insurance. That goes without mentioning the $10 billion recently allocated to big agriculture through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, which an American Enterprise Institute report called 'probably not justified.' That's a lot of bacon going disproportionately to America's largest producers. At the same time, congressional agriculture committees are promising to override state and local regulations that protect small farmers, as well as set basic humane agriculture standards. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has introduced the Food Security and Farm Protection Act — formerly known as the EATS Act — to override any state law that 'affects' an out-of-state producer. Directly in her crosshairs are laws like California's Proposition 12, which sets humane welfare standards for farm animals. That ballot measure, which voters approved in 2018, was the single biggest win for the meek and miserable farm animals who feed us. It was the result of legislative decision-making that the U.S. Supreme Court has already deemed perfectly constitutional. It also created more demand for animal products sourced from farms employing more traditional husbandry practices — i.e., smaller ones. The biggest problem for rank-and-file farmers is that the Food Security and Farm Protection Act is vague enough that it could be used to disrupt or derail any state or local agricultural regulation that companies with the means deem inconvenient. That includes, notably, procurement regulations that may favor local producers. According to a study from Harvard, there are more than 100 food and agricultural procurement laws already on the books. In Louisiana, for example, procurement officials are required to purchase agricultural goods from Louisiana unless out-of-state goods are both cheaper and of higher quality. This would likely qualify as a 'standard or condition on the preharvest production of … agricultural products' that would fall under the Food Security and Farm Protection Act's broad scythe. Ernst's effort is no outlier. The House Agriculture Committee said that the new farm bill would prevent states from passing animal welfare regulations that others must follow. They are no doubt talking about the Food Security and Farm Protection Act — and, again, it's going to have the effect of overriding state sovereignty not just on the animal protection front but in all areas under the penumbra of state farming policy. Some commentators have couched the Food Security and Farm Protection Act as an affront to federalism — but, really, all of this activity amounts to an outright fight against small farmers, particularly those interested in something different than the status-quo of factory farmed, chemical- and antibiotics-ridden, steroid-pumped franken-food. Consider that the Trump administration already axed two programs giving food banks and schools $1 billion in funding to purchase from small farmers and ranchers. And they want to put the kibosh on $754 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which assists farmers with resilience efforts and reduced chemical use. Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)? More like 'HAHA.' Congressional agriculture policy has become the epitome of the self-licking ice cream cone. We cut programs that help small and organic farmers, then redirect tax dollars to provide subsidies. Those subsidies largely go to the biggest agricultural interests, inoculating them against having to make any broader systemic reforms. Then, under the next administration, we create new programs to support small and organic farmers. Rinse and repeat. To give congressional agriculture folks their due, the Food Security and Farm Protection Act could go a long way towards ending this loop by making any state-level support for smaller farmers obsolete and allowing the largest interests — like China's Smithfield Foods — to kill any law they don't like. No more demand for humane products — and, hey, higher profit margins while we're at it. Obviously, this is ridiculous, for all sorts of reasons. What we should do is drop the charade and end or dramatically reduce the crony-capitalist corporate welfare system when it comes to Big Agriculture. Let states pass laws reflecting their own health and safety priorities. Let the consumers speak for themselves. And then let the free market do its work.

USA Today

14-06-2025

• USA Today

I lived my worst nightmare – but Medicaid made my daughter's 14 months possible

I lived my worst nightmare – but Medicaid made my daughter's 14 months possible | Opinion Medicaid gave me time with my child, providing the essential medical care she needed and the time I needed to know my daughter beyond her injuries. Medicaid gave my daughter a full, rich life. Show Caption Hide Caption Sen. Joni Ernst at Iowa town hall: 'Well, we all are going to die' Sen. Joni Ernst defended cuts to Medicaid at an Iowa town hall May 30, 2025, as an angry crowd confronts her. Medicaid matters. And I'll give you just one reason why. It's the same story I shared with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, after she justified lives lost thanks to Medicaid cuts with the comment, 'We all are going to die.' I was a healthy, soon-to-be mom with a full-time job and health insurance. I had a healthy pregnancy and successful delivery. My child and I were ready for the slow, sleepy recovery necessary after childbirth. Then, every parent's worst nightmare transpired. Surgery to make a minor repair in my daughter's stomach went horribly wrong. My maternity leave turned into eight weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, followed by 14 months of medical intervention, undergoing therapies in and out of our home, with nursing support and oxygen tubes running through our house. And yes, she did in fact die, as Ernst so bluntly claimed for us all in a town hall meeting on May 30. Medicaid gave me time with my daughter Medicaid gave me time with my child, providing the essential medical care she needed and the time I needed to know my daughter beyond her injuries. Medicaid gave my daughter a full, rich life, even if it was much shorter than anyone hoped for. Though I had great health insurance from a good job, working 50 hours a week on average, I could never afford the care she needed. Like many families with preemies and injured infants in the NICU, we utilized every penny our insurance provided, but it wasn't enough. Medicaid covered what we couldn't and allowed her to have 14 months to meet her family. Hers became the most-visited pew in our church on Sunday mornings. She would always reach for our family dog, who was ever present at her side. She would hold your face in her hands as you held her, because she couldn't always see us clearly. My body will forever know the weight of her in my arms, and I became a kinder, gentler and far more compassionate person because I had this time with my child. Share your opinion: Republicans want massive cuts to Medicaid. What do you want? Tell us. | Opinion Forum It's my job to know we all die. That's what makes us all so valuable. I already know these truths about every human life because it's my job to know our value and worth. I am an ordained minister. I bless babies. I baptize children. I celebrate the lives of those who pass beyond our earthly realm ‒ hopefully, after a very long, and well-lived life. I know we all die. It's my job to know. And it's my job to remind everyone that this very fact – that we do die – is what makes us all so incredibly valuable. Our finitude is exactly why we need to be cherished and cared for. Medicaid gave my daughter the chance to be cherished by me and by everyone who knew her. I lived the incredibly difficult and painful life of loving and losing a child who was on Medicaid. And I am eternally grateful for what this program meant for my daughter and my family. I lived the gift of Medicaid, and I see the daily support Medicaid provides in our community. A deacon in my congregation is on Medicaid. He lives on a fixed income, so he walks to work and to church, and yet, he's the first one there every Sunday morning. He makes the coffee. He prepares the communion trays. Opinion: Will Trump's big bill kill people? Here's the truth about Medicaid cuts. One Sunday, when a gentleman quietly wept after the loss of his beloved wife of 72 years, this deacon gently placed his hand on his shoulder and held the communion tray until he was ready to be served. The patience and comfort our deacon showed that day is what Medicaid provides for Iowans. It doesn't provide everything, just a gentle hand as we face the challenges of life. Yes, we all die. Our dying is what makes how we live so important. How we live and serve one another is why Medicaid exists, and why protecting it matters so much. Single mothers doing their best will be hurt most by Medicaid cuts The people most affected by these cuts will be single mothers doing their very best to raise their children. I know these families. They come to church for preschool and child care before visiting the food pantry down the street. Our most vulnerable are worthy of care and Medicaid. They are not a bottom line on a budget spreadsheet aimed at funding tax breaks for the wealthy. Ernst's reminder that we all die should be a pivotal point in this Medicaid debate. Just not in the way she may have meant it. It is a reminder that how we live together is what matters most. Our greatest calling in life is to care for the least of those in our community. Those in need of care today are the same people we find in the Bible. The children. The disabled. The impoverished. The elderly. Senator Ernst, can you imagine being the one who reminds our community of this calling: that in caring for the least of us, we care for all of us? Can you imagine being the one who gets to say, 'Yes, we all die, so we're going to spend the life we have caring for each other the best we can'? I know you know this to be true. I pray you join me in making this vision a reality and ensure everyone can live before we all die. The Rev. Robyn Bles is senior minister at Wakonda Christian Church in Des Moines. This column originally published in the Des Moines Register.

Yahoo

14-06-2025

• Yahoo

Three seats open on the Sioux City School Board

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Three seats on the Sioux City Community School Board will be up for election in November. All have 4-year terms, which will expire in 2029. Those positions currently belong to board president Jan George and directors Dan Greenwell and Bob Michaelson. Story continues below Top Story: The Latest: Israel attacks Iran, killing top military officers Lights & Sirens: Jury for Dakota Dunes murder trial still up in the air Sports: Andrew Van Ginkel's IMPACT Foundation puts on Summer Kick-Off Event in Rock Valley, Minnesota Twins make donation to city's recreation department Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Anyone interested in seeking office will need a nomination petition due August 25 and affidavit of candidacy paperwork due September 18. All paperwork should be turned in by 5 p.m. At the district's educational service center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.