Friend,

In Iowa, we value commonsense. We believe hard work should be rewarded, the law should be followed, and if you take out a loan, you pay it back. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration and many on the left continue issuing out of touch proposals and policies that fly in the face of individual responsibility and accountability.

Iowans elected a Republican majority in the House to push back and protect the country from this ridiculous agenda. Last week alone we held the line against three of the most radical ideas put forward by the left – from unfairly forcing taxpayers to pay others’ bills to housing illegal immigrants in elementary schools.

As the Biden Administration continues down a radical path, I’ll keep working to make commonsense a common virtue again. Read my full column highlighting the differences between commonsense policies Iowans want and downright crazy policies coming out of the Biden Administration, and read on for more about my work for Iowans this week!

Best,

Ag Science and Policy Roundtable

This week, I joined NASA Astronaut and Cedar Falls Native, Raja Chari, Senator Joni Ernst, and Senator Chuck Grassley to discuss how NASA and the USDA are partnering on precision agriculture, the importance of competing with China, and the cutting edge research happening at Grinnell College!

Read more about our conversation here.

New Bill: Preserving the Driftless Area

The ecologically unique Driftless Area, a national treasure, covers 24,000 miles of land in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Protecting and preserving the Driftless Area has long been a priority for farmers, conservationists, local businesses, and families alike. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI) to help farmers fight erosion and restore cold water stream corridors. The program was a conservation success story – measurably improving drinking water quality and reducing flood risk – but it expired in 2017.

That's why I'm working with Representative Eric Sorensen from Illinois to re-establish this critical program. Our bipartisan bill, the Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI) Act, will ensure Driftless Area farmers and landowners have the tools to manage and restore this land. This will help reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and expand outdoor recreation and tourism activities in the Driftless Area.

I'll continue working across the aisle to preserve the Driftless Area for future generations.

Letter: Stop Handing Over U.S. Innovation to China

I joined my colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to stop the Agreement Between the United States and the People’s Republic of China on Cooperation in Science and Technology (STA). This agreement allows Communist China to access sensitive U.S. technology they ultimately use against us.

For example, we organized a project with China’s Meteorological Administration to launch instrumented balloons to study the atmosphere. Just a few months ago, China used similar balloon technology to surveil U.S. military sites on U.S. territory. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has over a dozen active research projects with Chinese entities, giving them access to technologies with duel-use applications, including analyzing satellite and drone imagery for irrigation management.

We cannot keep shooting ourselves in the foot and allowing the CCP to steal our agriculture technology and other cutting-edge research. Any form of so-called cooperation with the CCP is a farce, and I'm proud to join my colleagues in urging the Administration to let this science and technology sharing agreement expire.

Read our full letter here.

2023 Congressional Art Competition Winner

I had the honor of hosting Kelsey Jons, our IA-02 Art Competition winner, at our office last week. Her winning piece, Reflections of a Koi Pond, is now hanging in the U.S. Capitol. Kelsey is an incredibly talented artist and I am so proud her work is now on display for all to see. Congratulations!

Support Local

I enjoyed lunch at Bistro @ Blooms in Marion earlier this week! While you're out and about this weekend, be sure to support our amazing local restaurants and small businesses.

Intern with Us!

Our team is grateful for the students who spend their summers interning with us and learning about public policy! There is nothing that gives me more hope for the future than seeing young people engaged in public service and helping them develop a passion for making a difference in their community.

Learn more about our internship program here.

Headline Highlights

Independence Bulletin Journal: Commonsense vs. Crazy

Brownfield Ag: Congressional members discuss NASA ag research

Waverly Newspapers: Iowa Disabilities advocate makes trip to Washington DC