DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Republicans control most of Iowa’s state government but what happened Monday showed that does not mean the Republican leaders always agree with each other.
The disagreement involves one of the most significant things that lawmakers must decide each year: how much of your tax dollars to spend.
The state budget is usually the final major legislation that lawmakers must figure out each year and it’s clear that the Republican majority in the house and senate don’t agree right now.
Monday, Republican leadership in the senate and the Republican Governor Kim Reynolds release a joint statement showing their budget priorities. Overall, they want to spend $9.42 billion.
In a press release, Gov. Reynolds said, “We cut taxes to ensure Iowans could keep more of their hard-earned money, and we must maintain spending discipline to ensure it stays that way. Iowa remains on a strong fiscally sustainable path, and we should continue our focus on putting taxpayers first.”
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver in a press release said the budget agreement with Reynolds moves the legislative session one step closer to adjourning.
“As we continue to work on important issues in the legislature and find agreement among legislators, this agreement marks an important step forward. We look forward to more conversations with the House of Representatives on how we can pass a sustainable budget for the upcoming fiscal year,” he said.
Their joint statement does not include House Republicans, the other necessary piece of this math problem.
House Republicans later put out a statement on the budget saying they want to spend $9.45 billion, which is around $36.5 million more than the Senate wants to spend.
In a press release House Speaker Pat Grassley said his members are committed to passing a budget that is responsible and funds priorities Iowans care most about.
“Iowans expect to see their tax dollars used wisely to fund important services like nursing homes, paraprofessional pay, support for human trafficking victims, and more of that sort, and that’s what this House Republican caucus is fighting to deliver,” Grassley said.
The disagreement between the Republican leaders has gone public, something the Democrats’ top house leader warned last week in their news conference.
Rep. Jennifer Konfrst told reporters, “We knew that Sine Die was scheduled for May 2nd in January. This should not be a surprise to anyone. The fact that we aren’t done is a failure of leadership because Republicans are in charge of everything and should be able to get this done.”
To see this disagreement among Republicans go public like this is another indication that lawmakers will not finish their work for the year before the session’s last scheduled day Friday.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV on X/Twitter @ConnerReports, and on TikTok @ConnerReports.
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