U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, left, meets with Kash Patel, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI. (Photo courtesy of Grassley’s office)
As Congress worked to wrap up business in their lame-duck session this week, Iowa’s senators engaged with high-profile appointees who hope to serve in the new Trump administration.
Meanwhile, delegation members addressed issues ranging from communism instruction in classrooms to buoys on the Missouri River. And the death of former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach brought lawmakers and others together in offering condolences.
Grassley, Ernst in spotlight on Trump appointments
Both of Iowa’s Republican senators are playing influential roles as some of President-elect Donald Trump’s key appointments work to secure support for Senate confirmation.
Sen. Joni Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, faced criticism and talk of a primary challenge from Trump-aligned Republicans after initially appearing cool to the nomination of Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense. Hegseth, a veteran, has said women should not serve in combat roles and he has been accused of sexual assault. Ernst is a combat veteran and a sexual assault survivor.
Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2026, has already drawn one announced primary challenger.
This week, she appeared to soften on Hegseth’s nomination after meeting with him a second time but stopped short of promising to vote for him. In a statement, she said:
“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, meanwhile, as incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pushed for the resignation of Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI under Wray drew Trump’s ire for its investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s possession of classified documents after he left office.
Wray, who has three years left in his 10-year term, has since announced he will resign at the end of the Biden administration, leaving the position open for Trump’s appointment. Grassley issued a positive statement Monday after meeting with Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the agency:
“Today I reminded Kash that transparency brings accountability, and it’s badly needed at the FBI. As a former congressional investigator himself, Kash understands that cooperation with Congress is not optional and whistleblower protection is essential. Once formally nominated, I’d look forward to holding a hearing on Kash’s nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Iowa lawmakers call for Coast Guard support on Missouri River
Ernst and Grassley, along with Reps. Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, signed a letter this week with other lawmakers calling for the U.S. Coast Guard reconsider removing 36 of its Aids to Navigation on the Missouri River north of Blencoe, Iowa.
The Coast Guard pays to maintain aids to navigation along Marine Highway 29 such as buoys, day beacons and lightships, which function as floating lighthouses, WOWT reported.
In recent years, navigation on the river up to Sioux City has increased, and planned development projects are expected to further increase traffic in years to come, according to a press release from Ernst’s office.
“In Iowa, we are proud to feed, fuel, and supply consumers around the globe with products straight from the heartland. Our beautiful rivers are integral to sharing those products with the rest of the world,” Ernst said in a release. “The removal of this infrastructure on the Missouri River threatens the livelihoods of Iowans in our manufacturing and agricultural communities. I urge the Coast Guard to reconsider this decision.”
Feenstra votes for Crucial Communism Teaching Act
Feenstra voted last week in favor of the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, according to a news release. The legislation would have the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation formulate a high school curriculum about the history of communism, the regimes in the system and “ongoing human rights abuses by such regimes,” according to the bill.
The foundation would also develop oral history resources that educators could utilize alongside the curriculum, the bill stated.
According to statistics cited in a news release from the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 18% of Gen Z “thinks communism is a fairer system than capitalism and deserves consideration in America.”
Feenstra in the release emphasized this number, and said “nearly one third of America’s youth hold a favorable opinion of communism.”
“These alarming findings cannot be the norm for future generations of Americans if we want our country to succeed and prosper,” Feenstra said in the release. “I voted for the Crucial Communism Teaching Act to push back against the spread of this dangerous ideology in our schools and educate our children about communism’s ugly past.”
Feenstra joins DOGE Caucus
Feenstra also announced in a news release Thursday that he has joined the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Caucus.
The name mimics the Department of Government Efficiency that Trump said he would create, headed by billionaire businessman Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The pair have said they’ll find $2 trillion in cuts to federal spending.
Ernst announced last month the creation of a DOGE Caucus in the Senate.
Feenstra said in the release that reckless spending and borrowing have driven up inflation and created more debt, and the federal government needs to balance its budget, eliminate wasteful spending and slow down debt growth in order to help future generations that will inherit what’s left.
He said he’s happy to work in the caucus to find ways to save taxpayers money and “eliminate unnecessary regulations” in order to grow the economy and make the country more fiscally responsible.
“As a strong, fiscal conservative, I came to Congress to get our debt under control, lower costs for our families, and stop wasteful government spending – and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do,” Feenstra said in the release.
Nunn, Ernst get provisions passed national defense package
An amendment headed by U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, according to a Thursday news release, which passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives and was sent to the U.S. Senate.
All four of Iowa’s representatives voted for the bill, which also eliminated gender-affirming health care coverage for children of military members.
According to the release, Nunn’s proposal was to form a “strategic partnership” between the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit and the Israeli Ministry of Defense to simplify sharing of emerging technologies between the two powers.
Also included in the defense act were pay raises for certain servicemembers, increased funding to “U.S. defense initiatives” in the Indo-Pacific, and cuts to military programs and areas of the Pentagon totaling $31 billion.
Other aspects of the legislation also touch on U.S.-Israel relations, like expanded collaborative military exercises and halting the “sale of goods at Department of Defense commissaries and exchanges from any entities that have or are engaged in a boycott of Israel.”
“America is the land of the free and home of the brave because of the men and women who serve in uniform,” Nunn said in the release. “As a twenty-year combat veteran and current Colonel in the Air Force, I’m committed to protecting our national security. That means securing our Southern Border, stopping China in its tracks, bolstering our allies, and supporting our men and women in uniform throughout their career. This bill is a win for national security, a win for our troops, and a win for the future of our nation.”
A measure backed by Ernst also made it into the final bill aimed at preventing, assessing and treating conditions, including traumatic brain injuries, suffered by service members repeatedly exposed to explosion pressure waves.
Lawmakers, other respond to death of former Rep. Jim Leach
Former Congressman Jim Leach. (Photo courtesy of the Leach family)
Members of Iowa’s delegation joined a host of others, including former President Barack Obama, in paying tribute to former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach of Davenport, who died Wednesday at age 82. Leach represented his eastern Iowa district from 1977 to 2007 and later chaired the National Endowment for the Humanities, among other positions. Here’s a sample of the statements posted on X.
