On Thursday October 24 th , I officially completed my fourth biannual 36 County Tour – making at least two stops in every county in the 4th Congressional District every year. This is a promise that I made to Iowans when I first ran for Congress, and I’ve kept my word by registering more than 320 stops over the last four years.

It’s hard to imagine Fall without the humming of combines and trucks moving harvested crops across the countryside. Here on our farm, we’re done with beans and we’ve started on corn.
 

Over the last several weeks, we’ve received negative reports and forecasts about the economy and our fiscal outlook. Inflation rose in September – opposite expectations – and was up 2.4% from just a year prior while the National Federation of Independent Business’s Small Business Optimism Index registered at 91.5 in September, which is the 33rd consecutive month under the 50-year average of 98.

I can’t believe it, but absentee voting for the November 5 th General Election is finally here! What does that mean?!

We are in South Carolina to be with Dawn’s four brothers and their families. They are mostly retired science teachers. So I have Google and them. It’s handy.

I fled California in 1972. After my year at college in Oakland, I rented a house with four other guys; one in a dirt-floored basement, one in the attic, and three in bedrooms. We got along pretty well except for the one who cooked weird food and never washed the dishes. He was a lovable sorta mascot, though.

With the November 5 elections getting closer, I’ve been talking with friends and neighbors about the candidates running for office and issues that matter in our day-to-day lives.  We have a lot of important decisions to make.

Just 34 days remain until the 2024 General Election. 34 is not a lot of days when you are the one prepping for the election itself. As you can imagine, things in our office are full steam ahead and our days are jam packed with preparations.

More than three years ago, the world watched in horror as President Biden – in conjunction with Vice President Harris and advisors on his national security team – orchestrated the botched and disorganized withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. This colossal failure of leadership cost the lives of 13 brave American servicemembers, portrayed weakness on the global stage, and left more than $7 billion in U.S.

For decades, China has threatened our national security through both overt and covert measures. 
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and affiliated individuals and entities have rapidly increased purchases of American farmland, stolen valuable intellectual property and other critical technologies, infiltrated our schools and universities, and violated our trade laws with impunity.

I didn't watch the debate. We were at an Iowa Cubs game with family which means way more to us than some phony attempt to prove our lives will change because of our votes.

It’s that time of year when we start seeing political campaign signs pop up around the countryside. It’s always a hot topic for people, so I thought I’d share some important information about signs and other election info!

In 2017, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) – the single largest and most comprehensive reform of the tax code in decades. As promised, this legislation boosted our economy, strengthened our global competitiveness, and let American families, farmers, and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money.

Times sure have changed over the last several years thanks to technology. The COVID pandemic in 2020 definitely contributed to the advancement of technology, virtual meetings, etc and the Franklin County Board of Supervisors are not immune to it either.

I love getting together with my kids and grandkids for family meals. Passing dinner around the table, sharing stories and enjoying time with one another -- these are some of my favorite things to do.
 
Unfortunately, having enough money to pay for those meals is difficult for too many Iowa families. That’s why we need food assistance programs.