Federal funds aren’t “free”—they come with strings attached, can drive higher state spending, and are increasingly unstable given Washington’s fiscal position and growing national debt. Earlier in the session, HSB 764 proposed a stronger approach with upfront reporting, full transparency, and legislative approval of major federal funds, ensuring lawmakers could evaluate commitments before they wer...
From a public policy standpoint, Iowa has become a national leader in conservative reform. On taxes, budgeting, regulation, school choice, and protections for life and civil liberties, the state stands in sharp contrast to neighbors such as Minnesota and Illinois. But policy alone does not fully explain why so many people love Iowa. “What happened this year went beyond Iowa nice. You showed a huma...
Government shutdowns—like the recent DHS lapse—aren’t just political fights in Washington; they create real disruptions for everyday Americans, from airport delays to potential security risks. These shutdowns often stem from using the budget as leverage in policy disputes, leaving taxpayers and unpaid government workers to bear the consequences. A better approach exists: budget continuation laws, ...
Regulations aren’t just technical rules, they function like stealth taxes, often carrying real economic costs while being issued with limited public oversight. A local REINS Act would require city councils and county boards of supervisors to approve new department rules and include a public cost-benefit analysis before those regulations take effect. The goal is stronger checks and balances at the ...
Iowa’s Certificate of Need (CON) laws restrict when providers can build, expand, or add services, requiring state approval for major projects and expenditures. The process protects incumbent providers from competition. Recent proposals would significantly narrow CON requirements. Senator Kara Warme’s broad reform bill cleared the first legislative funnel by being passed out of Committee last week....
The need for more qualified workers is a bipartisan issue in Iowa. Regardless of a rural or urban setting, workforce is still a concern for many employers and communities. State policymakers have been responsive to this concern, and they have actively been easing regulatory burdens in recent years. This includes reducing barriers to employment and ensuring that unnecessary roadblocks do not deter ...
Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is most often framed around the Civil War and slavery, but his economic philosophy—particularly his support for protectionism and economic nationalism—is frequently overlooked. Influenced by the Whig and Federalist traditions and leaders like Henry Clay, Lincoln championed the American System, which emphasized protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements ...
Regulatory reform is a structural issue of governance and accountability, centered on who makes the rules that shape Iowa’s economy and whether major policy decisions are made by elected lawmakers or unelected agencies. Large, costly regulations act as a hidden tax on Iowans, raising prices, slowing growth, and reducing opportunity—yet often take effect without the same scrutiny applied to major s...
Affordability pressures are real, but government spending helped cause them. Massive federal COVID-era spending—and unchecked state and local program expansion—flooded the economy with dollars, fueled inflation, and worsened affordability, meaning government should first examine its own role before proposing new interventions. Not all “affordability solutions” are rooted in free-market principles....