A century ago, Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge made balancing budgets, reducing debt, and limiting government growth national priorities. Their administrations did not just slow spending growth — they actually cut federal spending, reduced the national debt, lowered tax rates, and produced budget surpluses. Fiscal restraint was politically difficult then, just as it is today, but ...
Governor Reynolds signed the property tax bill into law, and Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are here to put a bow on it. The 2% revenue cap takes effect July 1st, with estimates putting the relief at $4 billion over six years. The response from local governments has ranged from genuine concern to full-blown hysteria — pools, libraries, trails, economic development, and public safety all report...
Iowa has pursued a fiscally conservative, growth-oriented strategy centered on lower taxes, restrained spending, and economic competitiveness under Governor Reynolds’ “Freedom to Flourish” philosophy. Recent reforms have strengthened the state’s fiscal position and improved its ability to compete for residents and investment. For Midwestern states like Iowa, long-term success will depend less on g...
Governor Kim Reynolds and the legislature limited Fiscal Year 2027 spending growth to 1.4% in response to slower revenue growth, economic uncertainty, and the continued phase-in of income tax cuts that allow Iowans to keep more of their own money. Public education and Medicaid continue to dominate Iowa’s budget and are growing faster than overall revenue, raising concerns that those programs could...
Last week, Iowa legislators passed a property tax reform bill aimed at limiting the out-of-control increases of property tax bills. On KCCI’s Close Up, Amanda Rooker, KCCI Chief Political Reporter, sat down with Chris Hagenow, ITR President, to discuss the new legislation’s impact on Iowans. Here is their conversation.
Iowa lawmakers advanced major taxpayer-focused reforms during the 2026 session, including a 2% cap on many local property tax levies, school funding reforms, a larger Homestead Exemption, and other changes projected to save taxpayers more than $4 billion over six years. The legislature also prioritized conservative budgeting by limiting state spending growth to 1.4% and advanced a constitutional a...
Iowa lawmakers approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers to raise income taxes, giving voters the final say this November. The amendment is designed to place a higher barrier between taxpayers and tax increases by ensuring higher taxes cannot become the automatic response to budget pressures. The proposal reflects the long-standi...
The Iowa Legislature finally wrapped up Sunday evening after an all-weekend push, and Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are here to make sense of what actually happened. The headline: Iowa passed a meaningful property tax bill built around a 2% revenue limitation — the reform ITR has championed for years. It's not a dramatic overnight cut, but it puts a real ceiling on what local governments can ...
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...