Politics
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Iowa Republicans rush anti-apprenticeship, anti-union contracting bill, raising safety concerns
In 24 hours, Republicans in both chambers passed a bill that takes away an Iowa city’s ability to prefer contracts with established training programs for taxpayer funded projects. Iowa Republicans passed a controversial bill this week stopping local governments from requiring workforce training standards for contractors on public projects, a major blow to union and…
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‘Some people work their butts off and other people get rich’: Gwen Frisbie-Fulton’s view from rural America
My dad raised us to work hard and do good for our families, but he was also going to make damn sure we didn’t step on anyone else along the way.
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VoteVets targets Rep. Zach Nunn on Veterans Affairs cuts
A veterans voter education group is going after US. Rep. Zach Nunn in a new campaign over the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Progressive veterans group VoteVets is launching an ad campaign calling on Republican US Rep. Zach Nunn to oppose the mounting cuts and layoffs at the US…
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Iowa farms pay the price for Trump-Musk USDA cuts
Federal cuts are coming home to roost on Iowa farms. More than $11 million in funding that the USDA promised to Iowa’s local food system spoiled overnight, leaving farmers facing even greater unpredictability. Seeds are sprouting in greenhouses. Meat processing dates are locked in at local lockers. Iowa farmers have been planning all winter for…
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New Iowa bill would ban abortion pill, sparking backlash
Republican proposes bill to effectively end 74% of abortions in Iowa by banning a pill that’s safer than penicillin and Viagra.
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Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo
“What’s going to happen is VA’s not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed,” said Michael Missal, who was the VA’s inspector general for nine years until he was fired last month by Donald Trump.
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Guest post: The government shouldn’t be in our libraries
Our library has always thoughtfully curated its collection with community needs in mind, and this legislation unnecessarily inserts government regulation into that process.
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VA shifts explanation as agency dismisses over 1,000 employees; Iowa cuts unclear
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has dismissed more than 1,000 probationary employees just weeks after assuring stakeholders that a federal hiring freeze would not impact operations, raising questions about consistency in the agency’s messaging. Iowa has two major VA health systems in Des Moines and Iowa City. The Veterans Affairs department claimed in January…
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Guest post: Congress needs to stop the handouts to the rich
Paula A. Martinez: Iowans work hard and deserve a government that works for them, not one that rigs the system in favor of the rich and powerful.
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Guest post: Don’t give Bayer a free pass when Iowa has high rate of cancer
When the state of Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence rate and fastest growing rate of new cancer, we have no business handing agrichemical corporations a “get out of jail free” card for the dangerous products they put on the market.
