Six years ago, a little-known state senator introduced herself to Iowans statewide with the words, “I’m Joni Ernst. I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm.” The “Make ’em Squeal” ad helped plant an image of Ernst in the public’s mind as a plain-speaking farm girl who wanted to bring Iowa common sense to […]
Sen. Chuck Grassley
Grassley says ‘the American people’s will’ is clear and Trump can fill SCOTUS vacancy before election; Ernst agrees
Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Monday he will support President Trump’s effort to confirm a new U.S, Supreme Court justice as quickly as possible. In a statement first published by the Des Moines Register, Grassley said there is no ambiguity “about the American people’s will for the direction of the Supreme Court.” Grassley said “ambiguity” […]
Ernst and Grassley quiet on replacing Justice Ginsberg, loud about dead ‘pidgin,’ email gaffe
Update: At approximately 5 p.m. on Monday, the Des Moines Register published a statement from Sen. Grassley in which he explains he is not opposed to the Senate evaluating and voting on a Trump nominee before Election Day, citing differences between 2016 and 2020. Sen. Ernst also released a statement confirming she, too, would “carry […]
Gov. Reynolds was in contact with White House aide who tested positive for COVID-19
During her visit to the White House last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds came in contact with an aide to Vice President Mike Pence who later tested positive for COVID-19, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. Katie Miller, Pence’s press secretary, tested positive for the virus on Friday. Reynolds met with President Trump and the vice president […]
Vice President Pence says Iowans are ‘blessed’ to have Kim Reynolds as governor, praises meat processing plants during visit to Iowa
“The people of Iowa have been blessed by the leadership of Gov. Kim Reynolds,” Vice President Mike Pence said during his visit to the state on Friday. Pence was speaking to a group of religious leaders at Westkirk Presbyterian Church in Urbandale, one of two scheduled public events on Friday. “One of the things the […]
Trump uses Defense Production Act to shield meat processing plants from COVID-19 liability
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday evening invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to order all beef, pork, poultry and egg processing plants in the country to remain open and continue working. The executive order said the recent closures of meat processing plants following outbreaks of COVID-19 “threaten the continued functioning of […]
86-year-old Chuck Grassley says he might run for reelection in 2022
Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday he’s considering running for reelection in 2022. But the 86-year-old said it’s too soon to make a firm decision yet, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
Fresh off Trump praise, Grassley kicks off 40th ‘Full Grassley’ with closed-door events in Eastern Iowa
Sen. Chuck Grassley will kick off his annual tour of all Iowa’s 99 counties on Friday, with stops in three counties: Johnson, Cedar and Jones. It’s the 40th year for the “Full Grassley,” the nickname the senator has adopted for the tour. “I look forward to the opportunity to listen to Iowans’ comments and concerns […]
As Trump’s Senate trial begins, Grassley and Ernst vote against calling witnesses and requiring the administration to turn over documents
Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst voted in lock-step with Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during the first session of the trial of President Trump following his impeachment in the House of Representatives. The two Iowans joined their Republican Senate colleagues in voting down all 11 amendments the House impeachment managers
Ernst, Grassley and King sign legal brief encouraging the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade
Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Steve King all signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday that calls Roe v. Wade “haphazard” and “unworkable,” and asks the justices to consider overturning it.
Trump impeachment inquiry: Iowa’s Congressional delegation reacts, Steve King spins a conspiracy theory, Grassley wants to investigate Hillary Clinton
All six members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have issued statements about the House of Representatives launching an impeachment inquiry to determine if President Donald Trump should be removed from office. The three Iowa Democrats in the House all expressed cautious support for the inquiry. On the other side of the capitol, Sens. Chuck Grassley and […]
‘Enough’: Moms Demand Action hold a rally to demand Grassley and Ernst take action on gun violence
The Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America rally on Sunday started with statistics — “Every day, 100 Americans are shot and killed,” Holly Sanger of the Iowa City/Johnson County chapter of Moms Demand Action told the crowd gathered on the Pentacrest at the beginning of the rally — but concluded with one word: “enough.”




