D.C. Dispatch: What Iowa senators are saying about Israel-Iran conflict

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst both made comments this week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

 Also this week, Ernst said she began work with a new Defense Department official to combat military sexual assault, a clean energy jobs advocacy group kicked off a campaign to protest tax credit cuts, a Grassley-led streaming resolution unanimously passed the Senate and a new resolution was released to dedicate June as “National Elder Abuse Awareness Month.”

Addressing Israel’s attacks against Iran Wednesday in a call with reporters, Grassley said he would “prefer military action only if there’s an immediate threat to the United States.” He said he prefers “negotiation over military action,” but notes “Iran is an enemy of the United States.”

In a discussion with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a hearing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Ernst questioned the role of Iran in the Oct. 7 attack against Israel by the militant group Hamas. 

“Forty-three Americans lost their lives on October 7th, at the hands of Hamas, which is an Iran-backed terrorist organization,” Ernst said during the hearing. “When there is question about whether it’s appropriate for America to be engaged in the Middle East and defending Americans that live and work abroad, I think there’s our answer.”

Ernst works with newly appointed defense official to prevent sexual assault in the military

Ernst announced at the hearing she would hold quarterly meeting with newly appointed Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office overseer Steve Erickson. Hegseth noted a decrease in military sexual assault numbers this year at this discussion. Ernst also said she plans to propose an amendment that would require quarterly briefings from SAPRO to members of Congress 

“We want to make sure that we continue the momentum that we are seeing within the Department,” Ernst said in a press release. 

Advocates urge Iowa senators not to ‘Shut Down’ the clean energy tax credit

A six-figure advertising campaign launched by Protect Our Jobs is urging Grassley and Ernst to stop cuts to clean energy production. POJ is an eight-figure campaign defending clean energy workers and local economies. The commercial “Shut Down,” is currently playing on television channels in Des Moines, Omaha and Cedar Rapids. It will also run on digital platforms within the state.

Several supporting research papers were included in the initial press release to provide data points on Iowa’s clean energy economy: 

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2023, roughly 62% of Iowa’s total energy production comes from clean energy sources of which roughly 59% came from wind power. According to a research brief published by Bluegreen Alliance , repealing clean energy tax credits puts an estimated 4,329 Iowa jobs at risk. This also could pose a risk to the 99 data centers stationed in Iowa, one of the largest concentrations in the midwest.

“When Congress talks about cutting clean energy production, that’s a major problem for Iowa’s economy,” said the narrator in the ad.“We’ll see businesses shut down, higher energy bills for families, and farmers struggle. Our senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, know what clean energy means to Iowa. Senators, the stakes are high for Iowa, let’s stop these cuts to clean energy production.”

Grassley-led resolution to promote streaming service passes Senate unanimously

A bipartisan resolution from Grassley and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar urges all television providers to carry the network C-SPAN 2, which provides an uninterrupted coverage of the Senate floor.

“Transparency brings accountability, and C-SPAN’s coverage has brought transparency to the people’s business,” Grassley said in a press release. “The Senate unanimously stands behind C-SPAN in its fight to be platformed by streaming giants.”

Grassley-led resolution to rededicate June to stopping elder abuse

Grassley and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize June as “National Elder Abuse Awareness Month.” The resolution also seeks to stand “in support of seniors who’ve been victim to fraud schemes.” This would coincide with the federal recognition of June as LGBTQ Pride month. June has been federally recognized as Pride month for 14 of the last 25 years.

“For every elder abuse case that’s reported, as many as 24 go unreported. These aren’t just numbers. They’re our parents, our grandparents, our neighbors and our veterans,” Grassley said Monday on the Senate floor. “Elder abuse isn’t limited by geography or income. It occurs in nursing homes and private residences — the very places meant to offer them care and protection.”

Nunn-led act aims to combat agriculture cyber-attacks

Reps. Zach Nunn and Don Davis, a Democratic legislator from North Carolina, introduced an act to establish five “Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers.” This bill seeks to “safeguard Iowa’s agricultural economy from cyber threats by harnessing the expertise of land-grant universities including Iowa State University.”

“We’ve already seen hackers shut down grain handling and meat processing operations with just a few lines of code, stealing American agricultural technology or holding our food supply for ransom,” Nunn said in a press release. “By leveraging Iowa’s leadership in agricultural and cyber defense innovation at institutions like Iowa State, we’re putting the nation’s top minds to work protecting the backbone of America’s economy: our farmers.”

Feenstra leads bill to expand rural broadband network

Reps. Randy Feenstra and Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democratic legislator from New Hampshire, introduced a bill to aid the construction of broadband in rural Iowa. This act would require “edge providers,” such as Google, Amazon, etc., to contribute funds to networks built and maintained by the Universal Service Fund. 

“Access to high-speed internet is critical to our economic growth in rural communities. Families, farmers, and businesses across rural Iowa go to great lengths to collect and deploy the necessary funds to build reliable, affordable broadband,” Feenstra said in a press release. “However, Big Tech companies use these networks once completed but rarely contribute their fair share towards the cost. It is completely unfair.”

Miller-Meeks discusses ‘big, beautiful bill’ with Muscatine small business owners 

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks visited small business owners in Muscatine this to hear their thoughts on the “big, beautiful bill.”

“I proudly voted for President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill,” Miller-Meeks said in a press release. “It cuts taxes, eliminates red tape, and gives working families and small businesses the freedom to grow and thrive. I’ll never stop fighting to protect Iowa’s values and way of life.”

Hinson ‘applauds’ new renewable fuel requirements for 2026-2027

Rep. Ashley Hinson issued a statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement to increase Renewable Volume Obligation levels in 2026 and 2027. RVO’s dictate the amount of renewable fuel that gasoline and diesel refineries have to blend into their fuel supply. 

“Earlier this year, I led a bipartisan letter to President Trump, urging him to propose robust blending targets, especially for biodiesel, after the Biden Administration’s low RVOs caused several biodiesel plants in the Midwest to stop production,” Hinson said in a press release. “This is a strong first step, and I look forward to my continued work with President Trump and Administrator (Lee) Zeldin to expand domestic production of liquid transportation fuels.”