U.S. Rep. Miller-Meeks says 2025 GOP tax cuts help Iowa manufacturing workers

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said Friday that workers at Iowa manufacturing businesses are benefitting from tax cuts made through the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as she received an endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Miller-Meeks was joined by Micah Olson, the Midwest regional manager for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and JD Davis, vice president of public policy for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, at Cemen Tech in Indianola as the organizations endorsed her reelection bid in 2026. The Republican is running for her fourth term in Congress, facing Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan, who was also her general election opponent in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

Olson said in Congress, Miller-Meeks has been “committed to free enterprise solutions that will help grow our economy, and she’s aligned U.S. Chamber priorities on issues like pro-growth tax policy, eliminating burdensome regulations, streamlining our federal permitting process, and investing in America’s workforce and infrastructure.”

“All of these are critical issues we must get right, right now, for our economy to grow and help our local communities thrive,” Olson said.

Miller-Meeks said one of the major ways she has supported Iowa’s economy was her vote to support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025. The major tax and spending law, supported by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress, included tax cuts on tips and overtime. The 1st District candidate told the crowd of Cemen Tech employees and others that the reason she supported the measure “despite all the criticism” was not for business organizations or owners, but “for you all.”

“It was for you, who make this country great, who keep this country moving forward, who allow us to keep globally economic (power),” she said. “And if we don’t have a good manufacturing base to do that in this country, we cannot meet global demands, and we lose out.”

Critics of the legislation say it has raised costs for Iowa families, pointing to the Medicaid funding cuts made through the law. Democrats challenging GOP incumbents in 2026, including Bohannan, have also criticized Republicans currently serving in Congress for not opposing the Trump administration’s tariff policies or continued conflict with Iran.

Bohannan said in a statement Friday that Miller-Meeks’ voting record has resulted in higher costs for Iowans.

“Whether it’s supporting reckless tariffs or jacking up health care costs, there’s one thing Iowans know,” Bohannan said. “Rep. Miller-Meeks has been bad for business in Iowa, and it’s affected everyone: small businesses, workers, and families. It’s costing us. And it’s why we’ve got to change the people we send to Washington.”

Miller-Meeks said she has not heard from Iowa businesses or workers facing higher healthcare costs and premiums because of the OBBBA or expiration of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. After the federal subsidies expired, insurers increased premiums by an average of 15.3% for Iowa ACA-marketplace customers in 2026.

“First and foremost, I hadn’t had any business coming and complaining to me,” Miller-Meeks said. “The majority of Americans, over 130 million Americans, are on employer-based health insurance. And extending the expanded COVID-era tax credits, which went directly to profitable insurance companies, did nothing to lower the premiums for the individuals here, or for these businesses who provide those benefits.”

The congresswoman highlighted her proposal to lower healthcare costs called the “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act,” as well as her work to secure money for rural hospitals through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The program was created to help offset the projected decline in rural Medicaid spending due to changes made through the OBBBA.

She said these policies are improving healthcare provisions for “all Americans, not just a select few.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also endorsed U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn earlier in August. Nunn and Miller-Meeks are expected to face two of the most competitive races in the nation in the upcoming midterms, according to election forecasters.