Ernst kicks off 99-county tour
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst kicked off her 99-county tour of Iowa Jan. 14.
The Red Oak native held a “Coffee with Joni “ event at the Montgomery County YMCA that drew a crowd of over 100 constituents from Red Oak and the surrounding communities.
Ernst started the event with a recap of some of the biggest accomplishments of the U.S. Senate last year. The biggest, Ernst said, was the passing of the 2017 Jobs and Tax Cuts Act, signed into law before the end of the year. Ernst said she had received calls from a number of companies across Iowa sharing what they were doing for Iowa employees.
“Nationwide Insurance, which employs 4,500 people in Iowa, gave $1,000 bonuses to 29,000 employees in Iowa and across the country. They attributed it to the 2017 act. Wells Fargo is raising the minimum wage and increasing charitable giving by 40 percent, up to $400 million. They employ about 15,825 people here in Iowa. Numerous other employers are doing so as well. These bonuses are not being given to corporate officers, just the employees,” Ernst said.
Ernst also said she had three bills signed into law last year, including the Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act, which Ernst said was very personal to her.
“It establishes a memorial foundation fund made up of non-taxpayer dollars that will erect a memorial on our National Mall that will honor all those who served in the global war on terror. The goal is to have the memorial up in the next seven years. It may not seem like a big thing to many, to those that served, it’s a big thing, and one that has touched out local community.”
Ernst also answered questions from members of the community. Ernst was asked if the armed forces were funded well enough to face a two-front war.
“We are able to juggle two theaters of operation. Right now, we’re facing Iraq combined with Syria, and Afghanistan. But North Korea is in the news right now. If we had to ship to North Korea right now, according to our military commanders, they would not be adequately able to cover down on action in Korea. I hope it doesn’t come down to that, and we’re doing everything we can to keep that from happening,” Ernst advised.
Ernst also fielded questions about President Donald Trump, and his comments on other countries of late.
“There’s not anything I can do to stop the president’s rhetoric, and I don’t agree with it. However, a lot of leaders around the world will support President Trump because he’s being a good neighbor and ally, in spite of the rhetoric. When we’re engaging in action, we have to have partners around the world who contribute dollars and boots on the ground.”
Ernst said overall, they support his policies and want to continue to work with the president, and focus more on that than what the president is saying.
“We all could focus on the more important scope of the economy, building our military, and the situation in North Korea. We need to take the threat of North Korea very seriously, ” commented Ernst.
Ernst also commented on the state of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals legislation, and said she wishes they were closer to a resolution.
“DACA is very important. Both parties agree we need to resolve this and find the right answers for them. But we do need border security, and make sure our nation is secure from outsiders, and drug, arms, and human trafficking. I hope we can resolve it very soon,” said Ernst.
Ernst said there are a number of things she will be focusing on in the senate as 2018 gets underway.
“The 2018 Farm Bill is very important to everyone across the Midwest. I’ll also be making sure we’re protecting our veterans, as well as strengthening our military. We will have a National Defense Authorization Act coming up very shortly, and working on sexual assault, not just within the military, but across the United States. There’s a lot to work on in this upcoming year. “