Hawkeye Reporter

Senator Grassley's weekly Capitol Hill Report

Ernst Fights for Women’s Sports with Athletes Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan, Payton McNabb

During the week of the anniversary of Title IX, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) in support of athletes Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan, and Payton McNabb, who are sounding the alarm on the Biden administration’s effort to force women to compete against biological men in sports, robbing female athletes of dignity, privacy, and critical scholarships and titles.

Q&A: Farmers Markets

Q: Are farmers markets expanding in Iowa?

Ernst Counters Biden Admin Rule Turning Law-Abiding Gunowners into Felons

Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a strong supporter of Iowans’ Second Amendment rights, voted to nullify the Biden administration’s anti-Second Amendment pistol brace rule.

Week of June 17: 11 people in 25-44 age group are estimated to have died in Iowa

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 11 people in the 25-44 age group died during the week ending June 17.

Less than 10 people die with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause in Iowa during week ending June 24

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa in the week ending June 24, making up less than 1.7% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa.

VA provides 412 home purchase loans in Iowa in Q2 2023

There were 412 VA home purchase loans issued in Iowa in the second quarter of the fiscal year 2023 totaling $103 million, according to figures provided by the Veterans Affairs Home Loans Index.

Ernst: Biden’s EPA refuses to recognize the domestic, homegrown solution readily available today

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following statement after the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes impacting Iowa’s biofuel industry.

VA provides 29.1% fewer home purchase loans in Iowa in Q2 2023

There were 412 VA home purchases in Iowa in the second quarter of the VA's fiscal year 2023, totaling $103 million in loans, according to figures provided by the Veterans Affairs Home Loans Index.

142 people die in Iowa from heart disease in week ending June 24

There were 142 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending June 24, a 18.3% increase over the previous week.

Gov. Reynolds Completes Kosovo Leg of Trade Mission

On June 27, Gov. Kim Reynolds completed the Kosovo leg of her trade mission and will be traveling to Israel.

Q2 2023: Iowa's combined tax revenues up 3.1% since Q1 2023

Iowa collected $3.3 billion in total tax revenues during the second quarter of 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Summary of State and Local Taxes.

Grassley-Blumenthal Resolution Designates June as “Elder Abuse Awareness Month”

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced a Senate resolution designating June as “Elder Abuse Awareness Month.”

Average VA IRRRL loan amount in Iowa increases from Q1 to Q2

The average VA interest rate reduction refinance loan (IRRRL) amount in Iowa during the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 was $178,375, according to figures provided by the Veterans Affairs Home Loans Index.

Grassley, 60 Senators Reintroduce Most Comprehensive Bill in Congress to Expand Teleheath Access

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined 59 of his bipartisan colleagues, including Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The bill expands Medicare coverage of telehealth services and makes permanent pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities.

Ernst: Who in Washington knew what happened in Wuhan? Why did they cover it up? How much did it cost the American taxpayers?