Hawkeye Reporter

State Sen. Zach Nunn (R-Bondurant) the Republican candidate for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, recently criticized Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne for voting in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act by proxy while she was on vacation in France.

"While @RepCindyAxne voted to raise your taxes, she was hanging out in  France eating croissants!" Nunn said on Twitter. "The fact she can’t show up to work is even worse. Iowans deserve better than the lazy, dishonest and entitled Cindy Axne!"

In August, Axne voted in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act, but she was not physically present for the vote. Instead, she voted by proxy while vacationing with her family in France, Fox News reported. Axne claimed she was "unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency," but a photo posted by her son on Instagram, which has since been deleted, showed the congresswoman on a European vacation, the story said.

 Axne also supported President Joe Biden's student debt reduction plan and pushed back on claims that it will increase inflation, Fox reported. 

"I hear from realtors that student loan debt is strapping people from buying new homes,"Axne said, according to the Fox News report. "When folks buy a property, not only does that help the economy — with, you know, paying for the house to be built and those workers to built it, but it's all the stuff they buy to put in there — that creates jobs in America for appliances and things … if they build a family, all this stuff. It helps build our economy. So, I'm glad to see this is something that will not impact inflation negatively."

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released a report showing that the student debt handout will increase inflation by "15 to 27 basis points over the next year."

An analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act conducted by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School states that the act will cause inflation to rise until 2024, at which time it could decrease.                    

Nunn has served as the state senator of Iowa's 15th Congressional District since 2019, according to Ballotpedia. He defeated two other candidates in the Republican primary election for the state's 3rd Congressional District, and will face off against Axne in the November general election. He is a graduate of Drake University and holds a master's degree from the University of Cambridge. He served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Air Force, and later worked on the White House National Security Council.