“I think that elected officials need to make that a front burner issue,” the Republican from Sioux City said Monday.

He is the Republican nominee in the 4th Congressional District, which includes Webster County and all of its surrounding counties. He will face Democrat Dave Dawson in the November election. McGowan and Dawson are competing to replace U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, who did not seek reelection in order to launch an ultimately unsuccessful bid for governor.

McGowan said that in 2024, the federal government spent more to service the debt than it did on defense.

He said it will require discipline to get the federal government out of debt. But he doesn’t see much evidence of the necessary discipline, so forcing a balanced budget on federal officials via a constitutional amendment is the way to go, in his opinion.

Revenue from tariffs really isn’t the solution to the deficit and debt problem, according to McGowan.

“The tariffs aren’t designed to generate revenue as much as they are designed to level playing fields,” he said. “And I give the president credit for trying to level the playing fields.”

“We’re for free and fair trade,” he added.

McGowan said he is very pleased to see that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill allowing year round use of E15 ethanol.

“It’s a game changer for farmers,” he said.