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Recapping a year of results

2024 was a busy and successful year representing our families, farmers, businesses, and rural communities in Congress. I made over 320 stops on my biannual 36 County Tour, launched the second iteration of my Feenstra Agriculture Tour, held several town halls with Iowans, and advocated for our shared values on Capitol Hill. It is truly the honor of a lifetime to be entrusted by the good people of the Fourth District to serve our communities every day and be a strong voice for our families in our nation’s capital. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously. Now, let’s ...

We don’t want California’s EV mandates to spread nationwide

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency delivered yet another blow to the American auto industry and affordability for our families. The EPA announced that it granted California permission to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars in the state. In doing so, the EPA put radical Green New Deal policy agenda items over the economic interests of American consumers. The permissions from the EPA come in the form of two waivers. The first waiver allows the state of California to mandate that 35 percent of new sales of cars and pickup trucks be zero-emission ...

Happy birthday, Iowa! Let freedom ring

In addition to Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Day, Iowans have another reason to celebrate during the last week of the year. On Dec. 28, 1846, President James K. Polk signed a bill admitting Iowa into the Union. This year, Iowa will celebrate its 178th birthday. Let’s take a look back at when Iowa became the 29th state. Iowa has always been a free state. On March 3, 1845, Congress passed legislation to allow for the admission of the Territories of Florida and Iowa into the Union. The carefully crafted bill kept intact the political arrangement at the time to keep the number ...

Biden’s Christmas gift to the bah humbug bureaucrats: another four-year staycation away from the office

In the Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” three ghosts show up on Christmas Eve and go to work trying to convince Scrooge to change his ways. That’s better in-person attendance than you can expect to find in a Washington, D.C. office these days. In fact, you’re more likely to spot a ghost haunting the halls of the headquarters of government agencies than a bureaucrat! When asked to return to their jobs, government employees are responding: “Bah! Humbug.” While President-elect Trump is promising to bring these Bah Humbug bureaucrats back to the office ...

Use your RMD to start a charitable fund

To alleviate the tax burden of required minimum distributions from IRAs, many people are using their RMDs to make qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) to their favorite charities. These tax-free distributions are a financially advantageous way for clients age 70 ½ or older to turn their retirement savings into a meaningful gift. Normally, distributions from a traditional IRA are taxable when received. With a QCD however, these distributions become tax free as long as they are paid directly from the IRA to an eligible charitable organization. Each year, an IRA owner age 70 ½ ...

Keeping our military the strongest fighting force in the world

Our national security depends on a strong military laser focused on defending our country and our values. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, terrorist groups, and other diabolical forces are intent on destabilizing our nation, dismantling our economy, and sowing chaos across the globe. We cannot let this new Axis of Evil and their proxies undermine American leadership on the world stage nor can we let them get away with openly disregarding the rule of law, international norms, and global security interests. To ensure that our troops have the resources and support that they need to keep ...