From the Desk of Senator Weiner
This was a bellwether week – for the legislative session, as we passed the second legislative funnel, further narrowing the bills we will be dealing with the rest of this session (sort of on the downhill slope now); for Iowa’s economy, with major layoffs, in particular at the Whirlpool plant in Amana; and for the U.S. economy with the tariff wars.
It’s not just that Iowa’s economy was soft last year, as the figures in the next section of this newsletter indicate – we were one of only two states whose real GDP contracted in 2024, and we were 48th in personal income growth. It’s that when a major manufacturing company that produces durable goods – in this case, refrigerators – lays off an entire shift of workers, that tells me the economy as a whole is slowing. I’m not an economist, but I’m also watching corn and, particularly, bean futures – and I’m concerned.
We are now at the point in the legislative session where we are supposed to start seeing budget bills. I have to ask myself, how does one craft a budget with all these unknowns? And the unknowns are huge and growing by the day. We don’t know the impact of tariffs – though we do know it was devastating last time around. And let me be clear: tariffs are taxes – taxes on the consumer – probably the biggest tax hike we have seen in years. With respect to Iowa’s farmers, the administration in Washington can try to make them whole, but that won’t bring back lost markets. Looking to the future, we simply don’t know what will happen to Iowa’s tax receipts, since if more people lose their jobs, our revenue outlook will continue to go down. The last couple of revenue estimating conferences already showed a downward trend, and we know – since one of my colleagues FOIA’d the information – that our Republican colleagues intend to run a deficit budget for the next five years. And that was all decided before any of the current volatility.
With all that is going on, some of the bills our Republican colleagues are trying to run seem absurd. Why, for instance, should we have to debate putting unvetted chaplains in schools when we should be focused on school funding (still has not passed and school districts have to certify their budgets by the end of April), and other ways to help Iowans improve their lives? Make it make sense.
House Leader Konfrst and I hold a weekly press conference every Thursday. At this week’s, I said that given all these uncertainties, our Republican colleagues should be more open about the budgeting process. Instead of crunching the numbers behind closed doors and just revealing them when they bring budget bills to the floor, they should open those doors and include the minority party (which, to be clear, they should do in normal times as well) so that together we can transparently craft a budget that attempts to take into account all the current unknowns – so we can work together for Iowans, and in essence show our work, as any good math teacher would require. I hope they take me up on it – I truly do. But if they don’t (and I’m not a wide-eyed optimist), they will own everything that happens.
We work here in Iowa for Iowans, of course, but it strikes me that we are now at a point – with tariffs, and with other national-level changes hitting, such as firing workers at Social Security, such as firing veterans and way too many from VA Hospitals, such as slashing NIH grant funding and public health officials – that the national is quickly becoming local in a very real way. So please share your stories – janice.weiner@legis.iowa.gov – we need to know them, both so we can tell them and so we can try to do what we can at the state level to help.
I plan to attend Saturday’s demonstration in Iowa City, which starts at 11:30 near Old Capitol. Hope to see you there.
Warning Signs for Iowa’s Economy
What impact are we having on Iowans’ day-to-day lives? Are our constituents feeling positive effects from our choices?
As legislators, these questions should be at the top of our minds when we make decisions at the Capitol that affect Iowans and their families. Unfortunately, recent evidence and economic indicators paint a clear picture that, after eight years of total Republican control, Iowans are not experiencing positive effects.
In a recent release, the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that in real, inflation-adjusted terms, Iowa’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted in 2024. That’s a distinction only awarded to Iowa and North Dakota – the 48 other states and the District of Columbia all saw real GDP growth in 2024. The BEA’s release also laid out the change in personal income by state. The good news: personal income grew in Iowa in 2024. The bad news: 47 other states grew more.
Iowa’s economy is simply not keeping pace with our neighbors or the rest of the country.
Part of the problem lies with Iowa’s slow population growth. A report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that between 2020 and 2024, 98% of Iowa’s population growth was a result of international immigration. During the same time period, Iowa lost over 9,000 residents to domestic migration – meaning over 9,000 Iowans left the state to live somewhere else.
The Iowa Business Council cites Iowa’s slow population growth as an impediment to the state’s economic progress, while also noting Iowa’s worsening healthcare delivery system as a factor. Iowa’s national ranking for active primary care providers, obesity rate, percent of the population lacking health insurance, and well-being index have all fallen, while the availability of mental health providers continues to stagnate as Iowa ranks 43rd in the country.
Finally, the percentage of Iowa children eligible for free or reduced price lunch rose between the 2023-2024 school year the 2024-2025 school year. More than 42% of Iowa’s public school students now qualify, indicating a growing number of Iowa families in need of economic support.
Contributing to all these worsening economic markers is the constant presence of mass layoffs around the state. Just this week, Whirlpool announced it was laying off one-third of its workforce in Amana. The end of March saw the 16th round of layoffs at John Deere facilities in Iowa, and layoffs at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids go into effect this month, affecting another 160 Iowa families. We can hardly go a week without another mass layoff notice in our communities.
All of these indicators should be a bright, flashing warning sign to our communities and to the Legislature. Where Iowa’s economy hasn’t stalled, it’s regressed. Under Republican control, the Legislature has not done enough to decrease the burden for Iowa workers, to lower costs for Iowa families, or to improve the lives of our constituents.
Something has to change.
Quick Updates
Healthcare for Firefighters: HF 969, a bill to expand healthcare for firefighters and other first responders to include all types of cancer, advanced through the Senate State Government Committee this week. The bill was passed unanimously in the House and is now eligible for a vote on the Senate floor. I am an enthusiastic supporter of this bill. Our first responders put their lives on the line for our benefit and they deserve health care that respects their sacrifice. I am SO happy this bill appears to be moving in the Senate this year – it’s about time.
Subject to Confirmation: A responsibility afforded to the Iowa Senate is the confirmation of certain appointments made by the governor. The governor submits a list of appointees that fall under the Senate’s purview and each appointee is referred to a specific committee where they are reviewed. Confirmation of each appointment submitted to the Senate requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of the Senate. This process has begun and will continue through the first couple weeks of April.
More layoffs for Iowa workers: It seems like we can hardly go a week without hearing about another round of layoffs in our communities. Whirlpool announced this week it would be laying off 651 workers – roughly one third of the workforce at their Amana facility. The layoffs are a significant hit to the small community and, after years of benefit cuts, these workers will now navigate a complex and unfriendly unemployment process. Working Iowans deserve better protections. The Legislature should restore unemployment benefits and address the bureaucratic hurdles in the unemployment process to better serve impacted Iowans. I’ve been talking to a lot of media about this this week. Not so fun fact: Iowa has only 16 weeks of unemployment now – most of our surrounding states have 26 (which we used to have); Missouri has 20. When people’s lives are upended, they need time – especially as our economy continues to cool – to find the next job that will support their families.
Pick a license plate: Iowans can now vote for a new education license plate online. The designs feature artwork from 16 student semifinalists from across the state. A committee representing art teachers from across the state reviewed and selected the semifinalists from over 100 qualified designs. You can access the online voting form to select their top three overall favorite designs. The winning design will be announced at the end of the school year and will tentatively go into production this summer. All semifinalist and finalist art designs will be permanently displayed at the Grimes State Office Building.
Graduation Rate Rises: Iowa’s high school graduation rate climbed to 88.3% for the class of 2024, marking a 0.8 percentage point increase from the previous year. This is the first time since 2020 that the state’s graduation rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels, matching the rate last seen in 2019. In total, 34,158 students earned their diplomas this year, reflecting continued progress in education across the state. More information on Iowa’s graduation rates, including rates by school district, are available on the Department of Education’s Graduation Rates and Dropout Rates webpage.
A Thank You to Public Safety Telecommunicators: April is National 911 Education Month and next week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. I want to take a moment to thank our public safety telecommunicators. They are often the first point of contact for the public in emergencies, and they handle people’s worst days around the clock, seven days a week. Please take a moment to check out their crucial work.
Hail Damage: Hailstorms can cause significant damage to homes, vehicles, and other property, leading to costly repairs. Understanding how to handle an insurance claim after a hailstorm can make the process smoother, and taking preventative measures can help mitigate future damage and reduce potential losses. Learn more about handling hail damage claims here.
IEC webinar series: The Iowa Environmental Council has launched a new four-part webinar series focusing on climate change, resiliency, and disaster preparedness in Iowa. Free and open to the public, the series starts April 23, from 12:00-1:00 p.m., with a conversation about the relationship between climate and agriculture. Participants will learn about Iowa’s agricultural landscape and how climate change impacts farms and fields. You can read more about the series here.
This Week in the Capitol
