President Donald Trump touted the policies enacted during the first six weeks of second term in an address to Congress as Iowa politicians sang his praises and criticized his sweeping actions Tuesday night.
Trump boosted his overhaul of the federal government and expansive executive orders to a packed, rowdy audience on the House floor.
“We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in 4 years or 8 years, and we are just getting started,” Trump said.
In his first six weeks in the Oval Office, Trump signed nearly 100 executive orders, mandating reform to federal agencies through the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, creating a federal definition for male and female and enacting tariffs.
Many of these mandates have been enacted in the Iowa legislature, led by a super majority of Republicans.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed a law removing gender identity as a protected class, stripping transgender Iowans of civil rights last week.
The legislation also created legal definitions for the terms sex, gender, male, and female, similarly to Trump’s executive order mandating the federal government will only recognize two genders — male and female — and provide definitions.
Trump spoke of a federal order preventing transgender women from playing in women’s sports, although the legislation failed to pass through the Senate earlier this week.
Roughly three years ago, Reynolds signed a similar bill into law, barring transgender women athletes from competing in women’s sports in the state.
“In Iowa, we defended fairness and protected girls’ sports. Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump for doing the same and returning common sense to Washington,” Reynolds posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Iowa’s congressional delegation also took to X posting their support for the president and his platforms.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, head of the Senate DOGE Caucus, is a longtime supporter of cutting government spending and waste. She has used the tagline “make ‘em squeal,” referring to Washington’s big spenders, since her first bid for Congress in 2014.
“I’m proud to have provided President Trump and Elon Musk with a blueprint to find trillions of dollars in savings for the federal government,” Ernst posted on X on Tuesday. “Together, we’re going to make our federal government work for the people again.”
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, posted a statement supporting Trump’s initiative to prevent federal workers from working from home.
“I have long been sounding the alarm on bureaucrats working from home! President Trump is right: bureaucrats should no longer be able to ‘work from home’ on taxpayer dime,” Hinson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.
The president put forward an amassing list in his speech Tuesday night, including announcing reciprocal tariffs which will launch on April 2.
In Trump’s words, a reciprocal tariff means, “Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them, whatever they tax us, we tax them.”
‘Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” Trump said Tuesday. “On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Canada. Have you heard of them?”
Trump said if these countries enact non-monetary barriers to keep U.S. products out of their market, the U.S. will do the same.
Iowa Democrats question high prices, effects of tax cuts
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said in a statement Tuesday night that Republicans have “already lost focus on their promise to bring down prices and grow our economy.”
Hart pointed to Musk calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme and Iowa’s congressional delegation voting for the GOP House budget resolution, which would likely require cuts from Medicaid and Medicare.
“Now, they’re supporting tariffs that will raise the price of gas and groceries and invite retaliation while the farm economy is struggling,” Hart said in a statement Tuesday. “Iowa’s representatives have turned their backs on Iowans to appease this administration, which is clearly run and controlled by millionaires and billionaires.”
The Iowa Democratic Party’s news release Tuesday night outlined how prices continue to climb under Republican leadership. The statement said Trump “walked back on his campaign promise to lower costs.”
In his bid for a second term, Trump promised heavily to lower prices on day one of his presidency. Costs are still high, and inflation continues to soar, yet reporting by The Wall Street Journal found the president talks more often about federal workers, diversity programs, and foreign policy than the price of eggs.
The party’s statement also said Trump and Iowa Republicans are working to “to rig the economy for the ultra-rich and giant corporations by ripping away Iowans’ health care and raising costs on working families.”
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The statement pointed to the federal budget resolution, which Iowa Republicans voted in favor of last week, and said it would force a burden on working families while giving tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy.
Trump’s tax cuts have received criticism. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute that analyzes the impact of federal and state government budget policies, reported last month
the House Budget would increase costs for many Americans while providing huge tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.
Democrats have argued Medicaid would suffer from these massive cuts.
The Iowa Democratic Party’s statement said the budget threatens Medicaid funding, would upend funding for hospitals, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes, and threaten medical care for one in five Americans.
The party said Iowa’s trigger law would automatically end state funding for its Medicaid expansions if the federal government guts its support.
Iowa Republicans eager to enact Trump’s plans
Iowa Republicans expressed a willingness to pursue Trump’s plans in social media posts Tuesday night.
“Tonight, President Trump laid out a bold vision to renew the American dream after four years of failed leadership under Biden,” Hinson said in a statement posted on X. “The last 43 days have been a revival of common sense, and we are just getting started.
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, said in a news release Tuesday that Trump’s speech outlined his “decisive work for the American people and laid out his vision for a strong, secure, and prosperous America.”
“I look forward to working with President Trump to support our farmers and producers, repeal the death tax, pass the Farm Bill, ban China from buying our farmland, and deliver tax relief for our families, farmers, and small businesses,” Feenstra said in a news release Tuesday. “On behalf of the American people, we will keep delivering results.”
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a post on X there is still more work to be done, despite Trump’s work with Congress.
“Pres Trump delivered a strong state of the union address. He’s working w Congress to make America safer + stronger + restore common sense in govt. After an impactful start to his presidency there’s a lot more work 2do,” Grassley wrote.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, said in a news release Tuesday night, “the American Dream is alive and well under President Trump,” and he looks forward to working with the president to continue to make America a better place.
Iowa GOP Jeff Kaufmann praised Trump for America’s future in a news release Tuesday night and said Iowans are proud to support Trump’s leadership and the Republican agenda.
“The energy and enthusiasm Iowans have for the GOP agenda are undeniable, and we look forward to working alongside President Trump and our Republican majorities in Congress to renew the American dream,” Kaufmann said in the news release.