Money well spent? Let's look at these overnight sessions
“Nothing good happens after midnight.” That’s how the saying goes, right? So, why did the Iowa Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives both debate what to do with billions of our tax dollars and determine numerous policies overnight?
Leaders have their reasons to keep debate going into the wee hours. Fatigue can be a powerful tool to deplete opposition and force compliance on legislation. When a “yes” is all that is stopping you from putting your head down on the pillow after you have been awake for nearly 24 hours, you might be more likely to give it.
Iowa lawmakers ended their legislative session at 6:30 a.m.
As Republican leaders in the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate struggled for agreement on budgets, sports betting, drug treatment, and more, they kept members in the chambers long after the clock struck midnight. The house adjourned around 6:30 a.m.
Big Beautiful All-Nighter
Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives found the bare minimum votes needed to pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the legislation pushed by President Donald Trump. Tax cuts, energy tax credits, Medicaid work requirements, defense spending and more were all part of the early a.m. vote.
"If something is beautiful, you don't do it after midnight,” said U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said about the tactic.
Do the American people care about this? Are media members just complaining because they, too, had to stay up really late to cover what was happening, and they are just tired and cranky?
The Unexpected Candidate
State Senator Lynn Evans did not expect to be thinking about running for Congress. But when U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, confirmed his interest in running for governor instead of re-election, it gave him an opportunity.
In this week’s “Inside Iowa Politics,” I talked to Evans about his possible campaign for Congress, what this former public school thinks about education policy coming from Washington, D.C., and why 30 days will be so crucial to his plans.
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Feenstra for governor
Did you notice how many references Feenstra used in his first ad for his gubernatorial campaign about President Donald Trump?