The Iowa Department of Education has 220 staff members and a budget of more than $10 million. But it has zero independence or political power.
That's why school legislation in Iowa is driven by the political agenda of the governor, Republican Party leaders and this year, by the Americans for Prosperity, a right wing organization funded largely by the Koch brothers, and Betsy DeVos, ex-head of the Trump administration's education department.
Iowa lawmakers are likely to need a supermajority vote to increase personal and corporate income taxes after approval for a proposed constitutional amendment took the lead... more
Iowa Farmers Union has not endorsed federal candidates for at least 14 years, but is urging farmers to vote for Josh Turek in the race for U.S. Senate, and the rest of the Democrats... more
Less than two weeks after the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the agency was stepping up enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act, the USDA’s lawyers are arguing in court that... more