Iowa’s representatives MIA with hours til shutdown
Feenstra, Hinson, Miller-Meeks, and Nunn follow party bosses and refuse to do their jobs instead of working for a deal
Washington – With just hours until the government shuts down, Representatives Randy Feenstra, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Zach Nunn all appear to be following Speaker Mike Johnson’s orders to stay in their districts instead of working with Democrats on bi-partisan compromise to keep the government open and prevent health care costs from rising.
Iowans have been raising the alarm for months about the looming expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits that help Iowa families afford health insurance.
While the country could now face the highest premium increases in 15 years, Iowa Republicans have still done nothing to extend the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies that over 130,000 Iowans rely on for insurance.
Iowa families will experience “sticker shock” as letters go out this week for 2026 premiums and open enrollment starts November 1.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation:
- Iowa insurers have requested premium increases of between 12-26% for 2026
- About half of adults with ACA marketplace coverage are small business owners or employees or self-employed
- About one-quarter of farmers, ranchers get insurance through ACA marketplace
- Combined with Medicaid cuts under the Republican budget bill, over 100k Iowans could lose insurance by 2034
“Randy Feenstra, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Zach Nunn refuse to address the looming health care crisis and are barreling Iowans toward a government shutdown,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart. “Our representatives need to stop hiding, get to Washington and get a bipartisan deal done that prevents health care costs from skyrocketing for over 100,000 Iowans and keeps the government open. We are asking them to listen to Iowans, not Party bosses.”
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