Across Iowa and the country, the rising cost of living has dominated conversations this year.
Iowans are worried about rising health care premiums, access to health care, grocery bills, and gas prices — and they made clear they want leaders focused on making life affordable for working families, not on tax breaks for billionaires. Fairness for Iowa has spent the last two years making sure those kitchen-table concerns from Iowans were heard.
That work took many forms. From hard-hitting ads across the district, packed town halls and community events with Iowans sharing their stories to research reports breaking down how Congressional Republicans’ policies were driving up costs for working families. Iowans spoke up when health care was at risk for over 130,000 of their friends, families and neighbors and showed up when health care clinics closed. They kept sharing their stories as they struggled to cover an additional $3,000 this year due to tariffs and rising costs.
That advocacy worked. In January, after months of Iowans demanding action, Representative Zach Nunn changed his vote and supported extending the health care tax credits. Sustained storytelling also caused him to change course on the war in Iran after voting five times to continue it.
"Iowans showed up for themselves and shared their stories," Amber, an Ankeny who uses the ACA said. "Our costs went up and our lives got more difficult. But hard working people like me went the extra mile to show up to share what's at stake for our families — and we're not done. Congress needs to reverse the health care cuts and stop the tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy that are paid for by cutting programs everyday Iowans rely on."