The two major party candidates in Iowa’s first congressional district clashed on taxes and federal spending as well as foreign policy during a debate on KWQC TV in Davenport.
During a moderator’s questions related to ag policy, Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks suggested there are better ways to address the cost of diesel than the Trump Administration’s decision to provide $8 billion in direct payments to farmers. “Farmers are struggling as are many Iowans and I think a better policy would be to increase refinery capacity, put a pause on the export of diesel and also to temporarily reduce the gas tax and the diesel tax,” Miller-Meeks said.
Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan said farmers “need all the help they can get” for a number of reasons, including Trump’s tariff policies. “Republican Governor Terry Branstad worked for years to develop that trade relationship with China to sell our soybeans there,” Bohannan said. “…That trade war, with those tariffs, took away that market like that.”
Both candidates expressed support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Miller-Meeks said the mission in Iran has been accomplished and that’s why she voted for a War Powers Resolution last month. “When the cease fire collapsed, the Iranian regime had (been) decapitated and their nuclear program was severely hampered, I voted to end the Iran war,” MIller-Meeks said.
Bohannan said Miller-Meeks should have voted to the end war the five previous times votes were held in the House on the issue.”The War Powers Resolution gave congress the ability to stand up to the president and say: ‘The American people are hurting, they don’t want this war,’ and they’ve just been a rubber stamp the entire time,” Bohannan said.
The candidates disagreed on the One Big Beautiful Bill President Trump signed last year. Miller-Meeks praised the temporary tax exemptions for tips, overtime and Social Security benefits, while Bohannan criticized it for making tax breaks for billionaires permanent. Bohannan also said cuts to Medicaid that take effect next year will have a devastating effect on rural hospitals. “The Washington County Hospital administrator describes Medicaid as ‘the oxygen that keeps rural health care alive,’” Bohannan said. “The Jackson County Hospital administrator says a third of their income comes from Medicaid alone.”
Miller-Meeks has said the changes preserve Medicaid for those who need the coverage. “The vast majority of Americans agree that people should work if they’re receiving taxpayer-funded benefits and that includes Medicaid,” Miller-Meeks said tonight. “And they also agree that illegal immigrants should not be on Medicaid.” Able-bodied adults under the age of 64 who are enrolled in Medicaid expansion will be required to either work 80 hours a month, be training for a job or volunteering in their community.
This was the only debate before the November election between Miller-Meeks and Bohannan, who ran against one another in 2022 and 2024. A third candidate, independent Michael Bridgeford, is also on this year’s first district ballot.
