Free Republic

The Trump administration unveiled a fuel proposal Friday that would buoy corn farmers and ethanol producers while alienating the nation’s oil industry. The proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would require oil refineries to blend more ethanol into gasoline, a minimum of 15 billion gallons of each year. The rollout marks the latest twist in a months-long feud between two groups viewed by President Trump as key supporters in his base: farmers and the oil and gas industry. “Once again the president has demonstrated he’s a champion for our nation’s farmers and for rural America,” a senior EPA official...

GOP senators attack whistleblower's credibility GOP senators attack whistleblower's credibility BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 09/30/19 06:00 AM EDT 13,753 Republican senators scrambling to protect President Trump from a formal impeachment inquiry are attacking the credibility of the whistleblower who filed a complaint. GOP lawmakers are asserting the whistleblower did not have firsthand knowledge of the actions detailed in the complaint and question whether the person had a political agenda. “It doesn’t come from a person with personal knowledge. It’s like I heard these people say this, and now I’m reporting it. I think that is pretty bizarre,” said Sen. John...

Republicans in Congress have never been good at hiding their intentions to gut Social Security. In recent years, GOP luminaries from Senate Majority Leader Mich McConnell of Kentucky down through Sen. Marcio Rubio of Florida and former House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin have talked about the need to slash “entitlements” because, you know, the cost of programs such as Social Security and Medicare is driving the federal deficit, leaving so little room for tax-cut handouts to the wealthy. Now Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has added her voice to the discussion, with an added fillip. During a town hall appearance...

<p>Two Republican senators have split from their colleagues in calling for Donald Trump’s alleged rape of the author E. Jean Carroll to be investigated. Carrol, an advice columnist for Elle magazine, claims in an upcoming book about “hideous men” in her life that the US president forced himself on her in a changing room at New York’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1995 or 1996. She describes a “colossal struggle” in which Mr Trump entered her “halfway – or completely, I’m not certain”.</p>

Republican senators on Tuesday began vocalizing their opposition to Stephen Moore, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, amid widespread criticism that the economic commentator is unfit for the job. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) both told reporters that they’re not confident in Moore, whom many economists have called out as a partisan pick more known for promoting conservative fiscal policy than for having any economic expertise. Ernst, the first Republican to speak out, told CNN it was “very unlikely” that she’d support Moore’s nomination and that she didn’t believe he would be...

ADEL, Iowa —Joni Ernst had barely kicked off a town hall one morning here recently when the barrage of complaints about Donald Trump began. One after one, constituents took to the microphone to grill the first term Republican senator about the president — his attacks on John McCain, his emergency declaration at the border and why, in the opinion of several voters, Ernst hasn’t stood up to him more often. “Other senators are speaking up criticizing Trump and defending McCain, but I have yet to hear one word from you,” one man implored her. “Is there no line Trump can...

And the winner of Senator Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) January 2019 Squeal Award is…the National Institutes of Health (NIH)!As Sen. Ernst explains in her press release: “The [NIH] supported ten different cat studies—funded from grants totaling $1.3 MILLION of your money—that concluded  classical music has an effect on cat behaviors. For example, a study found that after playing classical music for cats every day, they were less likely to poop outside of the litter box or cough up hairballs.” Kudos to Sen. Ernst for letting the cat out of the bag about this boondoggle. Her report provides yet another a case study...

The Iowa senator Joni Ernst has stated she turned down the opportunity to be Donald Trump’s vice-president because she believed her husband, Gail, “hated any successes I have." In an affidavit filed as part of divorce proceedings with her husband of 26 years, Ernst states: “in the summer of 2016, I was interviewed by Candidate Trump to be vice president of the United States. I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family. “I continued to make sacrifices and not soar higher out of concern for Gail and our family,” she added. The...

Once again, House Republican leaders last week found themselves having to answer for the offensive statements of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. This time King further confirmed his insensitivity and evidently racist approach to public policy. The New York Times quoted King asking, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization – how did that language become offensive?" In a frank Washington Post op-ed, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., asked, “Why are Republicans accused of racism? Because we’re silent on things like this.” To their credit, many Republican office holders were quick to condemn the provocative remarks, with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst tweeting, “I...

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said Sunday she would rather not see the U.S.-Mexico border close despite threats by President Trump to prevent certain groups of migrants from crossing into the U.S. "We would prefer that we keep it open, so let's work really hard to make sure that we're addressing the asylum seekers before they actually come over the border," Ernst said on CNN's "State of the Union."The Iowa Republican was responding to Trump's suggestion that he may close the southern border if Mexico does not agree to hold migrants while the U.S. processes their asylum claims. "I think the...

For the first time in 25 years, the International Republican Institute will have a new leader. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is battling brain cancer, has decided to step down from his role as chairman of the board of the organization, which for decades he has helped to fight for democracy, freedom, civil society, the rule of law and human rights around the world. McCain’s handoff to IRI’s next chairman, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), is not a signal that McCain’s health is declining. In fact, several McCain associates say his condition hasn’t changed in recent months and he remains actively...

President Trump is organizing White House meetings with Cabinet officials about a federal biofuel mandate that a major refiner blamed for its bankruptcy, Bloomberg and Reuters report. The first meeting on potential changes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) will be Friday with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Bloomberg said. Trump will then meet Tuesday with those Cabinet officials and a handful of senators from both oil- and corn-heavy states who care about the policy, both news outlets report. The meetings come weeks after Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES), the largest fuel refiner...

More than two dozen Senate Republicans are urging President Trump to re-engage in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The 25 GOP lawmakers sent a letter to Trump on Friday saying they support his recent comments that he may consider U.S. participation if the 11-nation Asia-Pacific pact is improved.

The GOP tax plan was passed through the Senate Friday night in a 51-49 vote. There are a number of things included in the last-minute text, including a provision by Sen. Gardner of Colorado that exempts Kombucha, a fermented tea drink, from alcoholic taxes and regulations. Why it matters: These are small examples of what got slipped in the bill last-minute as the Senate vote neared, and reveals some of the senators' pet projects back in their home states. Odd amendments included in the tax plan: Sen. Orrin Hatch Prohibit things like cash and gift cards to be given as...

On Friday an Omaha liberal staked out the Harley Davidson dealership in Pacific Junction, Iowa. Robert Simet told workers at the Harley dealership he planned on killing Republican Senator Joni Ernst during her speech there the following day.

Gannett paper, link only: http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/joni-ernst-female-veteran-senate-profile

An Omaha man has been arrested by the FBI on suspicion of making threats against Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, including that he "could kill" her. Federal court records show Robert William Simet, 64, was arrested Friday in Omaha and charged with threatening a U.S. official. "The safety of our elected officials is something that cannot be taken lightly," FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Randall Thysse said in a statement. "We appreciate those people who reported this to the proper authorities and for the response from our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District...

The hog roast was popular once again, but the previous administration’s health care reform also was on the menu after being roasted by the new vice president. Vice President Mike Pence, speaking Saturday at U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s annual GOP fundraiser, said Congress must make it a priority to get to President Donald Trump’s desk a bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known better to the folks at Saturday’s event as Obamacare. The U.S. House has passed a bill that would undo much of the health care reform implemented under former President Barack Obama. The U.S....

The Drudge siren is blaring that Mike Pence is Trump's VP pick. I'm not sure I believe it, though, for a couple reasons. First, if you're a master showman looking to make as big a splash as possible, at least one head fake is required. In illusionist terms, the head fake is the turn, then bringing out the real VP is the prestige. Just picking a guy, leaking the word 24 hours early, and then rolling him out is the least-showy process imaginable. Second, Pence is probably the second-worst available pick on the board. Here's how the veep possibilities should...

Other GOP elected officials may be avoiding the Republican National Convention later this month, but Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst sees an opening night speech as an opportunity “to give Iowans a voice on the national stage.” “Right now, Iowans are pretty darned frustrated — just like when I ran for election,” said Ernst, whose 2014 campaign caught fire with a “Make ’em Squeal” promise to cut federal spending. National security is to be her focus when she addresses the Cleveland convention on Monday, July 18. “There’s a real pushback against the failed policies we have right now,” Ernst said Tuesday....