Iowa’s 1st District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller Meeks is heading back to Capitol Hill next month after winning re-election last month. We spoke this week about her narrow victory and priorities in the next Congress.
WVIK's Joesph Leahy spoke with Representative Miller-Meeks on Wednesday, Dec.11th. The interview has been edited for clarity and time.
Leahy: Representative Miller-Meeks, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Rep. Miller-Meeks: Wonderful to join you.
Leahy: Okay, so the first district, just to review, covers most of southeast Iowa, including Iowa City, Burlington, the Quad City area, Clinton, and parts of the Des Moines suburb. The district handed you another narrow victory in your rematch with Democrat Christina Bohannan. So how do you interpret your razor-thin win in the district, while Republicans nationwide won decisively?
Rep. Miller-Meeks: We know that this is a tough district. It's a swing district. And so it's just a matter of continuing to do the work that we do, and do the great constituent services that we do, and to be available and accessible to people within the district. We expect in presidential years that that changes the dynamic. But our district is an unusual district if you look at the demographics, and we've been able to navigate that very well. As you recall, in 2022 in the midterms, I won by seven percentage points, or 20,000 votes. And so in presidential years, it changes the dynamic.
Leahy: So what do you think Republicans could or should take away from the 2024 elections? How might that inform your approach to working with Democrats in the future?
Rep. Miller-Meeks: Well, first and foremost, I would say that if you look at the spending, we were heavily outspent by the Democrats in this election cycle. Nonetheless, people made clear that they wanted to have a secure border. They wanted economic growth and opportunity. They wanted to reduce inflation and bringing it down, which was created in part by the amount of government spending in addition to the record amount of normal budgetary or typical budgetary spending in Congress. And they wanted energy costs to come down, which is part of food prices. So the things that we'll be working on are working on getting inflation down, growing the economy, increasing wages, securing the border, and personally, I want to see my PBM reform bills get through, which will help lower prescription drug costs.
Leahy: You've touched on some of the priorities already that you want to tackle in the new Congress. Is there anything else you'd like to see addressed early next year in 2025? Maybe any pet projects that might affect the Quad Cities region here on your list?
Rep. Miller-Meeks: I think the border is, as I mentioned earlier, is something that we feel was a large part of the victory for us. It is something that affects everybody. No matter where you are, border states, whether it's securing the border, deporting criminal aliens that are here that have not been deported, that are charged with crimes here, the fentanyl that's coming across our southern border to handle that, and drug overdoses, that is one issue. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act, if we do not reauthorize that, a great majority of average Americans will see an immediate tax increase, and then there are families that are already struggling with high prices. They'll be ...doubly impacted. Also has the doubling of the child care tax credit. So looking at trying to get the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. And then our appropriations bills, as you know, a lot of what we're doing is going to be standing up our committees, getting staff. We have new chairs of committees. The committee I'm on, Energy and Commerce, will have another member. We're continuing to work on the Afghan Adjustment Act for those individuals, Afghan interpreters, and people who are willing to put their lives on the line for our military, but we're hampered by the disastrous incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan. We're also going to continue to work on the Farm Bill. In all likelihood, it will have an extension, but there has been a lot of conversation and talk about the Farm Bill going forward and into the next session, and that's something that certainly will impact our area, our work with the Corps of Engineers for both navigation along the Mississippi River. As well as the environmental impacts along the Mississippi River, we'll continue to work with the Army Corps of Engineers in those regards. We have some bills that are specific to the Quad City area, some of which have been done in a bipartisan way with Representative Sorensen, and we'll be looking to get those bills across the finish line.
Leahy: Okay. I look forward to hearing more about those next month. So just to circle back, you mentioned committee assignments and that you sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee and also the Veteran Affairs Committee. So are you expecting to keep those assignments, and do you have your sights set on any other assignments?
Rep. Miller-Meeks: So, yes. When you're on Energy and Commerce Committee, you have to get a waiver to serve on other committees. I have requested to continue serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee. It fits in with both our district and our state, and it gives our federal delegation a very good representation on some of the most significant committees in Congress. I'm also on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, but that's ending. We've had our report. It's a very good report looking at how we can improve our response and what things we can do to have a better response and less authoritarian response to another pandemic should it occur. And it is likely that one will occur, hopefully not in the near future, but in the distant future. But that committee is ending. So if it's possible, given the numbers of members of both parties that I'm asked to serve on another committee, I would be happy to do so.
Leahy: Mm-hmm. And just switching gears, so how concerned are you about President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs, specifically on Mexican imports, in light of John Deere's manufacturing operations down there and its heavy, heavy presence in the Quad Cities?
Rep. Miller-Meeks: Certainly, anything that impacts the economy of Iowa is always a concern. As we know, there were some relocations. John Deere relocated the manufacturing of smaller components to Mexico, which led to some layoffs in the Quad Cities. And they were working on changing the dynamics into larger equipment. The farm economy, as we know, is having some struggles now. And purchasing has been less robust than it has been in years past. And so I think that continues to put stress on all of our agricultural implement or agricultural-based manufacturing facilities. So you have to look at the tariffs. I have to look at those on a case-by-case basis and to see what it is exactly that the administration is going to do. As we have right now, we don't have any specifics on that. But in general, we want to have policies that are pro-growth economic policies that help both manufacturing in the United States, as well as on-shoring manufacturing in the United States.
Leahy: Well, in the time we have left, I'm wondering, do you have any plans for celebrating the holidays? And as I'm still new to the area, I'm kind of curious about what's fun to do in southeast Iowa?
Rep. Miller-Meeks: I would say there's a lot of fun stuff to do all throughout the district. For me, given the time of year that it is and going into a new term in Congress, for me personally, I think I'm going to relax. I'm going to utilize the time to do some decorating of our tree, which I got a couple of weeks ago. It's in the stand. All of its branches are relaxed, so it'll be ready to be decorated when we finish up on the 19th or 20th. Hopefully we'll finish the 19th or 20th and not held over. And then I'm going to bake and I'm going to cook. Typically around Christmas, I bake and deliver cinnamon rolls to neighbors and people. So I'm just going to relax and have some easy time with my husband and my children.
Leahy: That sounds wonderful, especially the relaxing like a Christmas tree to me sounds pretty good. Thank you, Congresswoman Marionette Miller-Meeks. It's great to talk to you. I hope we can check in again soon and find out what's going on in the next congressional session.
Rep. Miller-Meeks: Well, thank you, Joseph. And I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and with the warm and peace and compassion of the holidays.
Leahy: Thank you very much. And the same to you.
Rep. Miller-Meeks: Thank you.