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Joni Ernst on Principles & Values |
Ernst did not specify which of the federal government's actions she considers "spying." The senator was responding to a question from the group about special counsel Robert Mueller's report, a redacted version of which was released last week.
Ernst: Strongly Disagree.
Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Ernst: Strongly Agree.
Question topic: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Ernst: I am a Christian. I have grown up in the Lutheran faith, worship in the church I grew up in, and continue to teach Sunday school in that very church. My faith and beliefs continue to define who I am today as a mother, wife, soldier, state senator and community leader.
[When asked about the missed votes, Ernst said], "They've included in those votes time I've been serving on orders with Iowa Army National Guard." The interviewer asked whether some of the missed votes were due to campaigning. "Yes, there were," Ernst said. "They were for other scheduled activities, and not knowing what the debate calendar is before they come up."
According to the Iowa National Guard, Ernst was on orders for training or other duty on [12 days this session, but] only two of those days--March 10-11-- overlapped with days the Iowa Senate held votes, accounting for 12 votes (or about 10%) of the 117 missed votes. Excluding the days that overlapped with Ernst's guard duty, she's missed 105 votes, or 57% of the Iowa Senate votes this session.
Not only does she remove pig testicles, she smiles talking about it. The gender politics behind the spot--Ernst would join only four other female Republicans in the Senate if she wins--are both bold and hilarious. In a city of broken down men, she tells voters, it will take a woman with a knife to fix things. "Let's make 'em squeal," she announces. And at that point she is no longer talking about pigs, at least not of the livestock type.
Joni Ernst remarked that what drives her is a desire to protect Iowa values from federal overreach. "The values that I hold dear, that I grew up with and that I have fought for, for over 20 years are being threatened by the failed policies of this president," Ernst said.
Explanation of 1/6/21 Electoral Certification, by Emily Brooks, Washington Examiner:Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar led an objection to counting Electoral College votes from the state of Arizona, the first formal objection to state results in a series of moves that will delay the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election over President Trump. Cruz is advocating for an `emergency 10-day audit` of election returns in disputed states. The usually ceremonial joint session of Congress that convenes to count and accept Electoral College votes will be put on hold as the House and Senate separately debate the objection.
Bill summary:The select committee must (1) conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the attack on the Capitol; (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the lessons learned from this attack; and (3) submit a report containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations to prevent future acts of violence, domestic terrorism, and domestic violent extremism, and to improve the security of the U.S. Capitol Complex and other American democratic institutions.
CBS News summary, by Grace Segers on June 30, 2021:H.R. 3233 would have created a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the root causes of the breach of the U.S. Capitol, modeled after the 9/11 Commission.
On May 28, the House passed the bill by a vote of 222 to 190, including 35 Republican votes. It then failed in the Senate, where it received an insufficient number of Republican votes to advance.
In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on June 24 that the House would establish a select committee [appointed by House Democrats, instead of a bipartisan independent commission] to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and general security issues related to the incident. Pelosi said its leadership and members would be announced later. The House passed the resolution to form the committee on June 29, 2021, by a vote of 222-190.
OnTheIssues note: The Senate voting record refers to the earlier rejected bill H.R. 3233, and the House voting record refers to the later bill H.Res.503. The later bill had no Senate vote (but the two House votes were almost identical).