Week in Iowa, Dec. 19, 2022: Recap of news from across the state

Politicians downplay Trump referrals: Republicans in Iowa’s congressional delegation downplayed the decision of the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee to make criminal referrals to the U.S. Justice Department over former President Donald Trump. The committee recommended charges over Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including conspiracy to defraud the federal government and obstruction of an official proceeding.

Spokespeople for Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen. Joni Ernst said the committee’s actions were a distraction from issues affecting everyday Iowans. A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said the Justice Department frequently ignores criminal referrals. They did not say the actions described by the committee disqualify Trump from holding the presidency again, and said voters, and Iowans as the first-in-the-nation Republican caucus state, should decide the party’s nominee.

Iowa Democratic Party chair stepping down: Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn will step down as the party’s leader, he announced last weekend, after the party faced a drubbing in the November election and lost its first-in-the-nation caucus status. Wilburn was the first Black chair of either major party in Iowa, and he said the opportunity to lead the party was “an honor of a lifetime.”

The party will hold elections in January for a new chair. State Democrats praised Wilburn’s work with the party and his efforts to keep Iowa as the first state in the presidential nominating process for Democrats. Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann applauded Wilburn’s “tenacity” in the effort to retain first-in-the-nation status.

Predatory lender banned from issuing Iowa loans: A Utah-based bank will be blocked from issuing loans in Iowa that exceed the state’s interest cap and will be ordered to give refunds to Iowans who were charged illegal interest rates under a settlement with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and the Iowa Division of Banking. Transportation Alliance Bank in Ogden, Utah, skirted Iowa law by offering loans that exceeded the maximum charge of 21 percent APR, Miller alleged.

In one case, an Iowa couple was given a loan through the bank to finance the $4,400 purchase of a new puppy from Petland in Iowa City. The $1,500 loan given to the couple through the bank came with a stipulation that the interest rate would shoot up to 189 percent if the debt was not paid in 90 days.

They said …

“If you don’t move this or a continuing resolution you’re going to shut down government, and I don’t think you should shut down government.” — Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on voting to advance a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill

“The omnibus does not secure our border — it undermines immigration enforcement and further incentivizes illegal immigration … The omnibus was a missed opportunity to secure our border and end this Biden-made crisis. We won’t stop fighting for border security.” — U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, after announcing she will vote no on the omnibus bill.

Odds and ends

Winter storm ahead of holiday: A strong winter storm arrived in Iowa just in time for the long holiday weekend, bringing increasingly high wind gusts, dangerous wind chills and blizzard conditions through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Reynolds calls to end federal pandemic emergency: Gov. Kim Reynolds joined 24 other Republican governors to call on President Joe Biden to end the federal COVID-19 public health emergency. The governors told the White House that “the emergency phase of the pandemic is behind us” in a letter. Biden has extended the public health emergency until at least Jan. 11.

Water projects coming to Iowa: A federal act outlining projects in flood prevention and water-based research and development will bring new projects to Iowa after passing the Senate this month. The legislation brings parts of the Red Rock Dam and a Des Moines-area levee into the Army Corps of Engineers’ flood protection plan. It also brings federal Cedar Rapids flood prevention plans in line with city plans and authorizes studies on algae blooms and erosion along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, respectively.

Water cooler

COVID cases fall: After several weeks trending upward, Iowa COVID-19 cases were down slightly in the week ending Wednesday. The state reported 3,493 new cases, compared to 3,704 cases the previous week. Hospitalizations from the virus increased to 272, up from 256 the previous week.

Grassley a prolific Twitter user: Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley was the third-highest tweeting member of the U.S. Senate in 2022, according to a report from Quorum, falling behind Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both Republicans from Texas. Using frequent abbreviations and shorthand, Grassley often tweets about legislation in the Senate, University of Northern Iowa sports, and happenings on his New Hartford farm. “New Year’s resolution: tweet more than Texas senators,” Grassley tweeted after the report was released.

Clerk made personal purchases on city card: A city clerk in Eldridge bought thousands of dollars worth of personal items on city credit cards over 10 years, public records show. Denise Benson, who was fired in October, purchased hundreds of items from Amazon between 2012 and 2022, including Barbie-themed mini quads, hemp gummies, and women’s sandals, clothing and boots. The city is performing its own internal review of the purchases, and it has requested a special audit from the state auditor’s office.