The High Five | Blog for Iowa

Happy Friday!

It’s been an exciting week for college basketball teams in Iowa! Congratulations to Iowa State Cyclone women and men play tonight in the Sweet 16. We encourage you to go all the way!

And Progress Iowa’s Extreme 16 was officially launched, and we’ll tell you who made it to the top in a minute. Before we get to that, let’s take a look at today’s main headline:

1. GOP CUTS UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate are moving ever closer to passing Kim Reynolds’ business cuts to unemployment benefits, a top priority for the governor who puts businesses above Iowans who work hard. Once the House and Senate versions of this bill are reconciled, Iowans will see their hard-earned unemployment benefits cut by more than two months.

An Iowan shared his story of how unemployment benefits kept them afloat as older workers in Iowan. You can read that thread here: Unemployment benefits help Iowans between jobs.

Join us and share this message with corporate Kim Reynolds and his Republican allies that Iowans deserve better than to be sold out for corporate greed.

Click to tweet: As Iowans, we appreciate hard work and know that well-paying jobs help Iowa grow. But, @IAGovernor and the @IowaGOP agenda will force Iowans to work for lower wages and struggle to support their families. The people of Iowa deserve better than to be sold for corporate greed.#ReynoldsWorkforceCrisis #IALegis #Iowa

After sharing this post, check out some of the other top stories we’re watching today:

2. REPUBLICANS KEEP TEACHERS AWAY: The Republican plan to force teachers to post their teaching materials and lesson plans online will put even more pressure on underpaid education professionals and could cost schools nearly $30 million. Instead of pouring more money into supporting our public school systems, Republicans continue to push harmful education bills that are driving our state down the rankings and scaring away teachers.

3. SCHOOLS FIGHTING LACK OF FUNDS: Thanks to Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans’ decades-long assault on our state’s public education system, school districts across the state are struggling to find workers to fill the void, forcing districts like Johnston Community Schools to consider changing their start times to compensate for the lack of bus drivers. If the Governor and her Republican friends would actually invest in Iowa’s education professionals instead of vilifying them over and over again, our state might actually be able to address the workforce crisis. of Reynolds and stop losing qualified and passionate people.

4. THE SCOTUS HEARINGS CONCLUDED: After a painful week of watching lackluster Republican senators attack one of the most skilled Supreme Court nominees in our nation’s history, the Senate court hearings for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson are finally over. We share The Joy of Senator Cory Booker seeing Justice Brown Jackson nominated, and we’re thrilled to see her confirmed to the Supreme Court. Join us and call on our Senators, Ernst and Grassley, to urge them to vote “Yes” on his confirmation.

Ernst DC Office: (202) 224-3254
Grassley DC Office: (202) 224-3744

5. EXTREME 16 WINNERS: This year has been a tight slice for Progress Iowa’s Extreme 16, where we’ve listed Iowa’s most extreme elect. This year, the top spot is taken by “sinister” Senator Jake Chapman, who introduced a bill that would have put teachers in jail! Kim Reynolds Company came in second for consistently putting corporate donors above the needs of Iowa workers. And rounding out our top three, Senator Chuck Grassley, who has held public office for Kim Reynolds birth year. You can check out the other winners at the link given here: Progress Iowa Extreme 16.

Want to know more about our team? You can visit our online news blog, potluck, to hear from Iowans and state leaders. Want to help progressive messages and policies in the state of Iowa? Sign up at ProgressIowa.org to volunteer, donate, and learn more about our team!

Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back on Monday for another Hive Five!

– The Progress Iowa Team