I’m fighting for a future where every Iowan gets the same shot I did and better. And I’m not afraid to name names or speak hard truths.
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- Ruben Gallego is a Democratic U.S. senator representing Arizona.
I know what it’s like to grow up scraping by. I was raised by a single mom who worked herself to the bone to keep me and my three sisters fed. We didn’t have much, but what help we did get came from the kinds of programs that help families get by when times are tough.
That’s why, when I had the opportunity, I helped write the law that expanded Medicaid in Arizona. I knew families like mine — just like so many in Iowa — depend on it to see a doctor, keep their kids healthy, and stay afloat when times are tough.
When you grow up poor, hope is your only currency.
That’s why I’m so angry about what just happened in Washington, and why every Iowan should be too.
Sen. Joni Ernst and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks sold out Iowa, voting for a budget that pulls the rug out from working families. Their vote didn’t just make life harder for Iowans, it made it easier for billionaires to get even richer, while the rest of us are left holding the bag.
And here’s the kicker: They rigged the timeline to delay the pain. The cuts to rural hospitals, clean energy jobs, and food assistance won’t fully kick in until after the 2026 midterm elections. That’s not an accident, it’s on purpose. Because they know if voters felt the pain now, they’d never survive the next election.
Let me tell you what this bill really means:
- 23,000 Iowans stand to lose the help they rely on to put food on the table.
- You’ll eventually pay $350 more just to keep the lights on and the AC running.
- Over 113,000 Iowans could lose the ability to see a doctor when they need one.
This wasn’t a tough compromise. It was a choice. One that traded your health care, your jobs and your future for political favor with President Donald Trump and another handout to billionaires. And when an Iowan in Butler County told Ernst, “People will die because of this bill,” her answer?
“Well, we all are going to die.”
When Miller-Meeks was confronted for flip-flopping on Medicaid protections, she was mute, refusing to look the interviewer in the eye.
This isn’t how it has to be. Iowans work too hard to be treated like an afterthought. You deserve better. You deserve leaders who fight for you, not just when it’s easy or politically convenient.
That’s why I’m coming to Iowa.
Not just to hold those accountable and call out what’s gone wrong, but to fight for what’s still possible. Because the truth is, this fight isn’t over.
I’m fighting for a future where health care is affordable and within reach. Where jobs pay with dignity. Where no parent has to choose between paying the power bill and putting food on the table. Where hard work actually pays off.
The United States is the richest country in the history of the world. We have the resources to build a future that works for every family. We just have to decide to fight for it.
I’m fighting for a future where every Iowan gets the same shot I did and better. And I’m not afraid to name names or speak hard truths. Because you deserve the truth, and you deserve someone still in this fight for you.
Ernst and Miller-Meeks gave up on Iowa.
I won’t.
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