A bi-partisan critique on Sen. Ernst and her proposed cuts.

A bi-partisan critique. My criticism extends beyond Senator Ernst and today's Republican leadership. The Democratic Party and its elected officials bear significant responsibility for this moment. For four decades, Democrats have been negligent—failing to robustly defend essential government programs and missing critical opportunities to reform them substantively.

This systemic failure allowed conservative narratives to gradually erode public trust in government institutions. Democrats often defended programs perfunctorily instead of demonstrating their tangible value to citizens. They became reactive rather than proactive, allowing opponents to frame government services as bureaucratic waste rather than collective investments in community well-being. Being a public official, I have witnessed and participated in these inadequate actions.

The result? A hollowed-out civic understanding where many Americans no longer viscerally comprehend how public services improve their daily lives. Republicans dismantled these programs piece by piece, while Democrats offered tepid resistance and occasional procedural objections.

Meaningful defense requires more than protection—it demands continuous improvement, transparency, and compelling storytelling about how government serves people's actual needs. Democrats consistently failed at this fundamental task of political communication and institutional stewardship. It also demands continuous use of the megaphones available to Iowa’s elected officials

The current assault on public infrastructure is as much a failure of Democratic leadership as it is a triumph of conservative strategy.