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D.C. Dispatch: Iowa lawmakers push water rule changes, judicial nominations • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]

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Date: 2025-07-25

This week in D.C. Dispatch, Sen. Chuck Grassley, along with Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, voted to advance several U.S. attorney nominations, including the controversial former TV news host Jeanine Pirro.

Also this week, Iowa Democrats criticized the early end to the U.S. House session amid a struggling rural economy, Sen. Joni Ernst introduced a bill to roll back environmental regulations and Grassley sought expansion for whistleblower protections.

Grassley-led Judiciary Committee advances controversial U.S. attorney picks

Chairman Grassley voted alongside committee Republicans to advance all seven nominations for U.S. attorneys.

In his opening statement, he referred to all U.S. attorney hopefuls as “highly qualified nominees.”

The committee voted along party lines to advance Pirro, a former Fox News host, to an influential seat as lead federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia.

This decision was criticized during remarks by ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who said: “Ms. Pirro’s fealty to President Trump extends to attacking any lawmaker who is not fully in line with his MAGA agenda, including many members on both sides of the aisle. Ms. Pirro’s record makes it clear that she will prioritize President Trump’s MAGA agenda, not the rule of law nor the Constitution.”

Minority party members Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut voted nay for all seven nominations.

Iowa Democrats criticize early House shutdown

Following tensions over Jeffrey Epstein’s case files, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, announced legislative operations would be cut short on July 23.

The decision prompted criticism from Iowa Democrats, who released a list of questions for Iowa’s House delegation — stating they “have a lot to answer for.”

The list includes several targeted questions that criticize the delegates’ decision to pass the “big, beautiful bill” and their decision to end the session without addressing Iowa’s struggling economy.

The group referenced a release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which “in real, inflation adjusted terms” determined that Iowa’s economy contracted 6.1% in the first quarter of 2025, placing the state’s economy in 49th place overall compared to other states.

“We’ve had over eight years of Republican rule, and nothing to show for it but farms that are now facing bankruptcy, struggling rural hospitals, and public schools that don’t know if they’ll have the funds to see tomorrow. Iowa needs change, ” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart.

Members of Iowa’s all-red federal delegation indicated they were supportive of releasing the Epstein case files but current congressional efforts are being used by Democrats for political gain.

Ernst seeks to ‘clear’ environmental regulations for unnavigable water sources

Ernst introduced a new bill to make permanent exclusions to sources of water that can be regulated by the “Waters Of The United States” rule.

The CLEAR act seeks to permanently ban regulation for “covered water features that do not interact with navigable waters.” A press release from Ernst’s office argued this would clarify that “waste treatment systems, temporary streams from rain, and groundwater are not navigable waterways.”

“WOTUS regulatory uncertainty has threatened the livelihoods of hardworking Iowa farmers, small businesses, and landowners for far too long, and I was thrilled to join EPA Administrator (Lee) Zeldin in announcing that the Trump administration is revising this misguided and harmful regulatory expansion,” Ernst said in the release. “After leading this fight for a decade, I am making it CLEAR that the federal government has no businesses regulating cooling ponds, municipal treatment plants, groundwater, and streams that only flow after rainfall under WOTUS.”

The bill received criticism from Food & Water Watch Legal Director Tarah Heinzen, who commented: “Iowa’s waterways are awash in pesticides and nitrate-laden factory farm waste – and it is one of just two states with increasing cancer rates. We can only achieve clean water and protect public health through commonsense regulation of the state’s largest polluters — industrial agriculture. This bill only takes things backwards. The only thing ‘clear’ from Joni Ernst’s crusade against clean water protections is that she represents the interests of Big Ag, not Iowans.”

Grassley seeks to bolster whistleblower protections

Grassley cosponsored a bill with Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, to expand whistleblower protections. The act seeks to “close existing loopholes in whistleblower protection law” by clarifying that a nondisclosure agreement or “other conditions of employment” can’t be used to waive whistleblower protections.

“Whistleblowers working for federal contractors and subcontractors shouldn’t face retaliation for sounding the alarm on waste, fraud and abuse. These patriots are critical in safeguarding Americans’ tax dollars,” Grassley said in a press release. “As a long-time advocate for whistleblowers, I’m glad to sponsor this legislation to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and close the loopholes that have allowed retaliation.”

Grassley also called upon the Trump administration Friday to identify federal employees who were terminated after making a protected whistleblower disclosure. In his letter to the Oval Office, he requested that each case be individually reviewed for violations of protected disclosure and to ensure they were not part of the “Reduction in Force initiative.”

Nunn-led bill to increase financial pressure on Kremlin-linked banks passes committee

The House Financial Services Committee voted to pass Rep. Zach Nunn’s PEACE act to tighten sanctions on foreign banks linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The bill includes mandatory sanctions for banks engaged in transactions with Russian entities, a “sunset clause” to maintain sanctions on Russia’s “destabilizing activities in Ukraine.” The bill also stipulates a “narrow presidential waiver with Congressional oversight to ensure flexibility without undermining enforcement.”

“Words alone won’t stop Putin’s aggression—cutting off the money will,” Nunn stated in a press release. “As a combat veteran and intelligence officer, I’ve seen firsthand how financial pressure can be used to stop violence before it escalates. This bill delivers a clear message: if you’re bankrolling Putin’s war machine, you will pay the price. I’m proud to see it move forward with bipartisan support.”

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[1] Url: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/07/25/critisism-for-nominations-recess/

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