REPORT: Zach Nunn’s First Year in Congress Fails Iowans

Fairness for Iowa Releases Report on the Impact of Nunn’s First Year in Office

Des Moines, Iowa – In a review of Congressman Zach Nunn's first year in office, Fairness for Iowa has partnered with community members to showcase the impact that the Congressman’s record would have on the people he serves. The report sheds light on Nunn's alarming priorities and votes that threaten the needs of everyday Iowans in the 3rd Congressional District. Policy areas assessed in the report include threats to critical programs like Social Security and Medicare, unfair corporate tax giveaways, and funding cuts that could stifle small businesses. 

The report highlights the Congressman’s alignment with corporate special interests and the wealthiest Americans, abandoning the hardworking Iowans that he is supposed to represent. Zach Nunn’s constituents are urging him to prioritize working- and middle-class families by voting to make the wealthiest pay their fair share in taxes and voting against any more harmful cuts to the programs his constituents rely on.

Matt Sinovic, Executive Director of Progress Iowa and member of the Fairness for Iowa coalition is available for comment. 

The following are key takeaways from the report. 

Benefits Iowans Rely On

Nunn's introduction of a dangerous balanced budget amendment raised concerns as it would lead to massive cuts in essential programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Nunn also voted for legislation that would cut other critical services that Iowans rely on like nutrition and housing assistance for families. His record reveals a pattern of risking the well-being of Iowans by supporting measures that could harm these vital lifelines.

Jan Lunde, a Social Security recipient and 3rd Congressional District resident, shared her concerns: “I lived the American dream as I was told, and paid into Social Security so I can afford to live in my position now. But my Congressman, Zach Nunn, supports a plan that could cut Social Security benefits for so many rural Iowans who hope to rely solely on these checks to pay the bills.”

Nearly 30% of Iowans would be living in poverty without Social Security and about 40% of Iowans over 65 live in families that rely on the program for at least half of their income. The majority of Americans not only stand opposed to cutting funding for programs like Social Security, Medicare, and nutrition assistance for vulnerable families but also overwhelmingly support investing more in these critical lifelines.

Tax Fairness

The report highlights Nunn's support for tax breaks for big corporations, further emphasizing his prioritization of the wealthiest of Americans. The very first vote Zach Nunn cast was to protect wealthy tax evaders, and Congressman Nunn has since voted multiple times to give billions of dollars worth of tax breaks to huge corporations, as evident with his support for H.R. 1.

Elizabeth Wearin, Red Oak, Iowa expressed her worries: “Zach Nunn has not been representing my interests. His tax cuts for corporations must be great for them, but they don’t impact my life positively. For everyday Iowans like me, not in the 1% of wealthiest Americans, these tax cuts are a slap to the face.”

Small Businesses

Despite small businesses being the lifeblood of local economies, Nunn's legislative choices threaten to harm job creation and hinder the prosperity of local entrepreneurs. His votes against the Small Business Administration's programs and support for tactics that could lead to a government shutdown could have denied nearly $1 million in critical financing to Iowa small businesses each business day and more than $100 million a day to small businesses across America. 

House Republicans, Zach Nunn included, voted for a continuing resolution on September 29, 2023, that would have cut the Small Business Administration’s (SBA), Entrepreneurial Development Programs by 30%. This would have cut assistance for approximately 400,000 small businesses across America.

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