WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, on Tuesday told reporters Democrats are attempting a “power-grab” with exploring the elimination of the Senate filibuster and with the possibility of overturning the election of U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Ernst stated the importance of maintaining the filibuster and condemned House Democrats’ attempt to overturn the Iowa 2nd District state-certified election and the voices of Iowa voters.
“The filibuster forces compromise. And this is what Republicans did when they were in the majority in both the House and the Senate and holding the White House. We abided by the filibuster because we believed it was important to protect the minority party. The filibuster is what makes the Senate, the Senate,” she said.
Ernst noted that Washington doesn’t need two Houses of Representatives, “Maintaining the filibuster is very, very important.”
“What we see from Democrats, however, is that they want to get rid of the filibuster, and what we call that is a power grab. And what we see is a move forward on things like the $15 per hour minimum wage, the green New Deal, federalizing our elections process, which is much better handled at the state and local level, not taking away the rights of the voters and the people within those states,” she stated.
Ernst also criticized House Democrats’ consideration of Rita Hart’s challenge of the Iowa 2nd Congressional District results.
“We have Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks who was seated. She was duly elected and seated in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Now it was a slim margin that she won by, but recounts were done in those counties. The board of every county canvassed the elections properly. It went to a bipartisan board at the state level and the election was certified by Iowans,” she asserted.
Ernst pointed out that Hart, Miller-Meeks’ opponent opted to bypass a state challenge instead opting instead to challenge the results in the Committee on House Administration something that the Federal Contested Elections Act allows her to do, but comes with considerable political risk. Ernst said Hart sought ‘a political process”instead of trusting the appeal process before Iowa’s nonpartisan judiciary.
She pointed out that some Democrats are questioning the process.
“We need to keep this process where it belongs at the state level. It needs to be at the local level, we do not need to federalize our election system, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ win needs to stand,” Ernst concluded.
On Tuesday, Ernst also signed a letter sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., urging her to uphold the Iowa 2nd Congressional District election results.
