Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Zach Wahls called for congressional term limits and a ban on stock trading by members of Congress during a campaign stop in Des Moines.
Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, spoke Wednesday, Nov. 5, to about 75 people at a meeting of the West Side Democrats at Big Grove Brewery in Des Moines.
“I have made a promise that if elected to the U.S. Senate, I will only serve two terms, and I will introduce legislation to pass common sense term limits,” he said. “Because in this state, we know that rotating the crops is good for our soil, and you better believe it’s good for politicians, too.”
Wahls said he would also sponsor a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that allowed corporations greater campaign spending. And he said he will introduce legislation to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.
“This will not solve every problem,” he said. “But it will begin the important work of cleaning up the corruption, fixing a broken establishment in D.C., and electing people who are there to represent people to the government instead of enriching themselves.”
And Wahls told the crowd that he’s campaigning on an economic agenda focused on lowering costs.
“I know Iowans from all walks of life are struggling with an economy that is working great for the billionaires, but not for the rest of us,” he said. “I mean, does anyone here think that what our economy really needed was another tax cut for the ultra-wealthy in this country?”
In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Wahls said his messages about the economy and about corruption go hand in hand.
“I believe that government can do important and good things for the public but if people don’t trust government and they think that politicians are just using their office to enrich themselves and their families, there’s not a lot of trust in government,” he said. “And you have to go straight at that corruption and clean it up in order to restore our ability to solve those problems.”
Wahls is one of several Democrats seeking the party’s 2026 U.S. Senate nomination, including state Rep. Josh Turek, former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage and former state lawmaker Bob Krause.
Wahls says Republicans must negotiate on health care to end shutdown
Wahls called on Republicans to reopen the government and negotiate with Democrats to continue the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire without action.
The federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is the longest in U.S. history. Senate Democrats have refused to vote for a government funding bill without assurances that Republicans will extend the enhanced Obamacare subsidies and reverse Medicaid spending cuts.
Without congressional action, the enhanced ACA subsidies will expire at the end of the year, leading to increased health insurance premiums in 2026. The enhanced tax credits provide assistance to those making more than 400% of the federal poverty level, as well as making plans more affordable for currently eligible enrollees.
Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is seeking Iowa’s GOP U.S. Senate nomination next year, have said Democrats must vote to reopen the government before they will discuss health care costs.
“I’ve had Iowans tell me they want lower costs but they’re frustrated with the government shutdown,” she said Nov. 5 on a call with reporters. “And so I think most people see through what’s happening here. We need to get the government open so we can continue those conversations.”
But Wahls said Republicans have known for months that they would need Democratic votes to fund the government and accused them of refusing to negotiate until the shutdown began.
“I don’t have much patience for Republican arguments that they need to reopen the government before they’ll negotiate,” he said. “They had six months to negotiate and they spent that time gutting Medicaid, cutting taxes for billionaires, ending investments in renewable energy that kept electricity rates lower for Iowans.”
Wahls also criticized Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York for voting to pass a clean government funding bill in March rather than negotiating over health care premiums at that time.
“I don’t think Chuck Schumer has handled the situation well. I think we’re in this mess because of his decision back in March,” he said. “But fundamentally Republicans had six months knowing they needed Democratic votes, who by the way they did provide those months in March and then they didn’t negotiate in good faith. And so I don’t want to be Charlie Brown with Lucy pulling the football away again.”
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: US Senate candidate Zach Wahls calls for congressional term limits, ban on stock trading
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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