Iowa Senator: Trump’s State of the Union Must Focus on Tax Relief and Border Security as Americans See Economic Gains

On Tuesday, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa stated that President Donald Trump should use his upcoming State of the Union address to emphasize tax relief, border security, and national strength, noting Americans are beginning to see economic improvements under his administration.

“I would love to hear the president speak more about his economic agenda and how our hardworking families across the United States will be seeing the largest tax cut in history,” Ernst said.

Ernst contrasted Trump’s record with former President Joe Biden’s, highlighting inflation and trade policy. “My Iowans back home have lower gas prices—half the price they were under the Biden administration,” she added.

“Looking at trade policy globally, after zero new trade deals under President Joe Biden, we now, under President Trump, have the lowest trade deficit since 2009,” Ernst noted.

She emphasized that Trump is expected to address border security and national defense. “We also expect to hear him talk a lot about how our nation is safer with secured borders,” she said. “And of course, our nation is much stronger—how we have gone after adversaries like Iran with their nuclear ambitions.”

Ernst urged Republicans to center their midterm election messaging on economic relief and affordability. She pointed to the “hardworking taxpayers act” passed last year, stating: “As soon as they start seeing their tax returns, they will say, ‘Wow, this president and the Republicans have done a wonderful job returning our own tax dollars to our pockets.’”

She highlighted lower energy costs’ importance in rural states like Iowa. “In Iowa, we don’t have the same level of mass transit systems as on the East or West Coast. Iowans have to drive to work—they have to drive to bring in their income,” Ernst said. “Having those lower gas prices is a huge deal.”

Ernst also discussed hosting Ariana Howard, widow of Staff Sergeant Nate Howard—a National Guardsman killed in Syria last December—as her guest at the address. “This is such an honor for me, and I’m truly humbled to host the wife of Sergeant Nate Howard,” she said. “The families will feel this hole in their heart for a very long time, but it’s important to say their name and remember those sacrifices.”

She stressed that presidential acknowledgment of service members’ sacrifices is critical: “To have the president standing there saying thank you to those servicemen for their sacrifice is extremely important. We are safer—we’re a stronger nation—because of that sacrifice.”

Ernst, a combat veteran whose daughter serves in the military, added: “For those individuals who gave that ultimate sacrifice, we can never repay them. But again, we are safer, we’re a stronger nation because of that sacrifice.”