Miller-Meeks Discusses Energy and Housing During Sigourney Visit

SIGOURNEY – Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks visited the Sigourney Community Center on the evening of June 10 and spoke with locals about housing and energy. Miller-Meeks explained that she was currently working on appropriation bills, with appropriations for military construction and Veterans Affairs expected to be worked on in the coming week. She stated that the other big thing she was working on was the farm bill. Sigourney Mayor Jimmy Morlan brought up illegal immigration, asking how you can have a budget with illegal immigration and calling it a “budget buster.”

Miller-Meeks claimed that blue states, especially New York, Chicago and California, are asking for more federal money and dealing with high deficits. She claimed that “sanctuary cities” are hurting budgets. Miller-Meeks stated that Iowa has its fiscal house in order, had one of the fastest recoveries from the pandemic, and is number one in affordable housing and home ownership among millennials. She asked out loud if illegal immigration causes housing prices to go up. Miller-Meeks also brought up high interest rates, saying they make it hard to buy or sell a house.

One attendee, Micheal Kurimski, said that he is interested in the Farm Bill and that there is a lot of interactivity between farmers, the government and markets. He stated that prices for cattle go on a two year cycle. Miller-Meeks stated that input costs are very high and said there were concerns about a recession next year. Miller-Meeks noted that the Farm Bill is very important to Iowa, due to Iowa’s heavily farming based economy, and said that crop insurance, biofuel credits and trade regulations in the Farm Bill are important. Miller-Meeks noted that SNAP and nutrition programs are also part of the Farm Bill, and claimed that aspect was more important to Democrats.

Morlan stated that people have a short memory about interest rates. He said that when he bought his first house in 1970, interest rates were 7-8%, and that interest rates were 15-16% during the Housing Crisis. Miller-Meeks stated that, when she was in medical school in the eighties, there were 18% student loan interest and 21% car loan interest. However, she stated that current interest rates are the highest most Americans have ever seen. She stated that there wasn’t much else to do when inflation reaches the heights it reached after the pandemic. She noted that prices have remained high and that people are struggling with both high prices and high interest. She noted that insurance prices are especially high in Iowa due to tornados and derechos. Miller-Meeks again talked about high home prices and claimed that federal safety regulations increase the costs of building a house by 25%.

Miller-Meeks brought up the 2021 revocation of permits for the Keystone XL pipeline by President Joe Biden, claiming it put a damper on oil and gas production. She claimed that this helps out Russia and Iran and affects the supply chain for housing, because materials like PVC pipe, asphalt and insulation are made from oil and gas. She stated that many towns could increase the number of jobs, but don’t have places for people to live, which is a damper on the economy. Morlan stated that, a few years ago, there were no rental properties in Sigourney.

Morlan brought up the resignation of Sigourney Police Chief Kris Metcalf, due to problems with his insurance. Morlan explained that Metcalf accepted only making $50,000, believing that his IPERS pension would be taken away if he made more. Metcalf was later told he would lose his pension if he continued working full-time as a police officer. Morlan stated it was hard to find more police officers and asked for the government to supplement smaller communities so they may hire officers. Miller-Meeks stated that small communities train officers, who then leave to work in better paying larger cities. Morlan stated that the Keokuk County Sheriff’s Department had a history of hiring officers trained by the City of Sigourney.

Miller-Meeks said she was working on a bill to lower prescription drug prices, which would save the federal government $636,000,000. Kurimski claimed that Joe Biden has a lack of mental capacity and asked if anything could be done. Miller-Meeks stated that she thinks he has some issues and challenges, due to her experience as a physician and of having a mother with Alzheimers. She claimed Democrats also have concerns about Biden and may change the nominee. Morlan brought up KCED’s work to set up a daycare network, noting that setting up a daycare is expensive. Miller-Meeks claimed federal regulations price daycare providers out of the marketplace. Morlan brought up problems with mosquitos. Miller-Meeks stated that stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and that people should empty out tires or buckets after heavy rains.

Kurimski brought the conversation back to energy policy, stating it wasn’t obvious to him why the government was “penalizing the American people” by shutting down the Keystone XL Pipeline. Miller-Meeks stated that energy production has increased since a low during the pandemic. She stated that other countries, like Vietnam, want to purchase natural gas and ethanol from the U.S. and that American natural gas was cleaner than any other nation. Miller-Meeks claimed that natural gas was the way to reduce emissions. Miller-Meeks stated America needs to compete economically around the globe with affordable energy and that the next administration shouldn’t “constrain” American energy production. Miller-Meeks claimed that Biden would release oil from the strategic petroleum reserve before the election to lower gas prices, then raise them again after being reelected.

One attendee, Jefferson County Central Committee Co-Chair Cynthia Yockey, asked about nuclear power in Iowa. Miller-Meeks stated that, a decade ago, Iowa energy companies were looking into nuclear power. She stated that, given the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, you cannot have enough energy from just wind and solar. Yockey claimed that progressives are embracing nuclear because of energy costs for artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Miller-Meeks said she was 100% correct and that data centers take up more energy than entire towns. Miller-Meeks claimed that Germany was suffering economically because they had moved away from carbon fuels. Miller-Meeks stated that she wants to leave a cleaner planet for our children and grandchildren, but that there needs to be an affordable, abundant source of energy to keep business in the U.S. Yockey discussed more advanced modern nuclear reactors and claimed that China was building 150 new nuclear reactors. Miller-Meeks claimed that China had problems with food and energy security.