Q: What comes to your mind with the start of a new school year?
A: Like harvest season, a new school year brings a hectic change of pace as parents attend back to school programs, drop off kids at college and rev up for the hustle and bustle of homework, extra-curricular activities and new routines. This month I’ll complete my annual 99 county meetings for the 43rd year in a row. Over the years, I’ve been able to reach this milestone right around the time the new school year starts. From preschool to community college to grad school, a new school year offers students of all ages the opportunity to grow, learn and become better neighbors and informed citizens. I appreciate the invitations I receive from teachers and school administrators across Iowa to hold a Q&A with students and hear what’s on the minds of the next generation of leaders. As with all my county meetings, I let the students set the agenda. Representative government is a two-way street and I take questions on any subject. As a public leader, I take every opportunity to encourage civic engagement and interest in government. I’ve led efforts to put the U.S. Senate on record to recognize the importance of civics education that provides students a basis for understanding the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our constitutional republic. It encourages local elementary and secondary schools to develop lesson plans that help foster civic competence, civic responsibility and commitment to the principles enshrined in the Constitution. I also led bipartisan resolutions to raise awareness for National Speech and Debate Education Day and Character Counts Week to reinforce the importance of communication and character education to strengthen society. Good citizenship builds better communities. I was pleased to celebrate community recipients of a Character Counts award last October in Atlantic. When French historian Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about the American character in the 19th century, he lauded our love of liberty, work ethic, merit-based opportunity, self-confidence, and how civic organizations quilted people together, creating a social fabric and sense of community.
During my 99 county meetings, Iowans often raise concerns about polarization and divisions in American life. These concerns underscore why an educated citizenry is essential to the preservation of liberty. And that’s also why I am an outspoken champion to preserve free speech on college campuses. Our institutions of higher education ought to welcome the free exchange of ideas and serve as public squares for dissenting points of view, not zones of indoctrination and intolerance that offer “safe spaces” for students upset by different schools of thought. The America Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about took pride in limited government and the ability of communities to flourish through self-government. As a U.S. Senator serving in the 21st century, I keep check on government overreach and root out corruption to uphold freedom and liberty for generations to come. For example, I’m keeping my thumb on the Department of Justice to ensure the federal government butts out of local school board meetings and stops intimidating parents by using anti-terrorism laws that chill free speech. The principles enshrined in the First Amendment are guardrails to a free and just society, including freedom of religion, political association, freedom of the press and free speech.
Q: What issue involving education and the workforce are you bringing to the policy table in Washington?
A: At my county meetings, employers tell me about local workforce shortages that make it hard to keep up with demand and expand their businesses. Higher education and workforce training costs money. Rising tuition costs have contributed to the spike in student debt over the last three decades that totals up to $1.75 trillion. The Biden administration wanted to transfer that tab to the taxpayer and force people who never took out student loans to pay for them. I’m glad the Supreme Court pulled the plug on the president’s overreach. Meanwhile, I’m working to give borrowers better information so they make informed financial decisions for their futures. I’m also supporting legislation called the Promoting Employment and Lifelong Learning (PELL) Act to expand federal Pell grants to short-term job-training programs that would help address the labor shortage and empower workers to get high-quality skills training for high demand jobs in the U.S. economy. Our workforce Pell Grant would open pathways for short-term programs offered through community colleges and other education providers – such as welding, plumbing, electrical, computer programming and nursing – and help connect workers with job creators in the community. When Congress resumes its work in September, I’ll bring the feedback I get from education, civic and business leaders in Iowa so that students can obtain the job skills they need to scale the ladder of prosperity and businesses can thrive and help grow the economy in their local communities.