U.S. Senator from Iowa
Joni Ernst
Republican · Iowa
Army National Guard veteran, elected in 2014. First female combat veteran to serve in the Senate. Focus on military, agriculture, and reducing government waste.
Record
Conservative. Focus on cutting government waste and spending. Strong advocate for veterans and military. Authored legislation to reduce regulatory burden on farmers.
Legislative Record
Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)
- S.4952 — Protecting American Taxpayers Act (Introduced, Jul 13, 2026)
- S.4891 — Preventing Fugitive Fraudsters Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
- S.4940 — Specialized Infant Formula Protection Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
- S.4892 — SMART Energy Efficiency Standards Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
- S.4789 — Blue Star Mothers Day Act (Introduced, Jun 16, 2026)
- S.4747 — Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act (Introduced, Jun 10, 2026)
- S.4685 — Ending Double Dealing Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jun 4, 2026)
- S.1469 — Stop Stolen Valor for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contractors (Introduced, May 4, 2023)
Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act of 2025 This bill requires that local school food service personnel receive annual training and certification on food allergies as part of the training provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture. Under current law, the…
Notable votes
- Voted Yea on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
- Voted Yea on H.R. 6644 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6644 with an Amendment (SA 5823) (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jun 18, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)
- S.1289 — 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.3077 — Safer Supervision Act of 2025 (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.5025 — Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 16, 2026)
- S.1547 — America the Beautiful Act (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
- S.5003 — ACCESS Rural America Act (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
- S.4620 — Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
- S.4429 — Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 (Reported, Jul 13, 2026)
- S.1404 — Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
Voting analysis
Joni Ernst chairs the small business committee outright and holds subcommittee gavels on rural development and on emerging threats. She also appears, indirectly, on a good many other members' pages: an amendment she offered was adopted with Democratic support, and it turns up in the defection records of senators across the aisle who crossed to back it.
Foreign aid, and refusing her colleagues
Three of her departures belong to a foreign aid supplemental she supported at passage, at cloture and on its carrying amendment, against most of her conference. The remainder are amendment votes in both directions — some she backed that the conference would not take, several she voted down that it wanted — plus a benefits bill she opposed and a cloture motion she declined.
| Roll call | Date | Outcome | Their vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.R. 7148 Paul Amdt. No. 4272 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 4272 to H.R. 7148 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Jan 30, 2026 | Amendment Rejected | Nay (party: Yea) |
| S. 2296 Curtis Amdt. No. 3697 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3697 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 3944 Johnson Amdt. No. 3428 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3428 to S.Amdt. 3411 to H.R. 3944 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Aug 1, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 3944 Scott (FL) Amdt. No. 3113, as modified On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3113 to S.Amdt. 3411 to H.R. 3944 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Aug 1, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S.Con.Res. 7 Paul Amdt No. 999 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 999 to S.Con.Res. 7 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Feb 21, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 82 On Passage of the Bill H.R. 82 · roll call 118 | Dec 21, 2024 | Bill Passed | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 3935 Motion to Invoke Cloture: Cantwell Amdt No. 1911 as Modified to H.R. 3935 On the Cloture Motion H.R. 3935 · roll call 118 | May 9, 2024 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 815 H.R. 815, as Amended On Passage of the Bill H.R. 815 · roll call 118 | Feb 13, 2024 | Bill Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 815 Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: H.R. 815 On the Cloture Motion H.R. 815 · roll call 118 | Feb 12, 2024 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 815 Murray Amdt. No. 1388 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1388 to H.R. 815 (No short title on file) · roll call 118 | Feb 12, 2024 | Amendment Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
Below the Iowa average
Iowa's two Republican senators both depart relatively often, and the state average sits above Ernst's own rate — she is the steadier of the two.
Among the 2 Republicans in the Iowa delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 6.3%. Joni Ernst is below that average at 6.0%.
What she legislates on
Armed forces and government operations tie as her leading classified subjects, which suits a National Guard background and a long-standing interest in federal waste. The bills include taxpayer protection, prevention of fugitive fraudsters, specialised infant formula supply, energy efficiency standards, and a day recognising Blue Star mothers.
Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Joni Ernst's cluster into: Armed Forces and National Security (2), Government Operations and Politics (2), Agriculture and Food (1), Energy (1), Immigration (1).
Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.
Tenure and attendance
She reached the Senate in the middle of the last decade and is now in the veteran band. She misses a small share of votes.
First elected in 2015, now serving across 6 terms. Joni Ernst falls in the veteran cohort.
By the numbers
In the 119th Congress, Joni Ernst has 667 bills sponsored, 1927 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.
Committee assignments
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Senate Committee on Armed Services
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Chairman)
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Rural Development, Energy, and Credit (Chairman)
- Senate Committee on Armed Services: Cybersecurity
- Senate Committee on Armed Services: Emerging Threats and Capabilities (Chairman)
- Senate Committee on Armed Services: Personnel
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Disaster Management, District of Columbia, and Census
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