Miller-Meeks voted against Iowa jobs

When Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks signed a letter recognizing the importance of energy tax credits, Iowa’s working families had reason to hope she would stand with them. She acknowledged these credits fuel job creation in wind, solar, and hydrogen industries, where Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) members build the infrastructure that powers our communities and puts food on their tables. As a union construction worker and proud LiUNA member, I’ve spent the last few years building clean energy projects here in Iowa, projects that bring good union jobs, strengthen our communities, and spark long-term economic growth.

But when it came time to act, Miller-Meeks sided with Washington politics over Iowa workers. She voted for the House budget bill that guts the very tax credits she claimed to support, credits that have been a lifeline for thousands of construction workers and their families, putting our jobs at risk

These credits aren’t just numbers on a page; they keep mortgages paid, groceries in the fridge, and kids in school activities. They’re the lifeline that keeps projects moving, projects that already had Project Labor Agreements in place and funding lined up for Iowa. Nearly one-third of our work hours are devoted to energy-related projects, underscoring just how central affordable and reliable energy is to both our economy and to our work. Now, because of these cuts, contractors and developers are scrambling to start work so they don’t lose funding altogether.

The impact is direct and devastating. The 2022 clean energy tax credits have driven record job growth in construction, supporting an estimated 1.75 million jobs, 3.15 billion work hours, and $148 billion in wages and benefits. They currently employ thousands of LiUNA members. These are the construction jobs we count on from March through December. And when those jobs disappear, it’s not just our members who lose - so do the local businesses we support and the people who would have worked in the new facilities we build. These projects create demand for local suppliers, sustain small businesses, and generate new permanent jobs in the facilities once they’re built. It’s a domino effect that hits our families, our neighbors, and our communities.

Iowa workers deserve better than political games that put our livelihoods at risk. If Rep. Miller-Meeks truly supports Iowa jobs, she should prove it with her votes - not just her press releases. Our state needs leaders who will fight for the livelihoods of Iowans, not just sign letters and then vote the other way when it counts. Miller-Meeks’s decision will not only hurt LiUNA members and their families, but also the communities they help build. Iowa deserves better than broken promises and lost jobs.

I’m calling on her and Iowa’s U.S. Senators: Restore the clean energy tax credits. Stop playing politics with the jobs of working people.

Stefanie Warnick is a union construction worker and member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), Local 43.