Ernst, Joni

Joni Ernst is a Republican senator from Iowa serving since 2015 who currently chairs three Senate committees: Rural Development, Energy, and Credit under Agriculture; Emerging Threats and Capabilities under Armed Services; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. As committee chairs, Ernst controls the agenda, schedules hearings and markups, and determines which bills advance in these policy areas. Her positions give her significant influence over agricultural policy, military readiness and defense innovation, and small business support—all critical to her rural Iowa constituency.

Ernst brings substantial expertise to these roles through her background. She spent 23 years in the Army Reserve and Iowa Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after commanding units during the Iraq War, including a 12-month deployment to Kuwait. Before entering the U.S. Senate, she served as Montgomery County Auditor and in the Iowa State Senate, giving her experience in both local governance and state-level policymaking. She holds degrees in psychology and public administration, and her career reflects deep roots in Iowa's agricultural and military communities.

As a committee chair, Ernst has focused on issues aligned with her background and constituents' interests. She has advocated for renewable fuel standards, a priority for Iowa's ethanol industry, while expressing concerns about trade policies affecting agriculture. On defense matters, she has positioned herself as a defense hawk, supporting military readiness and emerging security threats. She has also championed small business growth and innovation. Throughout her Senate tenure, she has called for entitlement reform, including changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Ernst is a prominent voice in the Senate Republican caucus, having served as chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2023 to 2025, making her the fourth-ranking Republican. She has demonstrated independence on some issues, expressing concern about certain Trump administration policies while generally supporting Republican priorities. In September 2025, she announced she would not seek reelection in 2026.