Thursday, September 2, new conference statement from Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls:

“COVID isn’t going away because Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans aren’t doing anything to make it go away. Our return to normal continues to be pushed further and further into the future because Republicans continue to fail to do anything to stop the spread of the Delta variant.

“The Governor and the Republican legislature have made clear: they own every missed class, every canceled football game, every missed day of work caring for a sick child, every closed business. The Iowa Republican ban on local communities following public health advice was a mistake. And rather than learning from their mistakes, Iowa Republicans are gambling with the safety and health of Iowa children. They are doubling down on a bad hand. They own the Delta Surge.

“Governor Reynolds, you can make a big difference in Iowa’s fight against COVID. Stop telling Iowans what to do and just let Iowans make their own decisions about the health and safety of their local school children, and their communities.

“If we have learned anything about the fight against COVID-19, it’s that one-size-fits-all policies don’t work. We need to listen to public health experts and epidemiologists, not Republican politicians and horse de-wormer salesmen.

“We need to allow local school leaders to save Iowa lives, especially with a new variant that is more contagious and more deadly to children. Senate Democrats will support Iowa communities and schools that democratically decide to follow the science in the fight against COVID. 

“Governor Reynolds: stop gambling with our children’s lives. Start following the science.”

END