Joni Ernst is doubling down on her “paid family leave” plan — panned as a “sham that would wreck your retirement” — even as one of her own GOP colleagues came out against the proposal as a “raid” on Social Security.

WHO-DM reported on Friday that Ernst was “hearing the criticism about a paid leave act she introduced this week, but she says still believes in it.”

Ernst criticized “others that would just simply rather throw a tax out there,” while acknowledging the bill “isn’t perfect.” Ernst is right– possibly destroying Social Security as we know it isn’t what we’d call “perfect.”

Watch WHO-DM’s reporting here:

Watch the full clip here.

Read more after the jump.

In case you missed it– Iowa Senator Joni Ernst unveiled a new “paid family leave” plan this week that 1) isn’t paid, and 2) could destroy Social Security as we know it.

The proposal has been roundly criticized by a group that includes one of Ernst’s Republican colleagues, and applauded by Koch allies and public policy wonk Ivanka Trump. For more on Ernst’s insidious CRADLE Act, read on:

LA Times: The Republican proposal for paid family leave is a sham that would wreck your retirement
By Michael Hiltzik | March 13, 2019

“Republican Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Mike Lee of Utah have been beating the drums for their ‘Cradle Act,’ a proposal to institute up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents.”
“But they’ve concealed the chief drawbacks of their plan, which are the same features that make it palatable to a GOP constituency: It would undermine Social Security, […]

Read more after the jump.

Joni Ernst unveiled a “paid family leave” proposal yesterday that would force new parents to pay for their own parental leave by looting their Social Security benefits.

Ernst admitted her plan would force Americans to defer their retirement in exchange for parental leave, but that doesn’t concern her: she said she “wouldn’t describe it as any sort of loss”:

“This is a plan to weaken Social Security masquerading as paid family leave, minus the paid part,”said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman. “Working families deserve both paid family leave and to retire with dignity, but Joni Ernst wants them to choose one or the other. She’s clearly missed the memo on what matters for American families.”

Watch the full press conference here.

Read more after the jump.

American Ledger: Despite Claiming ‘Error,’ Ernst Signed Affidavit to Illegally Apply for Multiple Property Tax Breaks
By Cole Driver | February 13, 2019

Despite Sen. Joni Ernst’s claims that she illegally received a tax break for Washington homeowners in “error,” records showed that Ernst had to sign an affidavit to get the tax break.

After the Des Moines Register reported Monday that Ernst, R-Iowa, illegally applied for multiple housing deductions for her homes in the capital and Iowa, Ernst attempted to mute the controversy by repaying the District of Columbia.

“Regrettably, this was an error and upon it being brought to her attention, she immediately paid back the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue,” Ernst’s spokesman Brendan Conley told the Register.

However, according to the district’s Homestead Deduction Application, homeowners must sign an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that they are primary residents of Washington to receive the homestead tax credit.

In […]

Read more after the jump.

Joni Ernst’s tax fraud fallout has reached a fever pitch in Iowa, and voters are taking note.

Iowans tuning into local TV last night learned that Ernst had “filed for a tax break in Washington, DC illegally,” and “Ernst claimed a homestead tax credit on both her home in Iowa and her residence in DC. You’re not allowed to claim the credit on more than one residence.”

“Joni Ernst broke the law by seeking multiple homestead deductions,” said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman. “She also submitted a signed affidavit under penalty of perjury that swore her primary residence was in Washington, DC. Iowans are watching, and they deserve answers.”

Here’s what Iowans are watching:

WHO TV

KIMT

KMTV

KMTV

Read more after the jump.

Ernst claimed Washington, DC as her primary residence

“Senator Ernst clearly violated the law by seeking multiple homestead deductions,” said American Bridge spokeswoman Amelia Penniman. “Millions of Iowans pay their taxes on time under penalty of law. Why is it that Senator Ernst will only pay hers when she’s caught red-handed?”

Des Moines Register: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst refunds $1,900 illegitimate tax break on D.C. condo; she also took break on Iowa home
By Jason Clayworth | Feb. 11, 2019

“U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst last week repaid almost $1,900 for a tax break that she had claimed on her Washington, D.C., condo since 2016, while simultaneously claiming a similar tax break in Iowa. Homestead tax credits are available only to people who own property and claim the property as their primary residence.”
“Her office said her claim of the homestead tax credit in Washington, D.C., was an error that she rectified with the check. […]

Read more after the jump.

Last night on Fox News Joni Ernst acknowledged Iowan farmers are “feeling the pinch” of President Trump’s disastrous trade war.

But Ernst has been conspicuously absent from high profile bipartisan efforts to alleviate tariff pressure on farmers and small businesses.

Yesterday, while two of her Republican Senate colleagues held a bipartisan press conference with suffering famers, Ernst continued her empty rhetoric on the trade war. Meanwhile, farmers in Iowa and across the country are increasingly squeezed by a trade war with no end in sight.

Watch Ernst’s crocodile tears on Fox News:

Watch the clip online here.

Read more after the jump.

Iowa Senator and shutdown-sympathizer Joni Ernst got an earful from frustrated constituents at a town hall in Red Oak, Iowa yesterday.

One constituent said: “I am deeply ashamed that we have, at the moment, federal employees in soup lines and trying to find food for their families while they’re still working, and I wonder how in the world anyone in the Senate can defend that.”

Another constituent said: “The wall is a waste of money, the wall makes more problems…these families don’t have food on their tables.”

Watch MSNBC cover Ernst’s town hall confrontation:

Watch American Bridge’s footage of the full town hall here.

Read more after the jump.