Representative Lindsay James is currently an Iowa House member, and she’s asking Iowans for a promotion to the big house in DC. James joins us to discuss why her stances on healthcare, cancer rates, and “fighting corruption” will get her into US Congress.
James explains her positions and defends criticisms for missing 50% of votes in the Iowa legislature. She discusses her concerns over price gouging, caps for insulin, and is asked about the difference between rising health insurance costs, and rising healthcare costs.
James, a chaplain with eight years of legislative experience, is campaigning for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. James highlighted her decision to seek federal office following recent legislative threats to medical coverage. “When the, quote, ‘big, beautiful bill’ came down last summer, and I became aware that 27,000 Iowans were at risk of losing their healthcare in just Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, that’s when I started to know that this is gonna be one of those moments that’s gonna require more of me,” James stated. Addressing local economic pressures, she noted that 100 manufacturing jobs in her hometown of Dubuque were relocated to Mexico despite record corporate profits, arguing that trade loopholes actively harm Midwestern labor.
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Tackling Cancer Rates and Water Safety
Public health reform stands as a primary focus for James, who pointed to alarming environmental health statistics across the state. Iowa currently ranks first in the nation for rising cancer rates and second for total cancer incidence. While acknowledging personal lifestyle factors, she highlighted environmental risks, noting that roughly 300,000 Iowans currently drink from unregulated water wells. “We know that we have, you know, the highest rising cancer rates in the country,” James said, advocating for restored water-monitoring funding, expanded agricultural conservation subsidies, and targeted research. She also urged policy fixes such as capping prescription drug costs and lowering the Medicare eligibility age to assist public servants, such as law enforcement officers, who frequently retire around age 55.
Tax Reform and Fair Contributions
To fund these essential public investments, James called for structural tax reform targeting top earners rather than budget cuts. “When there are billionaires in our country who pay less taxes than working families, that needs to be addressed,” James asserted. Facing pushback on this comment that billionaires pay a majority of taxes in the USA, James clarified. “When you look at the extraordinary amount of money that someone has, and it’s because of the systems and the structures that we have built in our beautiful country, they have benefited off of that.”