On Tuesday, February 19, 2019, Senator Zach Nunn (R-15),Senator Zach Wahls (D-37), Representative Lindsay James (D-99), and Representative Joe Mitchell (R-84) announced the creation of the Iowa Future Caucus—a caucus dedicated to reaching bipartisan policy solutions addressing issues faced by Millennials and future generations. These four state legislators constitute the leadership of the caucus.
Sen. Nunn expressed his excitement in launching the caucus sharing “As we look toward the future, we need to ensure an ongoing bipartisan dialogue to better address the issues facing young Iowans, generational Iowans, and the future of Iowa. The range of collaborative issues from quality of life, first-time homeownership, broadband expansion, educational investment, and career readiness ensures Iowa is delivering world-class opportunities for every community in the Hawkeye State.”
The Iowa Future Caucus represents the 28th Future Caucus to join the State Future Caucus Network hosted by the Millennial Action Project (MAP) - the largest organization of young lawmakers in the United States committed to fostering bipartisan dialogue on future oriented issues facing the country.
Capturing the spirit of the movement, Sen. Wahls, the youngest member of the Senate at age 27, said, “During my campaign, I heard over and over again about people’s deep concerns for the future, including issues like the affordability of higher education, housing, child care, and more. The Iowa Future Caucus offers a new opportunity for dialogue about issues like these facing the next generation of Iowans.”
“As young leaders, we need to encourage others to become involved in the democratic process,” Rep. James commented, “We need to work together, across party lines, on issues that impact the lives of young Iowans in a positive way.”
Co-chairs of the Iowa Future Caucus have already recognized growing the states’ population and reversing brain drain as top priorities. Rather than solve these issues, political gridlock, a lack of dialogue across the aisle, and partisanship have prevented progress for Iowans.
Connecting the bipartisan spirit to the ethos behind the creation of the United States, Steven Olikara, the Founder and President of MAP, said, “The founding fathers, virtually all of them — Madison, Jefferson, Washington — all warned us of the dangers of extreme partisanship… In fact, that was one of the main themes of Washington’s farewell address.”
The kick-off of the Iowa Future Caucus represents a great step towards this ethos by pragmatically fostering a culture of political cooperation necessary to address the problems faced by Millennials and future generations.
