Quotes from Joni Ernst

Cleaning up the mess in Washington is gonna take a whole lot of Iowa common sense.

I have never once claimed that I have a Combat Action Badge. I have never claimed that I have a Purple Heart. What I have claimed is that I have served in a combat zone.

Taxpayers should not be on the hook for subsidizing former presidents' lives to the tune of millions of dollars.

It's time to stop spending money we don't have and balance the budget.

The push for 'Meatless Mondays' in our military is misguided at best and goes against dietary guidelines. Our men and women in uniform should have the option to consume the protein they need, including meat, on a daily basis.

Our fighters would be nowhere if they didn't have the support coming from folks like those that served with me.

You just need the freedom to dream big and a whole lot of hard work.

Those that have received care here in Des Moines at the VA center or the VA hospital here have said that they do receive good care. However, it's getting into the system - the wait periods. We have to do something about that. The care here has been good. We're not seeing that in other states.

In the U.S. Senate, in the short term we need to reduce the tax burden on hard working individuals, families, and small businesses.

In the Iowa senate, I helped pass the largest tax cut in state history - returning over four billion dollars in savings and putting more money back in the pockets of hard-working Iowa families.

I am deeply concerned for the safety of our people brought by a lack of a comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIL.

It's not enough to be a woman. You have to care about women's issues. And women's issues here in Iowa are that we have a strong economy. We have jobs that our sons and daughters can go off to someday. We have a great educational system. And women want strong national defense. We want to know that our families are going to be safe.

The forces of violence and oppression don't care about the innocent.

It will take hard work, but doing nothing on Social Security, for example, simply makes sure the system will go broke. It's time to make some reforms.

I grew up in southwest Iowa, on a farm north of Stanton, Iowa, which is a tiny little town, a farming community. I went to Iowa State University and joined Army ROTC while I was there and just have had such a phenomenal life. I am a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I am very proud of my service, and by law, I am defined as a combat veteran.

I am a woman and, second, I have been to war. I am a combat veteran. This is not a war on women, and anytime Democrats use the word 'war,' they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women.

I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere. But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family - whether it's from an intruder or whether it's from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.