A Lahn-Wulf ticket won’t restore transparency in Iowa

In June, Zach Lahn announced state Rep. Derek Wulf as his running mate. The selection of Rep. Wulf makes one thing certain: Iowans won’t see a return to transparency or accountability in state government under a Lahn-Wulf administration.

For example, Wulf supported Senate File 478, which gutted the powers of the Auditor’s Office. The Legislature passed, and Kim Reynolds signed, the bill into law. Since then, her administration has used the law to hide how your tax dollars are being spent and to make it harder to hold corrupt officials and government insiders accountable.

The bill was opposed by government watchdog groups on both sides of the aisle and a former Comptroller General appointed by Presidents Reagan and George H. Bush and has been called the “greatest pro-corruption bill in Iowa history.” Reynolds admitted during a hearing that SF478 limited the auditor’s power to audit.

It also received bipartisan opposition in the state legislature, but not from Rep. Wulf. He voted in favor of the bill.

This bad bill impacts Iowa taxpayers every day. A report by the Auditor’s Office on Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), showed the state was ripped off, overcharging taxpayers $100 million for medications. It’s likely even more than that because that number is based on information volunteered by one of the PBMs. Two others refused to provide information.

When the Auditor’s Office tried to investigate whistleblower complaints in 2024 that the Iowa Board of Parole was holding illegal hearings, leading to the release of ineligible prisoners, the board cited SF478 — using it as a shield to protect itself and to withhold information.

Look at the private school voucher program — another policy Wulf voted for. There is zero oversight into how nearly $650 million in tax dollars have been spent since the program launched during the 2023-2024 school year. The insiders who run the state government designed it that way because they don’t want accountability.

The bill to gut the Auditor’s Office has only been a disservice to Iowa taxpayers and to accountability and the truth. But it’s been a boon for elected officials and insiders who want to dodge accountability at every turn. Rob Sand has said as governor, he will work with the legislature to restore the powers of the Auditor’s Office — no matter who wins in November. He’s made it a cornerstone of his campaign, because Rob believes that Iowans deserve a taxpayer watchdog with all of its teeth to go after waste, fraud, and abuse, not a lapdog that will rubber-stamp the agenda of powerful insiders at the expense of Iowans.

After years of backroom deals and corruption, Iowans are ready for change. Rob Sand will deliver it, but a Lahn-Wulf administration would only continue the failed status quo.

StateRep.AmyNielsen is a Democrat who represents District 85, including North Liberty, Solon and parts of rural Johnson County.

REP. AMY NIELSEN