Christina Bohannan: “We’ve got to hold the powerful accountable. The only way to change Washington is to change the people we send there.”

Iowa City, IA – Today, Christina Bohannan introduced an ethics reform plan to hold members of Congress and other federal office holders accountable. Just after Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted to cut Medicaid and increase health care costs for hardworking Iowans, she was caught flying first class for her taxpayer-funded job and paying her son thousands of dollars from her campaign account, which she then tried to cover up. As Miller-Meeks and other politicians continue to use their offices for personal profit, reform is essential to restore trust in government and ensure Washington works for Iowans – not for politicians, special interests, corporate donors, and billionaires. Bohannan proposed a robust set of reform measures, including to:

• Ban Members of Congress from using taxpayer dollars for first class and business class air travel
• Ban family members from being paid by campaigns or official offices
• Ban the trading of stocks by all Members of Congress, Executive Branch Members, Supreme Court Justices, their spouses, and staff 
• Pass a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision and block unlimited corporate spending on campaigns
• Institute term limits
• Institute age caps
• Ban personal use of Congressional office budgets
• Create a truly independent Congressional Ethics Agency with the power to investigate members for wrongdoing, so members of Congress no longer regulate themselves
• Ban pay to all Members of Congress, Executive Branch Members, and their staff during shutdowns, with all such income used to pay down the national debt
• Permanently ban all Members of Congress, their families, and their staff from becoming lobbyists, including retroactively
• Ban the abuse of leadership PACs as a loophole to personal spending
• Institute a code of ethics for Supreme Court Justices

See The Full Plan Here

“Simply put, the hardworking people of Iowa’s 1st Congressional District do not have a representative in Congress – and it’s time they had one,” said Christina Bohannan. “Mariannette Miller-Meeks is bought and paid for by the Washington special interests. She’s taken over a million dollars from drug companies, insurance companies, and special interests and votes their way. Worse, as Miller-Meeks voted to cut Medicaid and increase health care costs on Iowans, she is flying first class for her taxpayer-funded job. We’ve got to hold the powerful accountable. The only way to change Washington is to change the people we send there.” 

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Iowa’s 1st Congressional District contains the cities of Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, and Indianola. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces a rematch against Christina Bohannan, who came within 0.2% of defeating the incumbent in 2024. Bohannan lost by just 799 votes out of 413,000 and outperformed the top of the ticket by over 8 points – more than any other Red-to-Blue candidate in the country. National forecasters, including the Cook Political Report, universally rate this district as a Toss-Up for 2026. With Rep. Miller-Meeks showing historic weakness at just 31% favorability and facing growing opposition even within her own party, Bohannan has the best opportunity to flip a Republican seat in the country.