Joni Ernst: podcast appearances and interviews

Joni Kay Ernst is an American politician and retired military officer who has served as the junior United States senator from Iowa since 2015. She is a member of the Republican Party and has held the position through her election in 2014 and her reelection in 2020. Prior to her Senate service, Ernst graduated from Iowa State University and joined the United States Army Reserve. She served in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1993 to 2015, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. During her military career, she served in the Iraq War as a commanding officer of the 1168th Transportation Company in Kuwait and later as the commander of the 185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Camp Dodge. In addition to her military service, Ernst's political career includes time in the Iowa State Senate from 2011 to 2014 and as auditor of Montgomery County from January 2005 to January 2011. She has called for reforms to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security during her time in the Senate. Her positions include concerns over trade policies during the Trump administration and criticism of certain foreign policy decisions, despite supporting some of Trump's nominees for EPA administrator. Ernst served as chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2023 to 2025, ranking as the fourth-ranking Republican in the Senate. She announced in September 2025 that she would not seek reelection in 2026.