Iowa senator's second chat with defense pick hints at possible support shift
Key republican senator meets again with Pentagon nominee to discuss vital military issues. After two meetings in quick succession senator gives careful but positive feedback
Sen Joni Ernst from Iowa sat down for a second time with the defense secretary pick — a meeting that showed promising signs for the nomination. The quick-paced follow-up discussion (happening less than seven days after their first talk) focused on key military-related topics.
The republican senator‚ well-known for her hard-line stance on military sexual-assault prevention took time to share her thoughts: “Its means that weʼre having really good discussions‚ and we discussed several items that were really important to me“ The senatorʼs words hint at a possible shift from her earlier stand-offish position
The Iowa lawmaker — who previously showed hesitation about backing the nominee has now displayed a more open-minded approach after their in-depth conversations. Their latest meet-up gave both sides chance to work through various defense-related topics; including military personnel safety reforms and policy updates
