Spending: national debt and a balanced budget
What they say
His campaign says he would vote against funding measures that increase the national debt, except in extreme national emergency, and push a balanced-budget amendment.
“I will vote against every funding measure that would result in an increase in our national debt, except in cases of extreme national emergency.”
Source: Thomas Laehn for U.S. Senate
In their own words, dated
“Republicans and Democrats in Washington, DC, have been equally complicit in raising our national debt, which has nearly tripled from $12.93 trillion dollars in 2005 to $37.64 trillion in 2025 (according to the U.S. Treasury).”
What the record shows
No like-for-like official action exists: his current public role is county attorney, not legislator.
Sources: Greene County, Iowa
Limit: No like-for-like official action exists: his current public role is county attorney. The post's debt figures are his, attributed to the Treasury, and are not verified here.