Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says the immediate priority for the new speaker of the U-S House is bringing a series of budget bills up for a vote on the House floor.

Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson was elected House Speaker this week after the previous speaker was ousted by eight fellow Republicans upset about passage of a temporary spending measure that avoided a federal government shutdown, but it expires November 17th. Nunn supports the House G-O-P’s new plan to try to reduce federal spending below the level the former House speaker and President Biden agreed to this spring.

President Biden has also proposed a spending package with funding for Israel, Ukraine and U-S border security. Nunn says the new House speaker is right to plan for separate votes on those issues.

Nunn says the House should first priority should be on spending to secure the southern border, then vote to provide assistance to Israel. Nunn says the U-S needs to have a conversation when it comes to funding for the war in Ukraine.

Nunn made his comments today (Friday) during a news conference in Des Moines. Nunn discussed a bill he’s co-sponsoring that would direct federal officials to draw up a plan to increase capacity a nursing schools. Several people in Nunn’s family are nurses, including his mother.

Nunn cites a state report from 2020 that indicated 70 percent of Iowa health care facilities were struggling to find nurses. Nunn held his news conference at the Iowa Primary Care Association’s headquarters. About 25 percent of the nursing jobs at the non-profit’s clinics in Polk, Marshall and Story Counties are unfilled.