COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Sen. Chuck Grassley visited Council Bluffs on Tuesday. He met several small business owners form Iowa's restaurant and hotel industry.
- The "No Tax on Tips" provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill, as well a no tax on overtime pay, was praised by several of business owners.
- Multiple people at the lunch told Grassley they rely on immigration visas for their labor force.
- Many business owners, including Council Bluffs City Council Member Joe Disalvo, say they've noticed patrons cutting back on expenses.
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY BELOW
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Small business owners got a chance to speak directly to a top lawmaker. I’m Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel in Council Bluffs.
Sen. Grassley got to hear directly how decisions made in Congress are playing out back home.
Over lunch, members of Iowa hospitality associations praised the "no tax on tips" provision in the 900-page budget bill.
Grassley: “It’s something that really affects the livelihood of working men and women.”
Matt Johnson owns Barley’s and hosted the lunch: “That is a huge deal for my workers, it’s a huge deal for me, it’s a huge deal for the economy.”
Several told Grassley they see customers cutting back on expenses.
Council Bluffs City Council Member Joe Disalvo also owns a bar and restaurant with live entertainment: “There have been folks that will just flat eat at home and come out after.”
Katrina Markel (to Grassley): “Are you worried that we might be going into a recession just based on some of the feedback we heard today about spending going down?”
Grassley: “Just the opposite. I heard that the economy is slowing a little bit, but it’s very stable.”
Several business owners told Grassley they’re concerned about the availability of immigration visas because they rely on immigrant labor. He sympathized and said it’s nearly impossible to get immigration bills out of committee.
Grassley: “You got people on the left who won’t vote for any bill unless it legalizes every person and makes them citizens yesterday. And then you get people on the right that say ‘I won’t vote for a bill unless you load up 12 million people and get ’em out of the country,’ and none of those are feasible.”
Beef prices and credit card fees were among the other pain points discussed during the lunch.
