Governor Kim Reynolds says she has not encouraged the government efficiency panel she appointed this spring to make certain recommendations.
“This is an independent group. I’m not sitting in on the meetings,” Reynolds said during an interview with Radio Iowa. “I haven’t been talking to them and I want them, honestly, independently looking.”
The governor’s comments come after a member of the “Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE said last week, that changing the pension system for public sector employees is an idea worth considering to trim government spending. It would mean flipping to a 401K like system where retirement income comes from investments.
House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver say Republicans in the legislature have no interest in making those changes. Governor Reynolds said when she appointed members to her government efficiency panel, she made it clear nothing was off limits and changing the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System has been discussed before.
“Not to touch anybody that’s in it, but to take a look at new people coming in,” Reynolds said. “…This is a very complex issue. It’s a very sensitive issue. I’m counting on it. My daughter who is a teacher is counting on it.”
Democrat Rob Sand, the state auditor who’s running for governor, said changing the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System would break a deal made with public employees of the past and the future. He said they work for less than what they’d earn in the private sector, with the promise of a steady pension when they retire.
The government efficiency task force Governor Reynolds assembled plans to vote on recommendations in the coming weeks and present a final report at the end of September.
