Iowa Rep Zach Nunn takes taxpayer-funded European tour amid longest U.S. shutdown
Rep Zach Nunn and his wife Kelly traveled to the UK and Ireland on a paid trip from the Republican Main Street Partnership while a 76-day government shutdown left many Iowans without services.
While the United States endured a 76-day shutdown that halted pay for Homeland Security staff and strained agencies such as the Coast Guard and FEMA, Iowa Republican Zach Nunn and his wife Kelly embarked on a week-long, all-expenses-paid European tour. Sponsored by the Republican Main Street Partnership, the trip from March 29 to April 4 included corporate meetings with Coupang, Ørsted’s U.S. chief, Meta and Salesforce, as well as sightseeing at Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Falkland Palace, Dublin’s Book of Kells and the Tower of London’s Ceremony of the Keys.
House disclosures list $15,400 in gift travel for Nunn, with meals and incidentals estimated at $330 per person. The journey occurred as thousands of Iowans gathered in Des Moines and other towns to protest the shutdown, and it adds to Nunn’s record of foreign travel that ranks third in member spending this Congress at $86,784.22. Nunn, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, has defended the conflict despite analyses showing higher gas costs for Iowa families. Fellow Iowa Republicans Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson have similarly accumulated expensive trips, highlighting scrutiny of congressional travel amid budgetary strain.
Why it matters
Taxpayer-funded trips during a historic shutdown raise questions about congressional priorities and fiscal responsibility.
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