The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee is set to hold a hearing next month on the deadliest-ever outbreak of bird flu in U.S. poultry amid mounting criticism from Iowa lawmakers about the speed of the U.S. Agriculture Department's response.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared a state of emergency on Friday due to a rapidly expanding avian flu outbreak, soon after state agriculture officials announced four new poultry farms had initially tested positive for the virus.
When the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition plays host to nine Republican White House hopefuls this weekend, the conservative Christian group will simply be pursuing its stated mission to "take back our state and country."
Republican Chris Christie is facing pressure to step up the pace in forming a likely presidential campaign and to slow the defection of financial donors to rivals like Jeb Bush in order to keep alive his 2016 White House dream.
Most Republicans running in tight U.S. Senate races in November's midterm elections can rely on campaign endorsements from a few national figures. But most Republicans are not Joni Ernst.
