Gary Mohr

He Writes Iowa's Budget — and Held School Funding to 2%

Gary Mohr has chaired the Iowa House Appropriations Committee — the chamber's budget-writing committee — since 2019.[2][14] He voted Yes to hold per-pupil funding growth to just 2% (SF 167, 2025), and the Legislature held it to 2% again in 2026.[15] Using the state's own figures, Iowa now spends about $888 less per student than 2017 funding would be worth today, adjusted for inflation — a real-terms cut on his watch.[1]

By one analysis, Iowa has averaged just 2% per-pupil growth for 14 straight years — increases school groups say fall below inflation.[12]

Bragged About a $2 Billion Surplus — While Holding School Funding Below Inflation

Asked for the session's biggest success, the man who writes the budget pointed to the size of the surplus — not the schools that got a below-inflation increase.

Blamed Biden for Iowans' Struggles

In an official October 2025 statement, Iowa's budget chief reached for a national culture-war line rather than the local economy:

On the Record: Let School Staff Carry Guns

Asked directly whether he supports allowing school staff to carry guns, Mohr's answer was on the record: yes.[4]

Voted the Party Line on the Culture-War Agenda

On the bills that made national headlines, Mohr voted Yes every time — straight from the Iowa House Journals:

• the six-week abortion ban (HF 732)[6]
• the ban on gender-affirming care for minors (SF 538)[7]
• stripping gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act (SF 418)[8]
• Medicaid work requirements (SF 615)[9]
• school-library book and curriculum restrictions (SF 496)[10]
• the 2022 flat income-tax law (HF 2317)[11]

His Own District Lives With That 2%

House District 93 covers Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley, and LeClaire.[13] The public schools serving the families Mohr represents live with the 2% he votes for — year after year.