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Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has introduced legislation that would provide a tax credit of up to $30,000 to individuals and couples pursuing in vitro fertilization, her office announced in a news release Monday. IVF is a multi-step fertility treatment in which a fertilized egg is implanted into the patient's uterus.
The process can take more than a month and cost tens of thousands of dollars. According to Forbes Health , which reviewed fertility clinics' costs in 2021 for the treatment, IVF can cost between $15,000 and $30,000 depending on the patient's needs and the center they seek treatment at. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks speaks at the town hall at the Von Maur Warehouse on Wednesday, Dec.
20, in Davenport. "Every life is precious, and we have a moral imperative to support those who wish to become parents," Miller-Meeks said. "By providing financial assistance through this refundable tax credit, we are not only making IVF more accessible but also empowering individuals and families to realize their dreams of parenthood.
This bill is a commitment to supporting life and the choices of families across our nation." Miller-Meeks represents Iowa's 1st Congressional District, which covers the southeastern part of the state, including Iowa City, the Quad-Cities and Muscatine. The IRS does allow a limited medical expenses deduction relating to IVF treatments, but the proposed bill would provide a credit for a range of IVF-related costs, such as transportation to and from services, egg retrievals and transfers, counseling, lab fees and ultrasounds.
A review by Mercer of large companies' employee health insurance plans found that the share of employers with 500 or more employees that covered in vitro fertilization grew from 23% in 2015 to 28% in 2020 and the share for companies with 20,000 or more workers grew from 34% to 38% in that time period. Also sponsoring the bill are Reps. Lori-Chavez DeRemer, R-Ore.
, and Mike Lawler, R-NY. Democrats have sought to connect access to IVF to Republicans' broader anti-abortion position after a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos could be considered children temporarily halted access to IVF. But that court's decision came with backlash from the left and some on the right.
Republican leaders in Alabama quickly passed a law shielding fertility clinics from liability for discarding embryos. In a May Gallup poll , 82% of Americans surveyed said IVF is morally acceptable and Donald Trump told NBC News in an interview he wants to make IVF paid for by the government or insurance companies if elected. Miller-Meeks faces a second challenge from Democrat and Iowa City law professor Christina Bohannan for the 1st District seat in November.
Bohannan has sought to center abortion access in her race against Miller-Meeks, running an ad that claims Miller-Meeks is "pushing to ban all abortions nationwide with no exceptions for rape or incest." In Congress, Miller-Meeks co-sponsored the 2021-22 Life At Conception Act that states life begins at fertilization, banning all abortions. It has no exceptions for rape, incest or the woman’s life, and does not specify protections for fertility treatments.
Miller-Meeks did not sign on as a sponsor of the resolution in the current Congress. She has said she supports a national 15-week ban on abortion with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. The upcoming presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is being seen as a big moment, as many voters could solidify their vote based on what they hear in this debate.
It takes a lot of money to win elections. The 2022 election cycle was the priciest nonpresidential election cycle in history, with spending reaching nearly $9 billion , according to an OpenSecrets analysis. Effective outreach and messaging requires ads, stickers, campaign staff, pens, and more—even for last-minute high-profile switch-ups such as the one the United States is currently facing.
With Biden's decision to step aside, Kamala Harris' campaign has received record-breaking contributions. Her team has raised more than $81 million in the 24 hours since Biden's announcement, according to reporting from The Associated Press. As of August 29, 2024, the Harris and Trump presidential campaigns have netted over $750 million in donations, according to Federal Election Commission data .
But the presidential race is only part of the picture. The real races to watch are the congressional campaigns battling for control of both chambers in November, separated only by a few votes on either side. With margins razor thin, House Democrats only need to net five seats to regain control, while Senate Republicans require just two.
What kind of influence does all that money have? Some members of Congress have higher rates of small donors, those giving $200 or less, but PACs and wealthy donors constitute the greatest percentage of fundraising dollars. High-net-worth individuals accounted for 87% of total donors, and 90% of donations in House and Senate races, according to FEC data analyzed by Windfall. Windfall took a look at the numbers to show which congressional campaigns are drawing the most donations from wealthy donors during this election cycle.
Shown are donations from individuals worth at least $1 million and where they gave to House and Senate candidates, their affiliated committees, or unauthorized committees during the 2024 election cycle. According to the Survey of Consumer Finances , the median net worth of American households is $192,700, meaning the wealthy donors in this analysis are over five-times wealthier than the typical U.S.
family. Data is as of the first quarter of 2024, ending March 31. Fundraising is critical for candidates to reach their voters.
Without the money from these efforts, campaign hopefuls can say goodbye to television ads, staff, and all the trappings that go with elections—and election wins. Most of the funds go toward media advertising to help spread a candidate's message while also countering information from a candidate's competitors. But there are also expenses just to keep grassroots efforts moving, such as payments for pollsters and printing yard signs and posters.
These disbursements all add up to millions. In Nevada, David Duffield, the billionaire entrepreneur behind enterprise software firms PeopleSoft and Workday, donated $2 million to help elect GOP Senate contender Sam Brown. Though not an established donor, FEC records show Duffield and his wife also donated more than $1 million to Trump's campaign in 2020.
At more than $70 million this election cycle, Jeff Yass, an investor in ByteDance, is the second-highest donor to conservative causes and PACs, beating many on the top donors list by more than $11 million. ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has come under fire in the Biden administration because of security concerns. New York Magazine has speculated that Yass' support for the Republicans may have influenced Trump's sudden flip-flop on the TikTok ban .
At the top of the OpenSecrets list as of July 22 is Timothy Mellon, who made one of the largest political donations in history ($50 million) the day after Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges in Manhattan. This follows his donations to Make America Great Again Inc. and the American Values super PAC, which supported Robert F.
Kennedy Jr.'s now-suspended campaign. High-net-worth individuals like these might be driven to donate to shape policies that will help their finances, to impact social policies they care about, or simply because they enjoy the power and challenge.
"Candidates start agreeing with you," Robert Shapiro told U.S. News .
A senior fellow at McDonough School of Business in Georgetown, Shapiro served as undersecretary of commerce under President Bill Clinton. "It's psychic satisfaction for megalomaniacs." Wealthy individuals account for at least a third of total donations in every state, but in some, the share climbs to half.
Donations by wealthy individuals accounted for 52% of total donations in Maryland and North Carolina, 51% in Hawaii, and 50% in Virginia. Historically, winning candidates also spend the most . Exceptions include Republican Sen.
Lindsey Graham's 2020 win against Jaime Harrison in South Carolina, despite huge Democratic fundraising. In his campaign, Graham positioned the race as a choice between "capitalism versus socialism" and "law and order versus chaos." Though Harrison had raised close to $109 million to Graham's $75 million, it was the latter that ultimately won the votes.
As the Graham and Harrison bout shows, correlation isn't causation. Studies show that partisan districting and national trends, rather than money alone, have the most influence on election outcomes. Instead of buying elections, donors give to candidates already favored to win.
Money may not guarantee a win, but it can help add fuel to critical races. Among the seven congressional elections with the highest percentage of contributions from high-net-worth donors, affluent individuals accounted for at least half of all donations. Funds poured in from high-net-worth donors fueled downstream elections in Mid-Atlantic states, North Carolina, and Virginia, as well as in Florida, Tennessee, and New Jersey.
While distinctive dynamics and demographic shifts define each of these well-funded elections, two possible horse races are worth highlighting. In North Carolina's 13th district, Republican Brad Knott won the primary in a landslide victory and will face off against Democrat Frank Pierce. Redistricting in 2022 set the stage for a contentious election in the district, which has transformed since the last election cycle.
In 2020, President Joe Biden was favored by voters by 1%, whereas today the district shows 17% support for Trump. The area has gone from a balanced and bipartisan district to a "MAGA fiefdom ," according to the Raleigh News & Observer. In Florida's 23rd district, where wealthy individuals made just over half of all contributions, incumbent Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz will face off against Republican Joseph Kaufman in November.
Despite redistricting in the Sunshine State that created mostly secure seats among incumbents, the House seat in the 13th district was ranked as "vulnerable" by the Tampa Bay Times. In a state that has gone from blue to purple over the last decade, affluent Democrats led the fundraising with 29% of all donations, as compared to 25% among Republicans. It's worth noting that the district, which covers Boward and parts of Palm Beach County, has long been home to wealthy donors on both sides of the aisle.
With Moskowitz winning his seat by just 5 points in 2022, it's likely that wealthy donors will try to ensure the scales once again tip in his favor. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Alizah Salario and Kelly Glass.
Copy editing by Tim Bruns. This story originally appeared on Windfall and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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