# Joni Ernst — official Senate biography page (captured Sept. 18, 2026)

**Source URL:** https://www.ernst.senate.gov/about
**Fetched (UTC):** 2026-09-18T00:31Z · **HTTP status:** 200
**Document date:** not stated on page
**Capture method:** WebFetch text extract (page converted to markdown and extracted; this file is a text extract of the page, not a byte copy of the served HTML/PDF — raw bytes were not retrievable from this lane, which had WebFetch access only).
**Used by:** content/profiles/people/oversight/joni-ernst.md

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**Page:** About | U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa

Verbatim and stated facts:

"Joni retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard after 23 years of military service." She served as a company commander in Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Prior office: Montgomery County Auditor; later a state senator.

"In November 2014, Joni was elected as the first woman to serve in federal elected office from the State of Iowa and also became the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United States Senate."

Committees listed: Armed Services (chair, Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee); Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (chair, Rural Development, Energy, and Credit subcommittee); Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Small Business & Entrepreneurship (Chair).

Checked and not found on this page: a statement that she co-chairs the Senate DOGE Caucus (the page references a Senate DOGE Caucus tipline), and any statement about the 2026 election.