WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) issued the following statement on the loss of two Iowa police officers who were killed in the line of duty, in an apparent ambush attack:

"My thoughts and prayers are with the two Iowa police officers who were killed in the line of duty, as well as their families and the entire Iowa law enforcement community as they face this devastating loss.

"Although the investigation is still unfolding, what appears to be an ambush attack of police in the line of duty is an attack on the community at large and all of the men and women who risk their lives every day to protect us. This was a senseless act of violence and it cannot be tolerated."