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WEEK IN REVIEW
Dear Friend,
This Memorial Day, while we won’t have the same services and ceremonies we typically take part in, it doesn’t make this tradition any less important. This weekend, let’s continue to commemorate the servicemembers and families who have sacrificed in defense of our freedom.
Wearing my military rucksack, I spoke on the Senate floor to honor America’s fallen soldiers and their families, including a number of Iowa’s heroes.
Click here or on the image above to watch my speech.
May God bless all those who have worn our nation’s uniform.
This past week, I’ve continued fighting to ensure Iowans are getting the support and relief they need during COVID-19. Here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve been working on:
Relief Must Focus on COVID-19
As the Senate continues to work on future COVID-19 relief legislation, I called on my colleagues to work togetheracross the aisleto help Iowa’s workers, businesses, farmers, health care providers, and families on the front lines of this crisis. I made my position clear that any future bill must focus on COVID-19, not unrelated items. Unfortunately, House Democrats’ $3 trillion package missed the mark and was just a partisan wish list full of unrelated items, including perks for wealthy coastal elites.
Click here or on the image above to watch my remarks.
Kicking Millionaires Off COVID-19 Bonus Benefits
Every day, essential workers are putting their lives at risk to care for our families and keep our country running amidst COVID-19. Meanwhile, every week, the federal government may be doling out as much as $2 million to millionaires not to work.
As part of the CARES Act, Congress provided new benefits, including an extra $600 per week in unemployment insurance payments, to help those who were laid off or lost a job as a result of the closings caused by COVID-19.
While this additional assistance may help folks who have lost their only income, the additional money can also be claimed by millionaires. And the million dollar question [no pun intended] is “WHY?”
We need to fix this, and we need to do it now. That’s why I introduced a bill to kick millionaires off this taxpayer-funded benefit. I also awarded my Monthly Squeal Award to these jobless millionaires.
Under my Returning Inappropriate Cash Handouts (RICH) Act, anyone who lost a job but is earning $1 million or more this year would be barred from receiving the $600 weekly unemployment bonus and denied eligibility for the new expanded unemployment coverage.
The Washington Times covered my work, writing, “Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, said Wednesday she wants to have Congress cut [millionaires] off, calling it an affront to struggling workers who really need the benefits. ‘We may be spending $2 million a week or more paying millionaires not to work,’ she told reporters. ‘We cannot afford to be subsidizing the lifestyle of coastal elite millionaires.’”
Fighting for Iowa’s Biofuel Community
I will always fight relentlessly for Iowa’s biofuel community. This week, I pressed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the impact COVID-19 has had on ethanol producers, how he intends to handle the request for an RFS waiver, and his commitment to expand biofuel infrastructure by fixing ongoing labeling issues for higher blends of ethanol.
Click here or on the image above to watch my questioning.
Hearing Directly from Iowans
Being accessible and hearing directly from folks across the state is what Iowans expect. That’s why I’ve continued to host telephone town halls and other question-and-answer sessions and virtual events throughout this pandemic.
This week, I hosted my tenth telephone town hall amid COVID-19 to answer questions on a range of topics, including my work to support our child care providers and ensure relief for essential workers. Thank you to Sarah Reisetter with the Iowa Department of Public Health for joining and helping answer some questions.
Click here or on the image above to watch my remarks on the tele-town hall.
For more updates on what's happening in Washington, D.C. and Iowa, be sure to 'Like' my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter @SenJoniErnst, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Thank you!
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