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WEEK IN REVIEW
As Iowans continue to battle COVID-19, it’s critical to ensure they have the support they need. That’s why I continue to fight for Iowa’s child care providers, working families, essential workers, small businesses, farmers, biofuel producers, kiddos, and all the great folks across our state.
Click here or on the image above to hear more about my priorities for Iowans in the next COVID-19 relief package.
This weekend, I’m continuing my 99 County Tour, to hear directly from Iowans. Below are just a few highlights of what I’ve been working on this week:
Expanding Access to Child Care
As we continue to fight COVID-19 and return to our daily lives, it’s critical that Iowa’s working parents have access to child care services. That’s why I’ve introduced a new bill – the ACCESS Act – that will increase access to federal funding for child care development.
Click here or on the image above to learn more about my efforts to support child care providers and families.
My new bill would allow communities and public-private partnerships to use grants through the Department of Commerce to invest in child care workforce and infrastructure and will provide more opportunities for Iowa families – all while helping our state’s economy grow.
In addition to this, I recently unveiled a new bill to provide additional assistance for child care providers in Iowa, and across the country, during COVID-19. My Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020 was included in the new COVID-19 relief proposal, the HEALS Act – and it’s continuing to gain support from my colleagues in both the House and Senate.
Expanding Access to E15
As the top ethanol producing state in the country, renewable fuels are a critical part of Iowa’s economy. Which is why I’m continuing to fight relentlessly for our farmers and biofuel producers and holding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator’s feet to the fire.
This week, I urged Administrator Wheeler to certify biofuel infrastructure for E15 and remove unnecessary labeling which will increase consumer access to E15 – a cleaner, cheaper choice at the pump.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great loss of demand for biofuels – and I’ve heard about the struggles of our producers firsthand during my 99 County Tour. Administrator Wheeler and the EPA must act now to initiate a rulemaking process and follow through on the Oval Office agreement to provide certainty to our farmers.
Cracking Down on Communist China
While the Chinese are using TikTok to illegally collect information about Americans, the app could also enable the communist regime to engage in influence operations against the United States – including our elections.
I joined my Senate colleagues to urge the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI Director, and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to determine if the platform – and other apps – could be used to change the outcomes of our elections.
Iowans and all Americans should be able to trust the democratic process in our country – not worry about interference from the Chinese Communist Party. That’s why I’m working to ensure the integrity of our elections from Chinese interference.
I will never stop fighting to hold China accountable for their devious deeds and help bring jobs back home.
Moving Federal Agencies Closer to the People
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our federal workers have successfully done their jobs remotely, showing us that they don’t necessarily need to be in “swampy” Washington, D.C. to do their jobs.
Click here or on the image above to watch my remarks.
At a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing this week, I highlighted my bill that would move some federal agencies outside of Washington and closer to the folks who know the needs of their states, farms, and businesses best.
My bill – the Strategic Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful Placement (SWAMP) Act – would distribute future agency headquarters over geographically diverse areas of the nation to help ensure agencies focus on the folks most impacted by their decisions while also bringing stable jobs to new parts of the country.
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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