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Ernst Week in Review
September 30, 2019
Warning Washington Bureaucrats about Their End-of-Year Spending Habits
During the biggest federal spending week of the Fiscal Year, Senator Joni Ernst, who Iowans sent to Washington to cut wasteful government spending and “Make ‘Em Squeal,” called out binge-buying bureaucrats for their notorious, annual “use-it or lose-it” spending spree. On the Senate floor, Ernst warned federal agencies that their last minute purchases will not go unnoticed, and to be ready to justify them to hard-working taxpayers in Iowa, and across the country.
Click here or the image above to watch Senator Ernst’s remarks.
Senator Ernst’s bill, the End-of-Year Fiscal Responsibility Act, would limit an agency’s spending in the last two months of the year to no more than the average it spent per month during the first ten months of the year. Last year alone, federal agencies spent $53 billion in taxpayer money during the final week of the fiscal year, on everything from lobster tail and crab to a foosball table.
Working to Tackle the Child Care Crisis in Iowa
Over the past five years, Iowa has lost more than forty percent of its regulated child care providers, making it difficult for working parents, especially in rural communities, to find quality and affordable care for their children. Last week, Senator Ernst, a mother and a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, put forward a bipartisan bill focused on improving access to child care in Iowa, and across the country.
Senator Ernst’s bipartisan bill, the Small Business Child Care Investment Act, allows non-profit child care providers to utilize capital access programs offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). With a quarter of Iowans living in areas with child care shortages, called ‘child care deserts,’ this legislation is a step in the right direction to help child care providers better serve their communities across Iowa, and to give working parents greater access to quality and affordable care for their children.
Making Iowans’ Voices Heard
Senator Ernst continues to make Iowans’ voices heard in Washington. Last week, she highlighted the stories of two Iowa farmers who are urging Congress to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Ernst, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, called on Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats to move on the USMCA and give Iowans, and the American people, something they’ve long called for.
Click here or the photo above to watch Senator Ernst’s remarks.
New Trade Agreement with Japan is Welcome News for Iowa
As Iowa’s third largest trading partner, increased access to Japanese markets is a big win for the state’s agriculture community, especially Iowa’s pork, beef, and ethanol producers. At a time when hardworking folks across the heartland are feeling the pinch from low commodity prices and rough weather, this new trade deal with Japan is welcome news. Senator Ernst, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, applauded President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer for their persistent efforts to reduce trade barriers and get a good deal for Iowa’s agriculture.
Social Media Highlights
Click here or the image above to listen to Senator Ernst discuss the RFS and USMCA with Jeff Angelo.
Click here or on the image above for a video of an Iowa pork producer voicing his support for the USMCA.
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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