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Friends, 

In between weeks of fighting for your interests in Washington, I make sure to get back to Iowa and visit all corners of Iowa's Third Congressional District on the days that I'm home.

Recently, I've had the opportunity to travel across central and southwest Iowa and meet with business owners, community leaders, and Iowans like you to hear their concerns.

Here's a few highlights from that tour and a couple other important items that I've been working on:

Touring Iowa Businesses New and Old

I met the co-founders BLK & Bold coffee, America's only Black-owned coffee company with national distribution, on the South Side of Des Moines. Check out the video of my visit.

Iowa's small businesses are the backbone of our economy – and whether you're a new business owner or a neighborhood gem that's been operating for over a century, I want to make sure that you've got the support you need from Congress to make it through tough economic times you've faced this year.

That's why recently I fought to get an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program signed into law! The deadline for applying for one of these forgivable loans, which have already helped over 80,000 Iowa small businesses, was originally set at March 31st. But I sponsored legislation that extended that deadline to May 31st – and I'm pleased to share that bill passed Congress and was recently signed by President Biden.

Over the past few weeks, I've also met with business owners in Hamburg, Shenandoah, Malvern, and the Des Moines metro area to discuss the challenges they're facing as we work to put a tough economic period behind us for good.

I stopped by Brown’s Shoe Fit in Shenandoah while traveling around Iowa's Third District. This is their first location, which opened in 1909, and over their 100-year history they have expanded to open stores in a dozen states.

Expanding Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

I spoke to Iowa News Now recently about the nearly $50 million coming back to Iowa health centers to help expand COVID-19 vaccinations in Iowa. Watch here.

Over the past few months, we've seen COVID-19 vaccinations rates growing as eligibility and vaccines supplies have continued to expand. Across the U.S., more than 150 million shots have been distributed - including over 1.5 million right here in Iowa.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is key to ending this pandemic for good - and that's why I fought for billions in funding within the American Rescue Plan, our last COVID-19 relief package, to help expand access to vaccines here in Iowa.

I'm pleased to share that last week, $48 million of that funding came through for a dozen health centers across Iowa – including clinics right here in Des Moines and Council Bluffs. This funding will help get vaccines out faster now that all Iowa adults are eligible to get a vaccine.

These vaccines are safe and effective, and I'm encouraging everyone to schedule their appointment as soon as possible.

You can find an appointment near you with the help of online tools like vaccinefinder.org or vaccinate.iowa.gov – or if you're living with a pre-existing condition or are over the age of 65 you can call 2-1-1 for help.

A 21st Century Economy Requires a 21st Century Infrastructure Bill

In recent weeks, discussions have begun again in Washington about the importance of passing a robust infrastructure bill that will not only repair crumbling roads and structurally deficient bridges – but invest in the sectors of our economy that can help boost our economic growth, create jobs, and put us back on the cutting edge in global markets.

As I work with my colleagues to craft an infrastructure bill that meets the needs of our 21st century economy, I want to hear directly from you: which projects are the most important?

You can take my infrastructure project survey here.

Repairing our roads and bridges is critical to keeping Iowa's economy moving, but I'm also focused on the investments that would ensure Iowa isn't lacking the infrastructure we need to be competitive.

In the 20th century, access to electricity became the key to participating in the modern economy – as did continued access to telephone lines and the city center.

Now, with more and more commerce taking place on digital highways, lack of access to an affordable high-speed internet connection can be the same barrier to entry for an entrepreneur, a student, or even an older Iowan trying to access essential services.

That's why I've focused on passing investments in rural broadband at the federal level through my position on the House's Rural Broadband Task Force.

I've also focused on the importance of child care access as another key area where investments could keep Iowa competitive. Iowa already had child care deserts before COVID-19, but now this crisis has made getting Iowans back to work even more difficult with less care options for working parents.

Both broadband and child care will be on my list of priorities as we begin to craft an infrastructure bill that works for Iowa.

Stay tuned for more on this in the coming weeks and months!

Be well, 

Cindy