For regular updates on my work in Washington and information on when I’ll be in your neighborhood, sign up here for my e-newsletter. 

Friends, 

I hope everyone had the chance to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with their friends and family last week. I had a chance to catch up with my own family here in Iowa for Thanksgiving, and I've heard some of the things I have been discussing with my colleagues in Washington, D.C. have definitely hit home. 

As our retailers begin the busiest month of the year in December, they're having trouble finding workers and a harder time than usual maintaining their inventory. I have been working on my Supply Chain Solutions Agenda, which will help alleviate the pressure on retailers, restaurants, manufacturers and the shipping industry. 

I know rising gas prices are of concern as well. My colleagues and I successfully pushed the Biden administration to step in and help curb the prices at the gas pump last week.

I also have some exciting news to share regarding the group of local high school students who won the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for Iowa's Third Congressional District. 

Keep reading to find out more. 

Finding Supply Chain Solutions to Help Iowans

Decades of underinvestment in public infrastructure, combined with a surging demand for goods as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, has overwhelmed supply chains and led to higher food, energy and car prices. 

I'm working with my colleagues in Congress to pass bills that are on my Supply Chain Solutions Agenda. These measures will invest in our infrastructure, alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, recruit more American workers to in-demand careers, and promote public-private cooperation in both international shipping and domestic manufacturing.

My Supply Chain Solutions Agenda is comprised of four bills I have co-sponsored, starting with the MADE HERE Act, which brings together educational institutions, private companies, nonprofits, labor groups and government-funded resources to recruit a skilled workforce and promote domestic manufacturing. 

The DRIVE Safe Act aims to alleviate the driver shortage in the trucking and logistics industries by increasing job opportunities for young truckers and enhancing safety training. 

Supply chain disruptions are also affecting Iowa's agricultural industry's ability to export their crops and other products to country around the world. That's why I'm also pushing the House to pass the Ocean Shipping Reform Act so ocean carriers are prohibited from declining to pick up U.S. exports on return journeys to trade partners. 

Finally, I'm a proud co-sponsor of the Critical Supply Chain Commission Act. This bill would establish a nonpartisan commission of experts tasked with studying the U.S. critical supply chain, identifying its vulnerabilities, predicting future supply chain disruptions and guiding Congress on how to meet critical supply chain needs domestically. 

Bringing Down Prices at the Pump

Last month, I called on President Biden to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help lower the price Iowans are paying at their local gas station. 

President Biden has since announced a release of 50 million barrels of oil from the U.S. petroleum reserve and complementary actions from other strategic reserves in Japan, India, the United Kingdom, China, and South Korea. 

I appreciate President Biden for listening to my concerns and the concerns of anyone who is feeling the burden of higher gas prices every time they fill up their tank. 

I will continue to work with the Biden Administration and my colleagues to implement solutions that lower costs for working Iowans.

This Year's Winner  of the Congressional App Challenge!

The West Des Moines Valley High School team behind the Devs Do Good app are the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for Iowa's Third Congressional District. 

The team of juniors Connor Fogarty, Noah Goeders, Uma Dukle, and Abhushan Pradhan created the app, which is a mobile application that connects students who are passionate about computer science with local nonprofits that are in need of technical support. 

The winners were selected by a panel of three Iowa-based judges who looked at the concept and technology the app makers used. 

I'm always grateful for everyone who designs and submits apps for the Congressional App Challenge, and am blown away by the amazing work Iowa's schools are doing to teach students new technology. 

— — —

While shoring up our supply chain and ensuring federal agencies have the funding they need to remain open are at the top of my to-do list, I have even more legislation I hope to introduce before the end of the year. 

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with everything I am working on.

Be well, 

Cindy