Hinson Statement on Government Funding

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02) released the following statement on the government funding package. 

"The government spending process is broken, and I share Iowans’ frustration with the months of political games surrounding it. This package includes meaningful cuts to agencies that have been weaponized against the American people – including a 9% cut to the FBI and a 7% cut to the ATF – and defunds many of the Biden Administration’s woke initiatives while investing in Iowa’s priorities. This was the most conservative way to keep the government open and ensure Border Patrol Agents and members of our military are paid and have the resources to protect us while in divided government. The cuts in this bill are significant, but we are still spending too much, and I’m on a mission to cut more and ensure taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.”  - Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

Background:  

The government funding package makes the following cuts to reckless government spending:

• Reduces the FBI’s operating budget by 6% ($654 million) and cuts FBI construction account by 95% ($621.9 million).
• Reduces ATF’s funding by 7% ($122 million).
• Cuts funding for the Biden EPA by $977 million, or 9.6% below FY23.
• Cuts the Biden Administration’s environmental justice budget request by $275 million.

• Adds the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to improve coordination on foreign investment in the agriculture industry and includes funding to improve USDA’s tracking system for foreign land ownership, helping ensure our adversaries are not able to buy American land. 
• Includes $10 million for the Small Community Air Service Development Program to support commercial air service in rural areas like Dubuque.
• Fully funds veterans’ health care programs and protects the Second Amendment rights of veterans. 
• Prohibits the DOJ from targeting or investigating parents who exercise their right to free speech at local school board meetings.
• Requires the DOJ’s National Security Division to provide a complete accounting of their efforts to prosecute Chinese espionage against American businesses, research institutions, and academia emanating under the China Initiative.
• Supports DOJ evidence-based grant programs that assist law enforcement in addressing the opioid crisis, eliminating the rape kit backlog, combatting child exploitation, and stopping school violence.

• $750,000 for Sumner Daycare and Learning Center (Bremer County) to construct their own stand-alone facility in the community to provide quality, accessible child care. With this new facility, Sumner Daycare will be able to hire more staff members, serve over 100 children, meet the needs of the rural community and workforce, and assist low-income working families. 
• $1,100,000 for Gundersen-Palmer OB Department Upgrade (Fayette County) to fund the expansion and modernization of the maternity health care unit at the Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital and Clinics in West Union, Iowa. 
• $1,000,000 for Eldora Water and Wastewater Improvement Project (Hardin County) to drastically improve the resiliency of water and wastewater infrastructure in Eldora. The City’s Supervisory Controls and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems have been discontinued by the manufacturer, leading to significant challenges in obtaining replacement parts. This funding will allow the City to modernize its SCADA systems, increase efficiency within the facility, improve the City’s ability to meet clean water standards, and reduce the risk of serious disruptions to the community’s water supply caused by broken parts.
•  $900,000 for Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi Correctional Facility (Tama County) to provide construction support for a correctional facility on the Meskwaki Settlement. This investment will provide the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa with its first holding facility or jail on the Settlement to reduce financial burdens, safety concerns, and sovereign rights challenges for the Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa. 
• $1,000,000 for Upper Mississippi River Flow Frequency Study (Clayton County) to modernize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood management capabilities along the Upper Mississippi River. By conducting long-overdue updates to Mississippi River flow frequency data, communities across Northeast Iowa will be able to better forecast major flood events, reducing loss of life and minimizing damage from extreme weather events.
•  $1,000,000 for Mason City Water Infrastructure Expansion Project (Cerro Gordo County) to expand its water infrastructure to reach a large economic development area on the southwest side of the city. The city is reliant on industrial economic activity and requires expanded water infrastructure for the community’s economic hub to be viable.
• $1,500,000 for the Peosta Water Systems Improvement Project (Dubuque County) to expand its water system facility’s capacity by constructing a new well and wellhouse, water tower, and water main extension. This project will be critical for the city’s infrastructure to keep pace with population growth and comply with State water quality standards to provide safe drinking water to residents.
• $3,000,000 for the Grinnell Water Facility Replacement Project (Poweshiek County) to help the city construct a new water treatment facility to replace their current operation, which is over 100 years old. The current facility lacks back up power and has antiquated technology leading to reliability issues.
•  $5,000,000 for the Hawkeye Community College Smart Automation and Robotics Center (Black Hawk) to support a new Smart Automation and Robotics Center to allow students and workers across Iowa to gain skills in a fast-tracked program. The project would create a manufacturing hub in Waterloo, Iowa, that directly feeds into several manufacturing businesses and supports our domestic supply chain and economy.
• $500,000 for the Clayton County Affordable Housing Project (Clayton County) to contrust 10 to 15 new homes across the county. By supporting the strong demand for affordable housing in the region, this project will help working families achieve the dream of home ownership, while allowing local businesses to continue to attract talent and foster greater opportunities in the community. 
• $1,000,000 for Four Mounds Workforce Training Center (Dubuque County) to support the construction of a workforce training center to facilitate a woodshop and classrooms that meet critical community need for expanded job training and education space through the Four Mounds Foundation’s Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training (HEART) Building Dubuque Program. This investment will give individuals the tools they need to succeed in the workforce, but also to assist in re-developing low-income housing through renovation projects that put students’ new skills to use.
• $2,500,000 for the Eastern Iowa Airport Deicing and Snow Removal Facility (Linn County) to support the design of a centralized aircraft deicing facility and a snow removal equipment storage facility at the Eastern Iowa Airport. This project will improve efficiency and resiliency against winter weather for the Eastern Iowa Airport, a critical transportation hub for thousands of residents in Iowa’s Second Congressional District. These improvements will reduce delays, improve safety, and mitigate environmental impacts.
• $287,000 for the Howard County Microwave Security and Radio Project (Howard County) to equip nine officers and an emergency management official/911 Director of the Howard County Sheriff Department with portable handheld radios, as well as provide a microwave communications link between all seven of the critical communication locations in Howard County. This investment will equip law enforcement with the technology they lack and desperately need to improve responsiveness and officer and community member welfare.
• $225,000 for Coe College Advancing Astrophysics Research Project (Linn County) to enable Coe College to acquire a high-performance computing unit, as well as Multiphysics and analysis software. This investment will enhance the pipeline that creates young scientists and astronomers for the nation as Coe College already has a strong partnership with NASA.

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