Ernst Supports Disaster Aid for Iowa
Senate Democrats force legislation to fail that would help Iowa families, businesses recover from floods
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) voted today in support of an amendment that would make Iowans eligible to benefit from parts of a $13.45 billion disaster recovery funding measure. Despite her support, Senate Democrats forced the measure to fail.
“The devastating floods have upended the lives of countless Iowans across our state. Today, the Senate had the opportunity to provide federal assistance to families in Iowa, and across the Midwest; but, instead, Senate Democrats played politics and left folks across the heartland without desperately-needed aid.
“To my colleagues across the aisle, the livelihoods of people in my home state, and across much of this country, are at stake. We should be doing everything we can to support the recovery efforts and get folks the resources they need to repair and rebuild.”
Background:
The emergency supplemental appropriations legislation, H.R. 268, provides $13.45 billion in supplemental funding for states and territories ravaged by tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, and other such events in 2017 and 2018. Senate appropriators amended the disaster legislation to expand eligibility in certain accounts for states in the Midwest, like Iowa, and the South that have experienced catastrophic flooding and tornadoes in 2019.
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