Miller-Meeks, Nunn, Feenstra and Hinson vote to give Trump ultimate power over tariffs

DES MOINES – On March 12th, Iowa’s Republican Congressional Delegation voted to approve a temporary funding bill that denies veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals during their service critical care, and cuts police funding and initiatives to expand broadband access in rural Iowa.

The bill also includes a provision that won’t allow Congress to have a say in whether the country will impose the disastrous tariffs Donald Trump has been threatening to implement. Trump’s tariffs are expected to hurt Iowa farmers, and Iowa’s agriculture industry is already bracing for impact.

The funding bill that Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn, Randy Feenstra and Ashley Hinson voted for cuts $247 million to the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which will impact public safety. It also cuts funding for veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and for the National Institute of Health, which could impact research happening at Iowa’s public universities.

The Community Connect Program, which awarded Iowa-based companies more than $3.5 million in 2021 to expand broadband services in rural Iowa, also saw cuts in today’s funding bill.

“Our Congressional representatives just showed us that they are more beholden to Donald Trump and Elon Musk than they are to the rest of us.  We need a bipartisan solution to keep our government open. Instead of finding a good solution that helps Iowans, Iowa’s Republican delegation just voted to put money into the hands of ultra-wealthy billionaires like Elon Musk by cutting programs that support police officers, veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals while they were serving our country, fund researchers at Iowa’s public universities who are studying diseases like cancer and Alzheimers, and to slow broadband expansion in rural Iowa,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart. “Iowa Republicans also voted to give Donald Trump total control over the tariffs he’s threatening to implement against Canada and Mexico, which will be a huge blow to Iowa farmers.”