The U.S. Senate passed its appropriations bill Thursday night, sending the bill to President Joe Biden for his signature. According to Iowa's congressional delegation, the bill would fund expansion and development projects across Iowa.
The $1.5 trillion spending package, split between defense and non-defense funding, received support from all members of Iowa’s congressional delegation except one.
The 4th District’s Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra was the only member of Iowa's delegation to oppose the bill due to the non-defense funding allocations. The funding available in the bill goes to community development projects throughout the state. Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, and sits on the House Appropriations Committee
"I helped to shape this legislation. And I made sure that Iowans had a seat at the table as the package was negotiated," she said Friday.
The non-defense funding reserved for Iowa will go to health care, child care, affordable housing and other developments in the state’s economy.
The representatives who voted in support of the appropriations bill, Hinson, Democractic Rep. Cindy Axne and Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks listed out the funding allocations within their congressional districts in press releases.
Hinson outlined a little more than $53 million will go toward the 1st Congressional District (population approximately 774,000), Axne announced more than $10 million for the 3rd District (population approximately 848,000), and Miller-Meeks secured about $5.5 million for the 2nd District (population approximately 782,000).
The omnibus bill received bipartisan support on a national and state level.
"This money is going to be used to rebuild bridges, to expand childcare centers and affordable housing projects, and so much more," Axne said in a press release.
The bill also reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act, which expired in 2019.
Hinson said she pushed to keep the Hyde Amendment to the VAWA, which blocks federal Medicaid funding from being used for abortion services.
Through the appropriations bill approved, an additional $13.6 billion of financial assistance will be allocated to assist Ukraine.
