Weekly Wrap-up
The Bottom Line
We are facing an energy affordability crisis in Iowa and across the country. I'm calling for Congress and the Administration to implement an all-of-the-above energy strategy that prioritizes Iowa's biofuel industry.
Friend,
 
In the past week alone, the cost of a gallon of gas shot up six cents in Iowa.

I’ve heard from folks who are only filling up their tank halfway right now. I’ve heard from people who drive by the gas station in the morning only to see the cost of a gallon increase when they drive by the same gas station later that day. We are in the middle of an energy affordability crisis, and Iowans deserve solutions. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration is taking a “wait and see” approach instead of taking action to help working families afford to fill up their tanks and turn on their heat this winter. 

President Biden has asked our foreign adversaries to increase output to bring down prices while ignoring American and Iowan options. That’s why I’m calling on the Administration to work with Congress to implement an all-of-the-above energy strategy that prioritizes Iowa’s biofuel industry to bring costs down, support rural America, and bolster our national security. This strategy includes three pieces of legislation: 

Year-Round Fuel Choice Act: This is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that allows retailers nationwide to sell E-15 blended fuel year-round. This blended fuel is an-on hand, Iowa-based solution to reduce our country’s dependence on foreign energy and bring down costs. We should be increasing access to lower-carbon, lower-cost fuel sources, not sidelining this domestic option. 

Defend the Blend Act: I introduced this legislation in December, and it has support from a bipartisan group of Members in both the House and Senate. This bill prevents the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from retroactively reducing biofuel blending requirements and gives Iowa's biofuel producers the certainty they deserve. 

Strategically Lowering Gas Prices Act: This legislation would prohibit the President from tapping into Strategic Petroleum Reserve if there is an active executive order blocking oil and gas leasing on federal lands that would otherwise be available. We should not use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if domestic resources that can be harnessed to bring down energy costs are left untapped. 

With gas prices on the rise in Iowa and across the country, families can’t afford anything less than an all-of-the-above energy strategy. Iowa’s biofuel producers stand ready to address our fuel supply challenges, and despite every promise then-candidate Biden made to Iowa’s ethanol industry on the campaign trail, his Administration has delivered gut-punch after gut-punch to our producers. Increasing biofuel blending requirements in our transportation fuel will help bring the cost of gas down today.

We can bring down energy costs and bolster our national security by adopting these three common sense solutions, and I will continue calling for an all of the above energy strategy that prioritizes Iowa’s biofuel industry.
 
Read on for more about my work on behalf of Iowans this week!

Best,
Upcoming Jones County Town Hall
I am committed to being transparent and accountable to those I serve. Last year, I held 12 in-person town hall meetings across the district, and I am excited to hold our first town hall meeting of 2022 in Jones County on Wednesday. I look forward to providing an update on my work in Congress and answering your unfiltered questions. Hope to see you there!

Jones County Town Hall
Anamosa Public Library and Learning Center - Community Room
600 E 1st Street
Anamosa, IA 52205
Wednesday, January 26th
9:00 AM
Upgrading Locks & Dams
I helped lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a letter urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) on the Upper Mississippi River System. I am happy to report that we were successful! Following our request, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that $829.1 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) would go toward updating locks and dams along the Mississippi River. 

The lock and dam system along the Upper Mississippi River is critical to Iowa’s agriculture economy and our country’s entire supply chain; this landmark investment will be game-changing for Iowans and communities along the Mississippi River like Dubuque. 

Over 60 percent of our nation’s grain exports travel through this lock and dam system; it is a massive economic engine for the entire state. That’s why I helped lead a bipartisan group of my colleagues in urging the Administration to prioritize funding for these essential upgrades and I will always fight to ensure Iowans' taxpayer dollars are reinvested at home in Iowa. 

If there is ever federal money on the table, I'm going to fight as hard as I can to bring it home for Iowa's priorities rather than allowing it to go elsewhere. 
Standing Up for Life
My team attended the Walk for Life in Dubuque last weekend ahead of the March for Life in Washington, D.C. this week. We will always stand up for the most vulnerable among us and defend those who cannot defend themselves.
I am proud to have earned an A+ on Susan B. Anthony List's pro-life scorecard. I will always fight for life and vote to prevent taxpayers from funding abortions against their will!
Accountability at the Border
Over the past year, Iowans have come to me in utter disbelief that the Administration has allowed the border crisis to spin out of control. The President has taken no action to support our law enforcement on the ground and secure the border.

That’s why I joined over 100 of my colleagues in asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive review of the Biden Administration’s actions that led to the Southern Border crisis. This letter also requests information on how many illegal immigrants are being let into the U.S. Americans and Iowans deserve transparency and accountability from the Administration on the crisis at the border; this crisis directly impacts the safety and security of our communities.

Click HERE or below to read the full letter.
Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bipartisan legislation I cosponsored, the Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act, passed the House this week!

This bill recognizes the Ghost Army troops’ unique and distinguished service during World War II. These heroes were never properly recognized due to the classified nature of their mission, and I'm proud to have worked across the aisle to ensure members of the Ghost Army receive this much deserved honor!
Community Highlights
My team attended the Back Packin’ the Dome Event at University of Northern Iowa for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, organized by Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, and Panther Pantry.

They helped package food with Senator Joni Ernst, Senator Chuck Grassley, and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg to help ensure no one in our community goes hungry. This was an amazing event on an important day. We must all commit ourselves to serving others in the spirit of Dr. King!
My team attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Riverview Center’s new location in Cedar Rapids yesterday! The Riverview Center is a nonprofit that helps victims of sexual assault and domestic violence–we are grateful for all they do for those in need.
Headline Highlights & Social Media
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