WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is sitting on billions of dollars in relief for Iowa families whose lives have been turned upside down by the derecho that devastated the state. The storm destroyed nearly $4 billion worth of homes, farmland, businesses, and livestock, but Trump has held off on approving most of the aid needed for Iowa families who have lost everything.
Republican state legislators owe Iowans answers: will they stand with Trump and allow this to continue, or will they stand up for their constituents and demand that Trump grant people the aid they need?
“In the aftermath of this natural disaster, Iowa Republicans are doing absolutely nothing for the people they are supposed to support and protect,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “Between opposing federal pandemic relief and refusing to fight for aid during this new crisis, the GOP is making it clear that they don’t have their constituents’ best interests in mind. Iowans deserve leaders who will stand up for them, not stand idly by while they suffer.”
Iowa GOP legislators have already made it clear that they oppose federal funding to help struggling workers and families recover from disasters. Last month, several Iowa Republican lawmakers, including the House speaker and Senate president, signed onto a letter by the American Legislative Exchange Council urging the federal government not to provide states with coronavirus relief aid. Despite the continued spread of the virus and the economic damage it has caused, the GOP once again prioritized their agenda over the lives of their constituents.
After gaining five House seats in 2018, Democrats only need four more to flip the House from red to blue. Iowa is a top target state in the DLCC’s $50 million “Flip Everything” campaign to win legislative majorities across the country. Since Trump’s election, the DLCC and state Democrats have flipped more than 450 seats and 10 legislative chambers from red to blue.
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