Issues

Growing Our Economy and Helping Families Succeed

Cindy’s top priority in Washington is putting Iowa families to work in good-paying jobs. She’s working to level the playing field by raising wages, protecting our unions, addressing unfair trade deals that put our workers at risk, and promoting Main Street over Wall Street.

For too long, Washington politicians have put politics before Iowa families. Their failure to act has hurt the most vulnerable in our communities and hindered our small business owners and entrepreneurs from starting and growing businesses. As a small business owner, Cindy understands the challenges facing Iowans. She is fighting for our local communities by creating grant programs to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, and passing tax relief so our small businesses can grow.

Cindy is also fighting to pass equal pay legislation. Here in Iowa, women and their families are losing a combined income of nearly $5 billion each year. Cindy also supports a National Paid Family Leave Act, so no one risks losing a day’s pay to care for a sick child or loved one. And, she’s fighting to increase the availability of affordable childcare so working families can save for their children’s future.

In Congress, Cindy has helped grow our economy by:

• Strengthening workers’ ability to organize and ensuring that workers can collectively bargain for better wages and benefits by voting for the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
• Voting to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, ensuring hardworking Iowans earn enough to support their families.
• Helping to grow small businesses by leading the creation of a bill to provide funding for rural entrepreneurs, and making it easier for small businesses to cut through red tape. 
• Holding corporations accountable for shipping American jobs overseas by introducing the Outsourcing Accountability Act.

Affordable, Effective Healthcare for All

Cindy was one of thousands of Iowans who received a letter from Aetna notifying her that her family would no longer be able to receive healthcare from the company. It was the third such letter in nearly four years, each one forcing Cindy to scramble to find a new plan that they could afford, while the clock was ticking down on their coverage. Sadly, her family’s story is not unique. Every day, Cindy hears stories of families leaving their businesses for health insurance or families forced to move out of Iowa because they can no longer afford health insurance here.

In Congress, Cindy is fighting for a public option that allows Americans to buy into Medicare so that every American has access to affordable, high-quality  healthcare. Cindy is working to maintain and improve the Affordable Care Act, stop House Republicans from allowing the return of lifetime limits, make sure that people cannot be discriminated against for having a pre-existing condition, and lower costs including prescription drugs. Finally, Iowa ranks dead last for state psychiatric beds per capita; that’s unacceptable. That’s why Cindy is working to increase funding for our mental health facilities.

In Congress, Cindy serves on the Healthcare Task Force and has increased access to quality, affordable healthcare by:

• Voting for legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs by getting cheaper, safe generics on the market and limiting the amount pharmaceutical companies can charge for life saving drugs.
• Maintaining protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions.
• Supporting bills that would increase access to mental healthcare, treatment for diabetes, treatment to combat the obesity epidemic, dental care and child healthcare.

Protecting our Public Schools

As a mother of two sons in public schools, Cindy understands the importance of a high-quality education. It’s why she fought to pass all day public kindergarten after finding out that West Des Moines’ lottery system meant that half the children in the community were denied access to all day public kindergarten and received two and a half hours of education instead. For America to continue to lead the way in the global economy, it’s time we reinvest in our public schools. We must prepare our children to compete in a global market by promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs that enable students to graduate with the skills they need to be successful in today’s workforce.

Preparing the next generation for good-paying jobs that support a family requires providing young people with affordable access to community college, apprenticeships, trade schools, and four-year colleges. Cindy is fighting for a greater investment in our community colleges, and to grow apprenticeship programs and trade schools so that every student has the opportunity to succeed. She is working to expand Pell Grants and cap the interest rates on student loans so that Wall Street banks aren’t profiting by burdening young people with debt that will take them decades to repay.

In Congress, Cindy has supported education by:

• Voting to add skills training and vocational programs to make it easier for kids to get apprenticeships right out of high school.
• Working to increase college and trade school affordability by increasing access to loan forgiveness programs, expanding the use of Pell Grants, and protecting students from predatory loan practices.
• Supporting investment in our public schools and educators.

Reforming Our Broken Immigration System

Cindy knows our immigration system is broken and that both parties in Washington have failed to act. In Congress, Cindy is working with Democrats and Republicans to pass bipartisan immigration reform that will strengthen border security, hold employers who hire undocumented immigrants accountable, and provide a pathway to citizenship for individuals who pay their taxes and don’t have a criminal record.

Cindy believes that comprehensive reform must start with strengthening our borders. We need stronger vetting, more agents on the border, and innovative technology, including aerial drones, in order to better secure our borders and save taxpayer dollars.

As a mother of two children, Cindy does not believe that children should be punished for the decisions made by their parents. Cindy supports passing the DREAM Act in order to stop the deportation of people who entered the country as children, graduated high school, and attended college or joined the military.

In Congress, Cindy has helped fix our broken immigration system by:

• Co-sponsoring legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and individuals with temporary protected status.
• Voting to require that Customs and Border Protection treat everyone in its custody with humanity and respect.
• Supporting increased funding for Customs and Border Protection to ensure resources are available to maintain humane conditions in border facilities while increasing  border security.

Protecting Iowa’s Farms & Rural Communities

As a fifth-generation Iowan, with farm roots in Warren County, Cindy understands the importance of supporting our rural areas. In Congress, she is fighting to rebuild our infrastructure, grow our rural economies, protect our farmers and maintain our rural quality of life. Cindy is standing up for Iowa’s family farms and that starts by ensuring the Farm Bill works for all farmers, especially new farmers and small to mid-size farms.

For our rural communities to be competitive, we must reinvest in a solid infrastructure. That means repairing our roads and nearly 5,000 structurally deficient bridges, water and sewer systems, and finally making sure that everyone has access to cellular and broadband technology. Not only will that fix our infrastructure, but it will create thousands of jobs in the process.

Iowa can be the leader in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. While Cindy worked at the State of Iowa, she oversaw the Governor’s Agenda on Clean Energy and the Environment, helping to bring the wind industry to scale in Iowa. In Congress, Cindy is fighting to increase research and development in the areas of soil health, carbon sequestration, and water quality to clean up our water, improve soil for better yields, and create jobs in the process.

In order to protect our rural quality of life, Cindy is fighting to protect Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, so our rural hospitals can continue to operate and serve those who are at risk. She is fighting for funding for our public schools so they can retain quality educators, keep up with technology, and bring in more trades and apprenticeship programs for our children. She’s working to protect and grow our Main Streets by providing tax breaks for our micro businesses that make up 92% of all U.S. Businesses. Cindy is working with local communities to increase cellular and broadband access in rural communities so that employers can bring good paying jobs to our small towns.

In Congress, Cindy has supported our rural communities by:

• Standing against House Democratic Leadership to ensure family farmers impacted by the trade war receive the financial help to keep their farms running.
• Securing an additional $3 billion in the Emergency Supplemental Bill for our Midwest flooded communities.
• Working to protect our small refineries by holding the administration accountable and making sure big oil companies pay their fair share.
• Supporting rural health care by increasing reimbursement rates for rural clinics and eliminating red tape that prevents providers from treating patients.
• Joining the House Rural Broadband Task Force to find solutions to the rural digital divide so our rural small business owners and farms have the technology to compete in today’s economy.
• Writing and passing legislation through the House that will increase capital for rural small business owners.

Building Iowa’s Leadership in Renewable Energy & Tackling Climate Change

Climate change is real, and we are feeling the devastating effects. It’s already hurting America’s economy and it will only get worse if we don’t act. We have seen it first hand here in Iowa, with crippling droughts and floods putting our food supply and farmers’ livelihoods at stake. In Washington, Cindy is fighting to protect our environment and invest in renewable energy.

Cindy is proud of her work on the Governor’s Agenda for Energy Efficiency and a Clean Environment, which helped bring the wind industry to scale and made Iowa the number two state in the nation in wind energy production. She’s working to bring clean energy jobs to Iowa, including solar, wind, smart grid technology, and battery storage. She is also promoting investment in more efficient cars, appliances, buildings, and industrial plants to cut energy use in half.

In Congress, Cindy has protected our environment by:

• Supporting re-entry by the United States into the Paris Climate Accord.
• Co-sponsoring legislation to increase funding for wind energy research and land and water conservation.
• Voting to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling.
• Securing provisions to extend the biodiesel tax credit and second-generation biofuel producer credit. 
• Co-sponsoring legislation that creates a National Climate Bank which would focus on providing investments to new green energy solutions – including reducing greenhouse gas, investing in renewable energy projects, and supporting environmental justice and job creation – especially in rural areas. 

Returning our Democracy Back to the People

Too many politicians are in the pocket of Washington special interests — and Iowa families are worse off because of it. People across Iowa feel like Congress isn’t working for them. If we’re going to fix our healthcare system, lower prescription drug costs, and build a stronger economy, we’ve got to end the pay-to-play politics and corruption that rig the system against hardworking Iowa families.

Cindy introduced a seven-point plan to get money out of politics. The plan includes proposals to implement automatic voter registration at age 18, commit to holding regular town halls and publicize open meetings, require company boards to disclose political activities, improve government transparency and accountability, and end abuse of Congressional perks and information.

In Congress, Cindy has worked to strengthen democracy by:

• Voting to require politicians to disclose who their secret dark-money campaign funds come from and to limit the power of special interest lobbyists in Washington. 
• Writing legislation to ban former Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, prevent tax payer dollars from being spent on first class airfare, and prohibit Congress from giving itself a raise until the debt crisis is addressed. 
• Helping to establish the End Corruption Caucus in Congress to fight back against special interests, and pass legislation that puts working families first.

Women’s Reproductive Rights

Here in Iowa and around the country, we have seen women’s rights attacked. In 2017, Iowa lost four Planned Parenthood healthcare facilities leaving over 14,000 women and men without primary care services. That’s unacceptable.  As a member of Congress, Cindy is fighting to keep Washington politicians out of the personal decisions between women and their doctors. That’s why Cindy is working to ensure that Planned Parenthood funding continues, allowing women and men to continue to receive vital healthcare services.

In Congress, Cindy has supported Woman’s Reproductive Rights by:

• Supporting prohibitions on restrictions on reproductive healthcare that don’t apply to similar medical care by co-sponsoring the Women’s Healthcare Protection Act.
• Co-sponsoring the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
• Voting to create family planning educational programs across the different military branches. 

Keeping our Promises and Protecting Social Security and Medicare

It’s been our commitment for the last 70 years; if you work hard and pay your taxes, Social Security and Medicare will be there for you when you retire. But Donald Trump’s budgets try to cut Medicare and privatize it, threatening seniors who have worked hard and paid into these systems. Cindy is working to stop Trump, honoring the promises we’ve made to seniors. As a volunteer for years with Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, Cindy’s seen up close how much our seniors depend on Social Security and Medicare. In Congress, Cindy is fighting Republican efforts to privatize and defund these programs so our seniors and families can live their lives with dignity.

In Congress, Cindy has supported older Americans by:

• Co-sponsoring multiple bills to strengthen Medicare to ensure seniors have access to quality, affordable healthcare.
• Protecting multiemployer pension plans by co-sponsoring the Butch Lewis Act because it’s crucial that all retirees get the benefits they worked hard to earn.
• Opposing the President’s budget that would cut Social Security.

Veterans

Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District is home to over 40,000 veterans. These brave Iowans put their lives on the line here and abroad to keep our country safe. But we are letting them down by not doing our duty to provide them with the healthcare, support, and job opportunities to succeed in civilian life. Cindy is fighting to ensure veterans get the physical and mental healthcare they need, as well as sorely-needed skills training and job opportunities.

In Congress, Cindy has supported our veterans by:

• Co-sponsoring legislation to increase support provided to Gold Star families.
• Supporting increased penalties for criminals who target veterans.
• Co-sponsoring legislation that supports Veteran-owned small businesses by providing preference for government contracts to businesses owned by Veterans. 
• Co-sponsoring the Homeless Veterans Families Act, legislation to help homeless Veterans with children secure safe places to live. 

Equality for our LGBTQ community

Cindy was proud when Iowa led the way on marriage equality, and now it’s the law of the land in America. But, the fight for equality is not over. Every day our family members, friends, and co-workers face discrimination in the workforce and their personal lives. Cindy is fighting to crack down on discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, and to defend the hard-won LGBTQ protections that are under assault in Washington.

Cindy was proud to receive the Ally of the Year award in 2019 for her leadership in the LGBTQ community from Iowa Safe Schools, whose mission is to provide safe, supportive, and nurturing learning environments and communities for LGBTQ & allied youth.

In Congress, Cindy has supported the LGBTQ community by:

• Co-sponsoring the Equality Act, which will crack down on discrimination against LGBTQ Americans.
• Voting to block a proposed Department of Housing and Urban Development rule that would allow homeless shelters to deny equal access to services for transgender people.
• Co-sponsoring legislation that provided protections for LGBTQ adults when adopting children.