Issues

Growing Our Economy and Helping Families Succeed

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

For too long, Washington politicians have been putting partisan 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. Cindy will fight for our local businesses by creating grant programs to support entrepreneurs and small businesses and passing tax relief so our small businesses can grow.

Cindy will fight to pass equal pay legislation. Here in Iowa, women and their families are losing a combined income of nearly $5 billion each year. Cindy will also support 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’ll work to increase the availability of affordable childcare so working families can save for their children’s future.

Affordable, Effective Healthcare for All

Cindy was one of thousands of Iowans who received a letter from Aetna last year 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 will fight for a real public option that allows Americans to choose between Medicare or Medicaid so that every American has the access to high quality affordable healthcare. Cindy will fight to maintain and improve the Affordable Care Act and 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 will increase funding for our mental health facilities and work with partner organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness to address this crisis.

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 in West Des Moines 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 got 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 or four-year colleges. Cindy will fight for a greater investment in our community colleges and grow apprenticeship programs and trade schools so that every student has the opportunity to succeed. She will work 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.

Reforming Our Broken Immigration System

Cindy knows our immigration system is broken. She also knows that both parties in Washington have failed to act and that calls to abolish ICE won’t solve this problem. In Congress, Cindy is ready to work with Democrats and Republicans in order to pass a bipartisan immigration reform that will strengthen border security, hold employers who hire undocumented immigrants accountable, provide a pathway to citizenship for individuals who pay their taxes and don’t have a criminal record, and crackdown on violent crime.

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, graduate high school, and attend college or join the military.

Protecting Iowa’s Farms & Rural Communities

As a fifth-generation Iowan, with farm roots in Warren County, Cindy understands the importance of our rural areas. In Congress, she will fight to rebuild our infrastructure, grow our rural economies, protect our farmers and maintain our rural quality of life. Cindy will stand up for Iowa’s family farms and that starts by ensuring the Farm Bill works for all farmers including 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 was at the State of Iowa, she oversaw the Governor’s Agenda on Clean Energy and the Environment, helping bring the wind industry to scale in Iowa. In Congress, Cindy will fight 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 will fight to protect Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, so our rural hospitals can continue to operate and serve those who are at risk. She will fight for funding for our public schools, so they can retain quality educators, keep up with technology, and bring in more trades programs for our children. She’ll protect and grow our main streets by providing tax breaks for our micro businesses that make up 92% of all U.S. Businesses. Cindy will work with local communities to create work hubs, turning derelict buildings into sustainable, connected workplaces, creating the infrastructure for employers to bring good paying jobs to our small towns.

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

Climate change is real, and we are feeling the devastating effects. It’s already affecting 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 will fight to protect our environment and invest in renewable energy.

Cindy is proud of her work on the Governor’s Agenda for Energy Efficiency and 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’ll work to bring clean energy jobs to Iowa including solar, wind, smart grid technology and battery storage. She’ll also promote investment in more efficient cars, appliances, buildings and industrial plants to cut energy use in half.

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.

We don’t have to wait for Washington to change the rules — we can change things right here by running a campaign consistent with Iowa values. Cindy isn’t taking money from corporate PACs because she wants Iowa voters to know that when she votes on legislation, she is putting their interests first, not a corporation’s bottom line. In Congress, Cindy will support the DISCLOSE Act, legislation that would require any organization that spends in U.S. election to disclose its donors.

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.

Women’s Reproductive Rights

Here in Iowa and around the country we have seen women’s rights attacked. Just last year alone, Iowa lost four planned parenthood facilities leaving over 14,000 women and men without primary care services. That’s unacceptable.  As a member of Congress, Cindy will fight to keep Washington politicians out of the Doctor’s office and out of the personal decisions between women and their doctors.  That’s why Cindy will ensure that Planned Parenthood funding continues, allowing women and men to continue to receive vital healthcare services.

Keeping our Promises and Protecting Social Security and Medicare

It’s been our commitment for the last seventy years, if you work hard and pay your taxes that 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 will stop Trump and Ryan, 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 will fight Republican efforts to privatize and defund these programs so our seniors and families can live their lives with dignity.

Veterans

Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District is home to over 40,000 veterans. These brave men and women put their lives on the line here and abroad to keep our country safe. But America is letting them down, not doing our duty to provide them with the health care, support, and job opportunities to succeed in civilian life. When Cindy’s in Congress, she will fight to reform and modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs so our veterans get the physical and mental health care they need, skills training and job opportunities, and making sure companies are hiring and rehiring veterans after they serve.

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 will fight for the Equality Act which will crack down on discrimination against LGBT Americans from employers, landlords, or anyone else. And she will defend hard-won LGBT rights that are under assault in Washington.