King's Agenda Revealed: "Iowa First, America First, Life First"
Statement
Congressman Steve King is releasing the following statement after submitting 70 different appropriation requests to the House Committees that will determine how federal dollars are spent in Fiscal Year 2019. King's requests include programs that are of vital importance to Iowa and the nation, as well as requests for specific legislative language that promotes the sanctity of human life. An analysis of King's appropriations requests is very revealing: it shows a Congressman uniquely dedicated to successfully pursuing an agenda that can be described as "Iowa First, America First, Life First."
"Few things reveal priorities as clearly as a review of the appropriations requests a Member of Congress seeks," said King. "When my requests for FY 2019 were analyzed, they revealed three overarching themes: my initiatives are consistently pro-Iowa, pro-America, and pro-Life. I wear these labels gladly, and I am confident that my constituents in the 4th District will appreciate and benefit from a Congressional agenda that puts "Iowa First, America First, and Life First'."
To illustrate the findings of the analysis, King is providing a representative sample containing 15 of the 70 requests he has submitted to Congressional appropriators this year. Importantly, King's requests fall within the budget allocations passed by the House of Representatives with King's support earlier this year. The identified appropriation requests neatly fall into "Iowa First," "America First," and "Life First" categories.
"Iowa First" Appropriation Requests:
King has requested the following items for "Iowa First" programs that have repeatedly demonstrated their importance to Iowans:
Agriculture-
King is requesting $1,269,800,000 be provided to the Agriculture Research Service;
King is asking for $418,129,000 for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a key initiative supporting universities with agriculture programs, such as Iowa State University;
King is requesting continued funding for Rural Utilities Service Electric Loans, a program which helps keeps co-op consumers' electric bills affordable;
King is seeking $291,138,000 for Hatch Act funding, which is used by land grant universities like Iowa State to research biofuels, food security, and nutrition.
Energy/Water-
King is requesting an additional $31,000,000 for ongoing work on Bureau of Reclamation rural water projects dating to FY 2015, and $47,000,000 for projects dating to FY 2016;
King is seeking $403,000,000 to upgrade locks and dams (waterways are vital to Iowa's trade) administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
King is asking for $3,150,000,000 for the Operations and Maintenance of existing locks and dams on America's waterway system;
King is requesting $90,000,000 for the Department of Energy's Wind Energy Program. More than one-third of all energy produced in Iowa is generated by the wind.
Labor/HHS-
King is requesting continued support for the Rural Community Facilities Technical Assistance program (RCAP) which improves access to water and adequate waste disposal systems to small towns and rural communities in rural America.
Commerce, Justice, Science-
King is seeking $142,000,000 for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
"America First" Appropriation Requests:
Congressman King has also taken a number of steps to advance an "America First" agenda through appropriations:
Homeland Security-
King is leading efforts to secure $18 billion requested by President Trump to "BUILD THE WALL!" on the US-Mexico border.
Commerce, Justice, Science-
King is requesting legislative language that prevents federal funds from going to lawless Sanctuary Cities that defy federal immigration law.
"Life First" Appropriations Requests:
Labor/HHS-
King is seeking to defund the abortion industry by including language which would prevent any federal funds from being spent for research on fetal tissue obtained through an induced abortion.
State/Foreign Operations-
King is seeking to add the "Mexico City Policy" to prevent funding from going to any foreign non-governmental organization that promotes or perform abortions.
Financial Services-
King is working to prevent the spread of physician assisted suicide laws by asking for the repeal of the District of Colombia's recently enacted "Death with Dignity Act of 2016."
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