Washington, DC (RI) — Iowa US Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says she advised her fellow Republicans to support the Senate-passed budget and tax plan — and resolve spending differences later.
Some House Republicans had said they wouldn’t vote for it because it didn’t do enough to reduce the deficit — but it narrowly cleared the House late Thursday morning.
Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Congressmen Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra also voted yes. The plan includes a more than half-a-trillion-dollar increase in spending on GOP priorities like border enforcement and the military. Senate Republicans approved their plan last weekend, and President Trump has been urging House Republicans to pass the Senate plan this week.
The tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017 are set to expire on December 31st — unless Congress votes to extend them. The Senate resolution on taxes and spending requires the House Ag Committee to pare 230 billion dollars from the USDA. Hinson says that can be accomplished with the elimination of duplicative programs and waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as eligibility adjustments for federal food assistance.
An analysis by the Legislative Services Agency found that about 12 percent of Iowans receiving SNAP payments would lose the benefit if a work requirement is added for adults under the age of 65.
According to the latest USDA report, about 130 thousand Iowa households were receiving SNAP benefits in December of last year.
KIWA Staff Photo
