I’m proud that the vote I took to pass the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law one year ago on March 11, has put Iowa on solid fiscal footing and funded key projects that will benefit all of Iowa’s communities.
The landmark legislation helped lift millions of children and families out of poverty, brought the U.S. economy back with the fastest year of job growth ever and made us the only major Western country with a larger economy than pre-pandemic.
Last year 371,000 Iowa families received the monthly Child Tax Credit, and another 181,000 Iowa workers received in the Earned Income Tax Credit.
In addition, this year Iowa families with incomes below $125,000 will get back up to half of what they spent on childcare in 2021, saving families with two or more young children $8,000.
That is only the beginning.
Iowa’s two-year and four-year colleges and universities received $373 million from the American Rescue Plan, one of the largest one-time investments in Iowa’s colleges ever. Half of that funding will go directly toward providing financial relief to students.
More than $200 million has gone to Iowa childcare centers that lost income due to the pandemic. Nearly a quarter of Iowans live in a childcare desert – where childcare options are scarce – and this shortage costs Iowa’s economy $935 million each year.
The American Rescue Plan also provided the state $100 million for much needed water infrastructure projects across Iowa. These projects include removing old pipes that contaminate our drinking water with lead, reducing flood risk and nutrient runoff and improving drought resiliency.
And $200 million has been provided to 39 communication companies across the state to provide broadband to some of the most rural parts of Iowa.
Something I often hear from Iowans concerns the lack of affordable housing options. The American Rescue Plan made a $100 million investment in housing to help ensure the state can keep up with the demand and help families keep a roof over their head with rental assistance.
There are some things that were included in the American Rescue Plan that worked so well that I’m fighting to make them permanent – like the child tax credit and ensuring telehealth visits will continue to be covered by insurance providers.
The Child Tax Credit put money back in Iowans’ pockets, lifted hundreds of Iowa families out of poverty and helped working families make ends meet.
Telehealth visits continue to be a great way for anyone who has trouble getting around or who lives far from their doctor to be able to attend medical appointments regularly.
We’ve seen how much the Child Tax Credit and these telehealth visits have helped Iowans, and I’d like to see them continue.
While supply chain issues continue to persist, we’ve come a long way in only one year.
In March 2021, we were only hoping we would have enough vaccines made by summer so we could spend time with our family and friends without having to worry whether we were spreading disease. Now vaccines are widely available, and more than two-thirds of Iowa adults are vaccinated.
I have spent the last year traveling Iowa’s Third District and talking to farmers, ethanol producers, small business owners, daycare providers, teachers, parents, first responders, health care experts and so many others who have shared stories with me of resilience and determination as we bounced back from 2020.
None of this has been easy, but I’m so proud of everyone who managed to help support their families, friends and community members, who kept their businesses running, went to work or learned how to work virtually and who decided what was best for their kids all while navigating a stressful, scary and sad time.
Rep. Cindy Axne of West Des Moines represents Iowa’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She can be reached at 202-225-5476.
