Blog Post

Abby Finkenaur vs Rod Blum

Ensuring Access to Health Care

Republican leaders in the U.S Congress tried to pass a bill called the American Health Care Act that would have removed protections from 1.3 million Iowans with pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies would have then been free to charge Iowans with pre-existing conditions more, putting 230,000 people at risk of losing their insurance. (HR 1628, 3/20/17; FamiliesUSA.org,)

Funding cuts made by our state’s Republican leadership to the Iowa Department of Human Services jeopardizes quality access to health care for working families. Iowa’s DHS administers our Medicaid and hawk-i programs which have provided health care access to 236,846 children this year alone. Abby Finkenauer voted against legislation that would have made cuts to DHS. She has committed to make access to quality, affordable health care a top priority in Congress, even for those with pre-existing conditions. (Des Moines Register, 7/9/17; ResultsIowa.org, accessed 8/23/18; VoteSmart.org, 1/1/18; Telegraph Herald, 5/7/17)

In Congress, Rod Blum voted for the American Health Care Act, which could have put health insurance out of reach for 24 million Americans who would have otherwise had access. The same bill would have also allowed insurers to deny or charge people with preexisting conditions more. It would have also cut $880 billion from Medicaid which provides health programs for the poor and disabled. (HR 1628, 5/4/17; NPR, 5/4/17)

More Pay For Families

While the cost of food, housing and gas has skyrocketed, our wages haven’t kept up. From 2016 to 2017, workers in the Cedar Rapids area only saw a mean wage increase of 1.2 percent, while inflation in our country hit a six-year high— increasing by 2.9 percent just over the last year. (BLS, OES Data, 5/17; The Washington Post; 7/12/18)

In the state Legislature, Abby Finkenauer consistently voted in favor of working families, protecting their ability to earn higher wages and to bargain collectively. She will be an advocate for investment in our underfunded infrastructure to support jobs and strengthen our family farms by ensuring that legislation such as the Farm Bill is based on policy designed to help farmers. (HF 295, 3/9/17; HF 291, 2/16/17; VoteSmart.org, 1/1/18)

Rod Blum opposed a rule that would have made 4.9 million working Americans eligible to earn more pay. This rule would have raised the overtime threshold of salaried workers, currently $23,660 set in 1975, to $47,365 so that workers making less than that amount could be eligible for more pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. (Letter to Secretary of Labor, 2/9/16; AFLCIO.org, 7/27/18)

Investing in Education

In 2016, working people in the Cedar Rapids area with a bachelor’s degree made almost $20,000 more than workers who have high-school degrees. Our state’s three public universities educate over 81,000 students, but tuition will rise again after state lawmakers cut $11 million to universities. The community college budget was also cut by half a million dollars. (US Census Bureau, ACS data, accessed 8/23/18, WQAD.com, 3/22/18)

The daughter of a 17-year Dubuque Community Schools employee and a product of Dubuque public schools, Abby Finkenauer knows that investing in education is vital to uplifting up working families. In the state Legislature, she voted against a budget that slashed public education and increased tuition for students. In Congress, she will advocate for expanding access to high-quality pre-K and investing in career and technical education programs. (IowaHouse.org, 8/24/18; SF 2117, 3/20/18; VoteSmart.org, 1/1/18)

In Congress, Rod Blum voted for a bill that makes it more difficult for our state, counties and school boards to raise money for our public schools. Our public colleges and universities could also see a ripple effect, and in the long run this could raise tuition costs. (HR 1, 12/20/17; The Washington Post, 12/18/17)

Your vote is a personal decision. Working America has done the research and found that Abby Finkenauer is the best choice for U.S. Congress, 1st District. Paid for by Working America, 815 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006 and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. IACR-100-18