Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after reports surfaced that said President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have halted work on drafting a deal with the biofuels industry. “Once again, President Trump and the EPA have sided with Big Oil at the expense of America’s farmers, who are already hurting from this administration’s actions to sabotage the RFS by issuing an excessive number of Small Refinery Exemptions. If true, this report is a slap in ... Read more

Today, Representatives Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Bob Latta (OH-05) introduced bipartisan legislation that would improve the accuracy of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband availability maps. The “Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act (HR 4229)’’ will improve the accuracy of FCC broadband data maps by changing the way broadband data is collected. The legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Billy Long (MO-07) and Donald McEachin (VA-04). Legislatio... Read more

Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack released a statement following reports in the media that President Trump has ordered the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other Cabinet members to review the excessive use of the Small Refinery Exemption program (SRE). Earlier this year, Loebsack, co-chair of the House Biofuels Caucus, called on the EPA to suspend issuing SREs until a review of the program had been completed. Since this administration began using SREs to help prop up... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack today introduced legislation to bring high-speed broadband internet service to more than 98 percent of the country. The “Connect America Act” would authorize a reverse auction by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help fund the deployment of high-speed internet to the largest portion of Americans at the lowest cost. This bill is also included in the LIFT America Act, which is the comprehensive infrastructure plan that was introduced in the House Energy and C... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that he has reintroduced legislation to establish a National Flood Center to conduct research on flooding, flood prevention and other flood-related issues. The National Flood Research and Education Center Act (NFRECA) will establish a consortium within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that includes institutes of higher education in order to advance the understanding of the causes of flooding, implement advanced flood prediction ... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the EPA released new rules that will allow for the year-round sale of gasoline mixed with E-15. “I am pleased that E-15 will now be available to consumers year-round. It is unfortunate that it has taken this long, but this rule will finally remove this unnecessary barrier to expanding the use of renewable fuels in time for this summer driving season. Allowing the sale of E-15 during the summer months will give consumers a low... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after President Trump announced his intentions to place tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico. “President Trump’s tariff tax is bad news for Iowans, especially our farmers, and amounts to nothing more than an unnecessary tax increase on hardworking families. This administration cannot continue with these haphazard, generalized threats of across the board tariffs. The previous tariffs against China and Mexico have already caused... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement in response to media reports that the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) apparently lied to Congress about their justification for the sharp increase in the number of small refinery waivers approved for oil refiners, including refineries owned by large oil companies, such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron Corp. It is reported that the EPA loosened its approval standards in order to make it easier for large oil companie... Read more

Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) introduced the bipartisan Protecting Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment (HOME) Access Act of 2019. This legislation would preserve access to durable medical equipment (DME), especially in rural communities, by addressing severe cuts to reimbursement rates. Specifically, this legislation delays the July, 2016 cuts to DME payments in rural areas, which slashed Medicare reimbursement rates by m... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that he has been named to serve as a member of the new House Task Force on Rural Broadband, which will be chaired by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. The Task Force seeks to provide coordination and leadership to end the rural-digital divide and will work to advance solutions to ensure all Americans have access to high-speed internet by 2025. “The future of economic development in Iowa and ... Read more