To:Reporters and Editors From:Joe Hand on behalf of Congressman Dave Loebsack Re: ICYMI: Loebsack Disaster Push Highlights Important Farm Bill Issues Date: July 25, 2012 “The clamor for disaster aid became clear Monday when Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, announced that he had led ’the entire Iowa delegation in introducing legislation to extend agriculture disaster programs that were created in the last farm bill through 2012.’” –Jerry Hagstrom, The Hagstrom Report (July, 25 2012) After seeing first... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack today led the entire Iowa delegation in introducing legislation to extend agriculture disaster programs that were created in the last farm bill through 2012. The Loebsack authored Agriculture Disaster Assistance Act will help farmers and livestock producers with drought losses beyond insurance until a new farm bill is signed into law. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) has introduced similar legislation in the Senate. “I have seen firsthand the damage this drought has already ca... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack is visiting four farms in Appanoose, Davis, Lee and Wayne counties today to see firsthand the impact the recent drought has had on crops and livestock. Loebsack is touring the farms with local FSA officials to meet with farmers, community members and representatives from the Farm Bureau. During the tour, Loebsack also announced that he will introduce legislation on Monday to extend agriculture disaster programs created by the previous farm bill through 2012. The Agricul... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the House passed the FY 2013 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which blocks cuts to the 132nd Fighter Wing and Air National Guard units across the country for one year and requires a Government Accountability Office cost-benefit analysis of the Air Force’s proposal. This action builds on Loebsack’s bipartisan amendment in the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prevent cuts to the ... Read more

In a letter to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Congressman Dave Loebsack, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Congressman Bruce Braley today urged the Administration to reconsider its proposed closure of the Clinton field office. In late June, the SSA informed members of Congress and officials in Clinton of their plans to close the field office this September. This office currently serves the 49,000 residents of Clinton County, including over 10,000 current Social Securi... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack today applauded the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for issuing an agriculture disaster designation for the entire state of Missouri. The designation also includes 10 Iowa counties along the border. “Iowans who have lost livestock, have seen the quality of their crop decline, and are seeing grazing land dry up are in need of this assistance. I applaud the USDA for their decision and stand ready to assist the farmers and rural areas who have been greatly i... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack today discussed the importance of ensuring the 132nd Fighter Wing remains based in Des Moines with Gov. Terry Branstad. The Governor testified before the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing that focused on the Air Force’s proposed reductions. As the only Member of Congress from Iowa on the House Armed Services Committee, earlier this year, Loebsack successfully included a bipartisan amendment in the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to pr... Read more

Congressmen Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Bobby Schilling (IL-17) today introduced a bipartisan Resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize the 150th Anniversary of the Rock Island Arsenal and its ongoing contributions to our nation’s security and the Quad Cities economy. On July 11, 1862, President Lincoln signed into law legislation that established the Arsenal. Over the years, the workforce of the Rock Island Arsenal has equipped our men and women in uniform, and the Arsenal has long ... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack today announced that Goodwill Industries of the Heartland based in Iowa City will receive $200,000 to provide job training for homeless veterans. This funding comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). The grant will be used to serve homeless veterans in Scott, Clinton and Muscatine Counties in Iowa and Rock Island, Whiteside, and Henry Counties in Illinois. “We h... Read more

Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement marking the fourth anniversary of the Floods of 2008. “Today, as we look back four years when the largest natural disaster in our great state’s history hit Eastern Iowa, it isn’t the destruction and devastation we remember. Instead we recall the thousands of volunteers who showed up to help fill sand bags and dig out homes and small businesses. We remember the hero’s work of the emergency personnel who responded and ensured no lives were... Read more