Rep. Feenstra's amendment to relief bill axed as bill passes US House
WASHINGTON —
Early Saturday morning, the U.S. House passed a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill 219-212 allowing it to progress to the Senate.
Democrat Rep. Cindy Axne voted in favor of the bill while Republican Representatives Ashley Hinson, Randy Feenstra, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted against it.
The bill includes $1,400 payments to Americans that qualify, billions of dollars for COVID-19 vaccines and testing, and financial assistance for schools and businesses.
One of the most controversial parts of the bill includes a minimum wage increase. The wage increase will be one of the main debates in the Senate.
While in the House, Feenstra proposed an amendment to the bill that would include $4 billion for derecho victims, which was removed by Speaker Dancy Pelosi.
On Friday evening, Feenstra took to Twitter to voice his frustration.
"I'm extremely disappointed that House Democrats have voted to turn their backs on (Iowa) farmers by voting to ax derecho relief," Feenstra wrote. Read his full remarks here.
Miller-Meeks released the following statement Saturday, "I am disappointed that all Republican amendments, including Rep. Feenstra’s bipartisan derecho disaster relief amendment, were blocked from this $1.9 trillion bill. With almost $1 trillion of previous bipartisan funding packages remaining unspent and now over a trillion in new funds only tangentially related to the COVID pandemic; it is unacceptable that less than 1/2 of 1% of the total funds in this bill will go to fund local and state public health workers. Additionally, roughly 9% of the funds are going to vaccines, testing and contact tracing, which is simply not enough."
“Nearly one year since our first COVID-19 cases came to Iowa, this virus is still hanging over our communities and families. Tens of thousands of Iowans are out of work, and many more are fighting to make ends meet, protect their parents and children, and keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables,” said Axne said in a statement Friday. “I’m proud to vote for this comprehensive legislation, and urge my Senate colleagues to approve it quickly to ensure benefits are distributed without delay.”