Rep. Axne Invites DHS and USDA Secretaries to Tour Flood Damage in SW Iowa

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Cynthia Axne, D-Iowa, issued the following news release:

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- Axne will revisit flood-impacted communities on April 6th

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Today, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) invited the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to accompany her on an April 6th tour of the flood damage in Southwest Iowa. As the Secretaries of two vital agencies that handle disaster recovery, Rep. Axne requested they survey the damage in order to fully understand the scope of federal assistance needed to rebuild these rural communities.

"Earlier this week, I requested additional federal disaster relief funding to ensure the recovery programs have the resources they need to ensure public safety and rapid recovery in Iowa. I believe it is imperative to tour the damage to fully understand the federal assistance required to help rebuild our impacted rural communities," Axne wrote to the Secretaries.

On Tuesday, Rep. Axne sent a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting additional disaster relief funding following the recent flooding that devastated Iowa. This increase in funding will guarantee that disaster relief programs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Small Business Administration (SBA), and other agencies are sufficiently funded to cover widespread, catastrophic damage.

"We cannot afford to let our Iowa families deal with a complex bureaucratic process or linger for months with unanswered insurance claims. I believe the first step in helping Iowans is understanding what we are up against. Please join me on April 6th for a tour of these impacted areas," Axne added.

The full text of the letter sent to Secretary Nielson is available here (https://www.scribd.com/document/403517579/3282019-Tour-Invite-to-Nielsen). The full text of the letter sent to Secretary Perdue is available here (https://www.scribd.com/document/403517611/3282019-Tour-Invite-to-Perdue).