Every Iowa family knows what it means to make a dollar count. Growing up around my family’s century farm, I learned that waste wasn’t an option. If you invested a dollar, you expected more than a dollar back.
That’s exactly how your tax dollars should work.
The numbers tell the story: For every federal dollar we’ve secured through Community Project Funding, Iowa communities can expect up to four dollars back in economic activity.
Why it matters: Those investments don’t disappear into Washington bureaucracy. They come back to Iowa — rebuilding safer roads, training the next generation of skilled workers, expanding child care, and strengthening the communities families call home. That’s how I measure success: not by how much Washington spends, but by what Iowa gets back. ⬇️
This year’s investments (so far!):
🛣️ $3.5M to rebuild roads and strengthen farm-to-market freight routes in Guthrie, Ringgold, and Dallas Counties
🎓 $2.9M to prepare the next generation of Iowa workers with new academic and skilled-trades facilities at DMACC and Iowa Western
👨👩👧👦 $1.5M to expand youth education, recreation, and recovery services in Ottumwa and central Iowa
🏘️ $2.5M to build a child development center serving 300 kids while supporting small businesses in Atlantic
🏛️ $412.5K to expand educational programming at Iowa’s iconic American Gothic House
The big picture: Since 2024, we’ve secured nearly $60 million through Community Project Funding alone. Combined with major federal grants — from the DSM International Airport expansion to statewide water quality improvements — that’s more than $190 million invested in projects right here in our backyard. These aren’t new taxes. They’re dollars Iowans already sent to Washington, brought back home to invest in Iowa priorities instead of someone else’s.
Bottom Line: The best ideas start with hardworking Iowans, not Washington. With more funding announcements on the way this year, I’ll keep fighting to make every taxpayer dollar work harder for Iowa.