Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
After voting against an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), known as HAWK-i in Iowa, Fifth District Rep. Steve King (R-Kiron) called the bill “misguided” and said it overlooked needy children.
“Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi used budget gimmicks and debate suppression to ram a bill through the House that gives illegal immigrants and wealthy families taxpayer-funded handouts,” he said. “Taxpayer dollars designated for children’s health care welfare should go to children in need, not illegal aliens or families with high income levels.”
The bill, which passed the U.S. House 289-139, split Iowa’s delegation down party lines, with Democrats Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell supporting it and Republicans King and Tom Latham opposing it.
The bill calls for spending $32 billion over the next 4 years to, among other things, insure 4 million children whose families currently earn too much income to qualify for Medicaid. The cost would be covered by increasing cigarette taxes by 61 cents.
“No child in Iowa or anywhere throughout our nation should ever go without medical care,” Boswell said. “When unemployment increases, so does the number of Americans without health insurance.”
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