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.
Republican Reps. Steve King and Tom Latham outpaced their Democratic counterparts in the U.S. House in securing earmarks in the 2009 omnibus spending bill, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.
The nonpartisan watchdog organization reports that Latham personally secured 10 earmarks in the bill, totaling $3.7 million, ranking 100th in the U.S. House. The Ames Republican, who serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, secured 43 earmarks with other members of Congress; totaling $24.5 million, bringing him up to 92nd in the House.
King is solely responsible for two earmarks, totaling $807,500, but when earmarks he secured with other members of Congress are factored in, the Kiron Republican’s total jumps to 14 earmarks valued at nearly $33 million. That total ranks 58th in the U.S. House.
Below is the rank of each of Iowa’s members of Congress based on individual earmarks secured and those secured as part of a group:
Individual
100. Tom Latham (R) — 10 earmarks totaling $3.7 million
205. Leonard Boswell (D) – 6 earmarks totaling $2 million
231. Dave Loebsack (D) – 7 earmarks totaling $1.75 million
326. Steve King (R) – 2 earmarks totaling $807,500
357. Bruce Braley (D) – 1 earmark totaling $475,000Group
58. Steve King (R) – 14 earmarks totaling $32.6 million
92. Tom Latham (R) – 43 earmarks totaling $24.5 million
109. Leonard Boswell (D) – 25 earmarks totaling $21.8 million
134. Bruce Braley (D) – 18 earmarks totaling $19 million
172. Dave Loebsack (D) – 19 earmarks totaling $14.7 million
In the U.S. Senate, Iowa’s Tom Harkin ranked eighth in total earmarks for which he was solely responsible, at nearly $67 million.
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