Iowa Senator Janet Petersen (D-Des Moines) has issued the following statement on the Reynolds Administration’s repeated failure to apply for federal funding opportunities to support Iowa’s children.
“This summer, Gov. Reynolds and her administration failed to apply for a series of federal funding opportunities that could have provided up to $67 million dollars to support Iowa’s children,” Sen. Petersen said. “Iowans deserve answers on why she did not allow the State of Iowa to apply for federal funds to improve maternal health care, expand early childhood education, and help families participate in the USDA’s summer food program.”
This summer’s missed deadlines include:
- $17 million for a federal CMS grant for Transforming Maternal Health Care
- This cooperative agreement grant seeks to improve state maternal and infant health outcomes by providing funding for state Medicaid agencies to increase workforce availability, increase provider care quality, and help ensure wraparound services are available for pregnancy/postpartum care needs.
- $21 million for an HHS Preschool Development Block Grant
- This grant awards funds to strengthen existing early childhood education programs and increase access to high-quality early childhood care and education from birth through kindergarten.
- $29 million for USDA’s SUN Bucks program
- This funding opportunity would have provided an additional $120 per child to eligible families for groceries during the summer months of 2025.
- The administration’s alternative proposal eliminating direct support for families was criticized by the USDA, jeopardizing the chances that Iowa families receive assistance next summer.
“It’s infuriating,” Sen. Petersen said. “Iowa’s maternal mortality and infant mortality rates are on the rise, Iowa’s public education funding is falling behind other states, and one in six Iowa children are facing hunger. How can the governor defend her administration’s repeated failure to apply for federal funding designed to support our kids?”
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