19
Sep
2017
REYNOLDS RECORD: Governor Reynolds Tells Cash-Strapped Iowa Towns to Clean Up Her Budget Mess
As Iowa grapples with the Reynolds Budget Crisis, Governor Reynolds tells towns and schools they’re on their own to tighten their belts and solve her shortfall
Des Moines, IA – In her press conference today, Governor Reynolds callously told cash-strapped local towns and schools across Iowa that they’re on the hook to clean up her budgetary mess.
When asked about the Reynolds Budget Crisis’ impact on Iowa towns and schools who stand to lose millions of promised dollars needed to fund local services, Reynolds told these municipalities and school districts to tighten their own belts by slashing services.
Instead of taking responsibility for the devastating budgetary impact of her giveaway to special interests, Governor Reynolds said that Iowa towns need to “look for efficiencies in providing services. We’ve done that at the state level, so it’s incumbent upon them to do the same thing.”
Towns across the state have made clear that they will either have to cut services or raise taxes to pay for the shortfall caused by the Reynolds Budget Crisis.
Similarly, when schools lost a good deal of the funding they were promised earlier this year due to the Reynolds Budget Crisis, Governor Reynolds told them that they were “very fortunate” to receive the money they did, and did not rule out further cuts.
“Once again, Governor Reynolds is sticking by special interests and telling Iowans to foot the bill,” said Iowa Democratic Party Executive Director Kevin Geiken. “It’s her job as governor to manage the budget so that the State doesn’t bankrupt our cities and schools; it’s her job to bring solutions to the table. Instead, Reynolds tells the people of Iowa that we need to slash the local schools and services we depend on while she doles out big special interest tax giveaways.”
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REYNOLDS RECORD: Governor Reynolds Supports Bill That Would Decimate Health Care in Iowa In Exclusive Statement to Breitbart, Reynolds Comes Out In Favor Of Disastrous Graham-Cassidy Block Grant Health Care Bill. Graham-Cassidy Would Strip $2.3 Billion in Funding from Iowa by 2027.
Des Moines, IA – In an exclusive statement to the far-right news organization Breitbart, Governor Kim Reynolds came out in support of the most recent attempt to repeal Obamacare in the Senate.
If passed, the Graham-Cassidy plan would:
- Cut funding in Iowa by $2.3 billion by 2027, leaving more Iowa families struggling to find affordable high quality health care coverage.
- Make it more difficult for low- and middle-income families to obtain coverage by eliminating the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and marketplace subsidies – and ending Medicaid as we know it.
- Gut funding for millions of families with children, people with disabilities, and seniors by 2020.
This, while several other Republican Governors have come out in opposition to the bill, including Governor John Kasich, Governor Charlie Baker, and Governor Chris Sununu.
Reynolds has dodged questions on all previous health care bills, but chose to weigh in on this iteration, with no explanation for what was different about this bill or why she chose this national outlet.
In July 2017, Reynolds Said, “I’m Still Optimistic that at Some Point They Will Be Able to Get Something Done, Because They Have To.” According to the Des Moines Register, “‘I’m still optimistic that at some point they will be able to get something done, because they have to,’ she said. ‘Obamacare is unsustainable, unworkable, unaffordable. It’s collapsing. Iowa is an example of that.’” [Des Moines Register, 7/18/17]
- Reynolds: “You All Are Constantly Asking Me to Weigh in on Whatever the Proposal of the Day is, and it Fluctuates Even Within a Day.” According to the Des Moines Register, “She declined to discuss specifics of the efforts in Congress to repeal Obamacare. ‘You all are constantly asking me to weigh in on whatever the proposal of the day is, and it fluctuates even within a day,’ she told reporters. She said she’s in contact with Iowa’s congressional delegation to talk about how their efforts would affect the state.” [Des Moines Register, 7/18/17]
In July 2017, Kim Reynolds Said She Wants Congress to “Get Something Done” on Repealing and Replacing the Affordable Care Act. According to the Associated Press, “Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she wants Congress ‘to get something done’ on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, but she declined to offer specifics. The Republican governor told reporters Monday that lawmakers need to approve a "long-term solution" for replacing the health care law. She didn't answer questions about alternatives she supports or whether she backs any GOP-led health care bills moving through Congress, noting that details are still being sorted out.” [Associated Press, 7/10/17]
- Kim Reynolds Weekly Press Conference, July 10, 2017.
[00:16:36] REYNOLDS My support is for them to get something done. That's where I'm at. Obamacare is unaffordable, unworkable, unsustainable. It is collapsing. Iowa is a great example of that. We've seen the health care cost go up, premiums go up 110 percent over the last five years. Because of those high costs we're seeing healthy Iowans move out of the individual market. So, we're focused on putting together a stop gap proposal. I've said all long that is a short term proposal. We still need Washington DC to put in place long term solution. But I'm working every day that we at least have an option for 72,000 Iowans come January 1 of 2018. So that they have an option to health insurance. That's what I'm focused on. And I want them to just get something done. So whatever that looks like that they can move the process forward and then go to a conference committee or whatever that looks like. And they're working on it. So there's a lot of different, you know, initiatives that they're taking a look at, and things that they're trying to manage, and so I'm hoping that they can get something done. [Kim Reynolds Weekly Press Conference, YouTube, 7/10/17]
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