Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today called on the leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to improve on the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that recently passed the Senate and to quickly move legislation forward.  Loebsack called for the House Committee to ensure the aging infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi River is adequately addressed.  A copy of the letter can be found here.

"While I am encouraged by the Senate's actions, I am concerned that the legislation does not adequately address the crippling navigation infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi River," wrote Congressman Dave Loebsack.  "Having seen the locks and dams on the Mississippi first-hand, received updates from the Army Corps of Engineers, and met with community stakeholders, I am deeply concerned. It is clear the locks and dams are deteriorating, causing increased maintenance costs for the Army Corps of Engineers and threatening economic impacts to the region."

"As your Committee considers a Water Resources Development bill, I hope a full view of our critical water resources needs is taken, and the link between the Mississippi River and the strong economic growth in the Upper Mississippi region is recognized and addressed."

Last month, Loebsack joined Congresswoman Bustos and Congressman Braley for a tour of the locks and dams on the Mississippi River to see firsthand the aging infrastructure.  Loebsack has been a strong advocate of updating river infrastructure and is also a cosponsor of multiple pieces of legislation including the Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act, the Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act and the Mississippi River Navigation Sustainment Act.  He also authored a letter with Congressman Aaron Schock (IL-18) calling on the President to include funding in the FY14 budget for the Army Corps of Engineers' Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program addressing waterway improvements.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the Department of Defense announced that most of its civilian employees, including Rock Island Arsenal employees, will be furloughed for 11 days due to budget cuts under sequestration and other budgetary factors.  Loebsack has been opposed to these drastic cuts since they were created by the Budget Control Act, which he voted against.  He has repeatedly called on Congressional leaders to work to find a balanced, commonsense way to replace sequestration and responsibly deal with the fiscal situation facing the nation.  He also called on Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to avoid furloughs and raised his strong concern about the effect of furloughs on national security and civilian personnel with Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno.

"The men and women working at Rock Island Arsenal stand up for our country and support our troops day after day.  It is unconscionable that they and their families will be forced to take a pay cut because Congress and the Administration can't work together to replace the arbitrary cuts caused by sequestration.  Forcing middle class families and the Quad Cities economy to pay for Washington's dysfunction is reprehensible.

"Sequestration is an irresponsible and illogical way to deal with our nation's fiscal challenges.  I have repeatedly called on Congress to come back to the table and replace sequestration in a commonsense, balanced fashion.  Doing so would address our economic needs while more substantially reducing the deficit over the long-term.

"It makes no sense to me that the only people that are not feeling any pain from sequester are members of Congress themselves. It is time for Congress to step up and pass legislation that I introduced that would reduce Members of Congress' pay by 10 percent. The last time Congress saw a pay cut was in 1933 - eight decades ago.  Passing this bill would show Congress is serious about restoring fiscal discipline and putting some skin in the game."

Loebsack has consistently called for Members of Congress to have a personal stake in our nation's recovery.  In addition to authoring the CHIP IN and Cut Congressional Pay Act, he has previously cosponsored legislation that would tie the eligibility for Members of Congress to draw their pension benefits to their Social Security retirement age.  He has also voted multiple times to cut Congressional office budgets.

by Congressman Bruce Braley, D-IA

The Mississippi River connects Iowa communities, businesses, and farmland to the world.  A series of 27 locks and dams managed by the Army Corps of Engineers along the river - 11 of them in Iowa - make the Mississippi navigable to barges that use the river every day to transport items as varied as corn and coal to market. The river is vital to Iowa's agriculture economy; in fact, 92 percent of all US agriculture exports travel down the Mississippi River.

Sadly, for years, Congress has neglected the needs of these locks and dams, leaving the Army Corps of Engineers overwhelmed and years behind schedule on updates. The Army Corps of Engineers currently estimates that they're facing a $60 billion backlog of outstanding construction projects in their lock and dam system. It's important to Iowa's economy that we find a way to fix our locks and dams, and do it fast.

Last month, I traveled down the Mississippi River from the Minnesota border to Missouri to see our locks and dams firsthand, and talk to local officials about the critical upgrades the system needs. I was joined by Reps. Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Cheri Bustos (IL-17), who also represent counties that border the Mississippi River.

Based on what I saw, it's clear Congress must work together to find creative ways to more quickly get the upgrades to the locks and dams that are so desperately needed.

That's why I've signed on to a bipartisan bill called Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act (WIN P3). The bill would create public-private partnerships between the Army Corps of Engineers and private companies to help finance critical lock and dam improvements.

Creating these partnerships will help the Mississippi River locks and dams get the upgrades they need, creating jobs and encouraging economic growth. Our proposal is a creative way to fund lock and dam modernization and one that will speed up badly-needed improvements.

The Mississippi River is incredibly important to Iowa and exploring public-private partnerships to fund improvements is an alternative worth pursuing that won't add to the national debt.  We must continue to work so the river continues to be an economic force that Iowans can rely on for years to come.