D.C. Dispatch: Support for Israel, rural access to health care • Iowa Capital Dispatch

Iowa’s congressional delegation focused on Israel and Palestine this past week while also discussing multiple rural health care initiatives and pregnancy.gov, a website with resources for new mothers.

Here’s a look at what the delegation was up to this week:

Israel weapon supply

Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, as well as Rep. Ashley Hinson, weighed in on President Joe Biden’s decision not to supply weapons to Israel if it goes into Rafah, a Hamas stronghold in Gaza.

“There should be no wavering in U.S. support for Israel as they defend their right to exist and fight to bring Hamas-held hostages home,” Ernst said in a news release. “As he plays politics with these lives and abandons American civilians to Iran-backed terrorists, the Biden administration fails to admit the munitions he is denying are the precision tools needed to prevent civilian casualties.”

Grassley criticized Biden, saying he should learn from lessons of the past.

“Biden swore Israel would not be alone in this fight,” Grassley said in a news release. “Now, he’s making a politically-oriented decision to turn his back on our greatest ally in the Middle East.”

Biden spoke about civilians who have been killed by bombs in Gaza and that Israel must do more to protect civilians in Gaza in an interview with CNN.

“President Biden halting shipments of lethal military aid to Israel is nothing short of a gift to Hamas terrorists,” Hinson said in a news release. “Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas, and Congress voted overwhelmingly to send Israel the lethal military aid necessary to do so. Hamas is responsible for every single civilian casualty in Gaza.”

Grassley also said that all deaths since Oct. 7 are at the hands of Hamas.

Earlier in the week, Ernst wrote a letter to Biden asking for more information on weapons reportedly withheld from Israel.

U.S.–Israel health care collaboration

“Close coordination” between the U.S. and Israel is the target of a new Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks bill that attempts to address innovation and health care advancement.

The Maximizing Israel-U.S. Research Advancement and Collaborative Leadership in Emerging Medical Technology Act would promote exchange programs and training, increase disease prevention initiatives, increase technology safety, support innovation hubs for new and emerging health technologies and promote research and development between the two countries.

“At a time when Israel is under attack, it is critical that potential medical breakthroughs are not stifled,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release, adding that Israel is an “innovation and technological powerhouse.”

Jewish Heritage Month resolution

Each May since 2006 Congress and the president have approved the recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month through a resolution.

On Wednesday, Miller-Meeks introduced the 2024 resolution, which encourages “all Americans to learn more about Jewish culture and pay tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped shape American history,” according to Miller-Meeks’ office.

“Our important effort comes at a time when antisemitism continues to rear its ugly head across the country,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release. “The purveyors of antisemitism must be stopped. I will continue to push for efforts to counter antisemitism and stand with our Jewish friends and neighbors.”

Defunding higher education for violent protests

The No Higher Education Assistance for Mobs of Antisemitic and terrorist Sympathizing Students (No HAMAS) Act was introduced by Ernst and Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina.

The bill would affect funding at universities where students are convicted of trespassing, rioting or damaging property while protesting. Students would also lose eligibility for government aid.

“Violence against Jewish students is not a First Amendment right, and every American should oppose these pro-Hamas protests,” Ernst said in a news release.

The bill comes after pro-Palestine protests and encampments being staged on college campuses across the country.

Bird flu collaboration

Grassley, Ernst and a bipartisan group of 15 other senators called on Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Tom Vilsack to provide coordinated, up-to-date information on Avian Influenza.

The lawmakers wrote a letter specifically concerned about commercial milk and meat production as well as the health of the producers in those industries.

“The spread of the strain to livestock, including goats and cattle, and a farmworker in Texas, underscores the urgency required to confront this outbreak through a collaborative federal response, heightened surveillance, and additional resources to support vaccine research,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers asked the USDA to coordinate its approach with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, researchers and state and local partners.

“Previous outbreaks have benefited from a consortium strategy wherein the USDA brought together the brightest minds in epidemiology and animal health research to lessen the potential economic and societal cost of the spread,” the lawmakers wrote. “We ask that the USDA take a similar approach.”

Maternal health bill

Grassley and other Republican senators introduced a bill supported by various pro-life organizations.

The bill, the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed Act, would establish Pregnancy.gov, a website highlighting resources available for mothers and would improve access for grant programs for organizations assisting women in carrying pregnancies to term and caring for children after birth.

“New and expectant mothers should have ready access to health care resources,” Grassley said in a news release. “Often, even when the appropriate support exists, it can be difficult to find or get to – especially for women living in rural areas.”

The bill would also require states to apply child support obligations during pregnancy, according to Grassley’s office.

Two bills for hospital accessibility for rural seniors

A bill to fund renovations, training equipment and more for rural hospitals passed the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill, the Rural Hospital Stabilization Act introduced by Rep. Randy Feenstra, would authorize a pilot program that would fund hospitals, especially ones with smaller patient capacity and at risk of closure.

A second Feenstra-led bill, the Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act, would make permanent Medicare coverage of audio-only telehealth services. A temporary waiver funding audio-only services will expire in December.

“Protecting access to affordable, reliable healthcare in rural Iowa is a top priority for me in Congress,” Feenstra said in a news release. “It’s why I’m glad that two bills that I introduced to support our rural communities passed the House Ways and Means Committee.”

Veteran suicide prevention 

A bill introduced by Rep. Zach Nunn attempts to address the issue of combat veterans who die by suicide passed the House having been approved by the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity last November.

The bill would increase mental health education for veterans and would include provisions to the Transition Assistance Program to combat mental health-related conditions.

The bill is named after two men who died by suicide after serving in the military, including Iowan Corporal Adam Lambert from Adel.

“Unfortunately, too often the transition back to civilian life is harder than it should be,” Nunn said in a news release. “I’m grateful to have worked with Adam’s parents, Dean and Jill, to honor his memory and improve mental health services for America’s veterans.”

Retiree scams

Nunn introduced a bipartisan bill to invest in state responses to scams.

The bill would grant the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission money to invest in state responses to scams by hiring enforcement officers and developing educational resources. The bill would also grant money to assist retirees by developing forward-thinking strategies to combat financial exploitation and fraud against retirees.

“Ensuring Iowan’s life savings are protected isn’t a partisan matter – it’s a matter of right or wrong,” Nunn said in a news release. “We’re fighting back against con artists preying on retirees. No one should have to worry about financial fraud during their golden years.”

The 2023 Elder Fraud Report from the FBI found that more than 100,000 retirees were reported as being victims of scams. Those who were scammed lost an average of $33,915.

School safety grants

A bipartisan bill for schools would allow funds to be made available for drug abuse awareness and prevention and reduction of human trafficking and gang activity.

The bill would award competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Education to implement programs to prevent those activities.

“Dangerous drugs, human trafficking, and violence are pouring over our Southern Border into our communities, and there’s no doubt that the solution to this crisis starts with securing our border,” Nunn said in a news release. “At the same time, we can also protect our kids and save lives with commonsense solutions that address rising crime in our communities.”

The bill would make limit the available funds to public schools.

Occupational therapy bill

Nunn also introduced a bipartisan bill that would, according to him, “reduce barriers to treatment for Medicare recipients.”

The Occupational Therapy and Mental Health Parity Act would require stakeholder education to clarify coverage by Medicare for occupational therapy services for substance use and mental health disorders.

“Our nation is facing both a mental health and substance abuse crisis,” Nunn said in a news release. “Occupational therapists can make a massive difference in treatment and recovery from these diagnoses.”

Fentanyl Awareness Day

Grassley introduced a bipartisan resolution this week to designate Tuesday, May 7, 2024, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

The resolution was aimed at informing the public about counterfeit fentanyl pills.