Summary

Twitter

About

Source: Government page

Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer is honored to be the voice for the people of Northeast Iowa’s First Congressional District as their representative in Washington. Congresswoman Finkenauer was raised in Sherrill, a small town in rural Dubuque County, in a family that taught her the importance of hard work, caring for others, and the value of public service. After graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, she was elected to the Iowa State House of Representatives at the age of 25. Throughout her two terms in the State House, Congresswoman Finkenauer made improving the lives of Iowa’s working families her top priority. She ran for Congress in 2018 to continue to focus on building a stronger economy and middle class.

In November 2018, Congresswoman Finkenauer was elected to the United States House of Representatives. In Congress, she serves on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee where she vice chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, and also serves on the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee.

She also sits on the Small Business Committee, where she chairs the Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship Subcommittee.

She is also the Assistant Whip for the House Majority.

Experience

Work Experience

• Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

Education

• B.A.
  Drake University

Personal

Membership & Affiliation

Birth Year: 1988
Place of Birth: Dubuque, IA
Gender: Female
Race(s): Caucasian

Contact

Email:

• Government

Offices

Washington D.C. Office
124 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2911

Cedar Rapids Office
308 3rd St SE, Suite 200
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Phone: (319) 364-2288

Dubuque Office
1050 Main St.
Dubuque, IA 52001
Phone: (563) 557-7789

Waterloo Office
521A Lafayette St.
Waterloo, IA 50703
Phone: (319) 266-6925

Web

Government Page, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook

Politics

Source: none

Recent Elections

2018

Source: Ballotpedia

Finances

FINKENAUER, ABBY has run in 4 races for public office, winning 3 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $7,642,390.

Source: Follow the Money

Committees

Committees

House Committee on Small Business
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Subcommittees

Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade and Entrepreneurship
Innovation and Workforce Development
Highways and Transit
Water Resources and Environment

Voting Record

See: Vote Smart

New Legislation

• Sponsored
• Cosponsored

Source: Congress.gov

Issues

Economy

Creating Jobs and a Strong Economy

As your representative in Congress, I’ll always fight for Iowans to have good jobs with fair wages they can rely on to support their families. We need to ensure that we’ve created the conditions for businesses to succeed here in Eastern Iowa, and that we’re constantly searching for opportunities to bring investment into our region. Too many of our communities have been left behind as our national economy changes. We need forward-thinking leadership that will position our region to preserve the jobs we have now and attract the jobs of the future.

Improving Our Infrastructure to Support Jobs
We must invest in our deteriorating and underfunded infrastructure in Eastern Iowa to support entrepreneurs and create jobs. The majority of our roadways were built 50 to 60 years ago with few updates since then, and have received only a C- rating from the American Society of Civil Engineers1. Our bridges received a D+ grade, with one in five Iowa bridges considered structurally deficient2. Failing infrastructure makes it harder for goods and services to reach consumers, which hurts Iowa farmers and small business owners.

A number of the levees protecting us from dangerous floods fail to meet FEMA guidelines and, due to a lack of funding and available staff, only about 10% of Iowa dams are regularly inspected. We must continue to construct and repair our flood prevention infrastructure, including funding and building the full Cedar River Flood Control system to protect residents and businesses.

We are also behind when it comes to the infrastructure Iowans will need to compete in the 21st century. Currently, Iowa ranks 39th on connectivity3 with 22% of Iowans still underserved when it comes to access to broadband4. In 2017, there is no excuse for the fact that over 160,000 Iowans still don’t have access to any wired Internet providers5. This makes everything from logistics to communications more difficult, harming the competitiveness of our businesses and making our region less attractive to entrepreneurs.

By investing in infrastructure we can create jobs, support our businesses, and ensure that all Iowans can travel safely across the state.

Investing in Main Street
We can’t build a strong economy without thriving small and community businesses. We must ensure that entrepreneurs and small business owners have access to the capital they need to hire and grow. An Eastern Iowan might have a great idea for a business, but if they can’t secure loans or investment to get their concept off the ground, that great idea will go nowhere and the surrounding community will lose out on potential jobs. I am committed to strengthening funding opportunities for small businesses so that entrepreneurs are supported and have the opportunity to take smart, calculated risks to achieve their goals.

We must ensure that small businesses are not overly burdened by unnecessary regulations and red tape. While large corporations can employ an army of accountants and regulatory professionals to deal with these demands, entrepreneurs have no such resources. We need to level the playing field to give Main Street a fair shot.

Strengthening Family Farms
Growing up in rural Iowa, I understand personally that our agricultural community is critically important to Eastern Iowa, with farmers comprising the backbone of our families and towns. I will always work to strengthen family farms because doing so is not only important to our economy, but to the traditions and way of life for countless working families in our state.

This starts with ensuring the farm bill considered in Congress every four years is based on sound policy designed to help farmers, rather than being subject to partisan political games as has too often happened in recent versions. It means fighting to give farmers access to the capital they need to grow and thrive, as modern farm equipment does not come cheaply. And it means making sure federal farm subsidies go to support family farms rather than huge corporate entities, and that federal programs like crop insurance programs that protect farmers are defended.

By fostering strong family farms, we maintain strong families and strong communities, and these goals must always be a priority in Washington.

Preparing Our Workforce
We must make sure businesses can find the qualified workers they need at home. Creating jobs in our region won’t help working families if we don’t prepare Iowans with the skills to fill them. This includes making college more affordable but it also means strengthening career and technical education in our public high schools so that every student—regardless of whether college is the best path for them—will be prepared to thrive in the 21st century economy. We must also support and foster partnerships between local businesses and schools so that students have access to internships, job training opportunities, and apprenticeship programs.

Education

Fighting for Good Schools and Affordable College

I’m a proud product of Dubuque public schools. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from quality teachers and inspiring mentors. I wouldn’t be here today without them. We must give every child that same chance at success that comes from a quality education.

I went to college here in Iowa and I know firsthand how difficult affording college can be. Like tens of thousands of Iowans, I’m still struggling to pay back my student loans, without which I would never have been able to afford college.

We need to invest in our public schools to put our students on the path to a good job or college after graduation. That starts by expanding access to Pre-K, which jumpstarts learning and provides a solid foundation for a child to grow. And we must ensure that college is affordable for all Iowans, including relief for those burdened with student loan debt and greater transparency so that students understand what they’ll be paying for.

Expanding Access to Pre-K
High-quality Pre-K is proven to be a critical factor in increasing a student’s ability to succeed.1 It’s time we prioritize investing in early education so that we can extend this foundation to as many children as possible. In Congress, I’ll support legislation to make quality Pre-K accessible and affordable for more families, which will also reduce the burden of childcare costs faced by working parents.

Affordable Higher Education
Every year, students graduate from college eager to jumpstart their careers. But increasing college tuition costs leave many of them buried under a mountain of student loan debt that limits their opportunities.

It’s no secret that the cost of college has become way too high for way too many. The situation is made worse by a lack of transparency on the part of colleges and universities, leaving students unsure of what they are paying for. No student should be forced to make the life-changing decision on where they’ll go to college and how much they’ll have to pay for it without access to detailed information on what their costs will be. Greater transparency from colleges and universities will ensure that students and families know exactly what they must pay and it will create competition that will help keep future costs down.

We must also ensure that students who take out college loans are able to pay them off in an appropriate amount of time. That’s why I’ll support legislation to allow students to refinance their student loan debt at current interest rates—much like one could do with a home mortgage—and I’ll fiercely oppose attempts to tax the interest paid on student loan debt.

Career and Technical Education
Here in Eastern Iowa and across the county, we have countless businesses and manufacturers looking for qualified workers with specific technical skills and training. We have many motivated high school graduates who want to enter the workforce for whom college may not be the best path. And we have nontraditional students, like adults looking to embark on a new career path or gain new skills to enhance their potential in their current field. We can’t let their talent go to waste.

We must have robust career and technical education opportunities that train students with the specialized skills needed to fill available jobs and grow our economy. In Congress, I’ll support funding for these programs and make sure that our students have access to the training they need. We must also support and foster partnerships between local businesses and schools so that students have access to internships, job training opportunities, and apprenticeship programs, a key link between businesses and prospective workers. These measures also support our local businesses, allowing them to hire a qualified workforce right here at home rather than looking elsewhere to grow.

Environment

Growing our Clean Energy Economy and Protecting our Environment

Today we face more urgent and pressing dangers to our environment, our economy, and the future health of Iowans than ever before. Our planet is warming at a quickening rate and large corporations are taking advantage of every loophole they can to pollute our environment so they can make a slightly larger profit at the expense of American families – all while working to set back our clean energy economy that creates jobs for Iowans. Yet currently, Iowa’s 1st District is represented by a Congressman who has denied the science of climate change and a President who think it’s a Chinese hoax. In Congress, I will always be a voice for common sense policies that protect our air and water, support the clean energy jobs of the future, and preserve Iowa’s climate so that our farming communities can still exist far into the future.

This starts with pushing back against President Trump’s disastrous decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, which will make the United States the only nation in the world not to be part of the agreement to reduce emissions and combat the effects of climate change. Make no mistake – this decision is bad for our economy and our health here in Eastern Iowa. The effects of climate change are projected to shrink our local economic output by up to 5%,1 and it will be working families that bear the brunt of that damage. Ask any farmer here in the First District and they’ll tell you first hand that instances of drought and unusual weather are taking ever larger tolls on their crop production. We need to be growing our clean energy sector to create jobs and reduce emissions, not taking actions that stunt the spread of renewable technology and give our robust private sector fewer incentives to invest in our region.

The good news is that here in Iowa we have some of the best renewable energy resources in the country. Our clean energy economy already supports over 30,000 jobs statewide, while we generate more of our energy from wind than any other state.2 We lead the nation in ethanol production, creating over a quarter of the entire country’s manufacturing capacity.3 We can’t afford to turn away from this progress and throw out the gains to our economy and environment that we’ve built. I will make it a priority to support policies that continue this growth and preserve our status as a national leader in clean energy production, while at the same time strengthening our renewable energy manufacturing sector to create even more good jobs at good wages for Eastern Iowans.

I’m not new to this fight. While serving in Des Moines, I fought back against efforts by the fossil fuel industry to neuter the Iowa Energy Center at Iowa State University – a key leader in growing Iowa’s clean energy economy and conducting renewable energy research – by transferring it to a state agency that could end its principal mission. By using the Freedom of Information Act process, I exposed the involvement of fossil fuel lobbyists in drafting secret legislation to transfer control of the center, revealing the true motive for the move.4

I’ll play a similar watchdog role in Congress, and will just as firmly stand up to attempts to weaken key programs and measures that fight climate change, grow our clean energy economy, and protect our environment. Ultimately it’s time we had a representative who fights for Iowa families – ensuring they can live in healthy environments supported by good jobs – rather than standing with corporate polluters and those opposed to science.

Health Care

Fighting for Women’s Health

It should be incredibly simple – a woman’s health should be an issue considered by herself, her doctor, and her family. Washington must stay out of the way and let women make these decisions for themselves.

That includes the right not to be charged more for our insurance than men, the right to have access to birth control, and the right to choose – all of which Washington politicians are threatening.

As a state legislator, I fought back against countless1 bills2 that targeted women’s health and defunded organizations that offered cancer screenings, preventive care, and other essential health services.3 I’ll do the same in Congress. I’ll always support trusting women to do what is right for them and I’ll stand up for continuing to fund access to health care through providers like Planned Parenthood.

Fighting for Access to Quality and Affordable Healthcare

There are certain American values that should not be up for debate – in Iowa, in Washington, or anywhere else. Healthcare is a human right, and extending access to quality and affordable care to every American must be a top priority in Congress. It will certainly be one of mine, and I won’t be afraid to fight for universal health care – including a public option.

Sadly, that’s not the case for our current representative. Rod Blum has made clear where he stands on this critical issue by voting1 to raise monthly premiums on Iowans by up to thousands of dollars and to leave 23 million more Americans uninsured.2 And when President Trump made the irresponsible decision to cancel Cost Sharing Reduction payments that keep insurance rates down for Iowans – a move that was projected to increase premiums by 13%3 – Rep. Blum stood by and did nothing.

Many of our state leaders in Des Moines have failed us as well, pushing a disastrous Medicaid privatization scheme that hurt working families and reduced funds for important rural hospitals, among other problems.4

That’s unacceptable. It’s past time for leadership that puts working Iowa families first, and that means fighting to protect and build upon the progress we made in the Affordable Care Act toward the goals of achieving universal healthcare coverage and lowering the cost of care. I’ll fight back against all attempts to raise premiums, kick Iowans off their healthcare, or reduce the services covered by their insurance, such as annual preventive care checkups, maternity care, or addiction and mental health treatment.

At the same time, we need to ensure that underserved communities in Iowa have access to the health care services they need. This means fighting for community health centers and critical access hospitals that serve towns and cities throughout our state, as well as making sure that funding for the vital Children’s Health Insurance Program never lapses again, as Rep. Blum and his fellow Washington politicians recently allowed to happen for months.

We need representation in Congress that’s working for Iowans to improve our healthcare system and expand coverage and services that strengthen families. And it’s time for the partisan political games that have too often controlled the healthcare conversation in Washington to end.

Immigration

Bipartisan Immigration Reform

It is abundantly clear that our current immigration system is broken and is failing our country, our state, and the people of eastern Iowa. After years of playing politics, members of both parties must finally have the courage to pass bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that creates an earned pathway to citizenship for millions who have paid their taxes and contributed to society, while securing our borders and ensuring strong interior immigration enforcement so that we keep out and deport criminals and those who would do us harm.

That should include a renewal of DACA so we keep our promise to those who were brought to this country as children and are now building a better life through getting a college degree or serving in the military. It should include measures to strengthen our borders so that drug and human traffickers and gang members in particular cannot make it into this country. And it should include fixing E-Verify, making it mandatory for employers and ensuring that we have robust resources in place to train businesses on how to properly use the system.

I do not support abolishing ICE.

We must support our local and federal law enforcement who put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and make sure they have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively. We should change policies around family separation so officers can focus instead on effective border security, interior enforcement, and protecting our communities.

Above all else, Washington politicians must step up to the plate and pass badly needed reform that will strengthen our economy and our communities, and make us safer, instead of falling victim to partisan politics and political gridlock yet again.

Social Security

Commitment to Seniors

Social Security and Medicare are sacred promises we have made to our seniors, who spent a lifetime paying into these critical programs that support tens of thousands in the 1st district. They deserve to retire in financial security supported by the benefits they’ve earned. In Congress, I’ll fight to protect Social Security and Medicare against any efforts to cut benefits or weaken their solvency so that both current seniors and future generations can count on them.

Similarly, we must ensure that seniors on fixed incomes are not overly burdened by the cost of rising prescription drug prices. No senior should be forced to go bankrupt to preserve their health. I’ll support allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices on medications and be open to the best policy ideas to reduce costs, like bringing more generic drugs to market or closing the Medicare Part D donut hole earlier.

Veterans

Standing with Our Veterans

As the proud granddaughter of a World War II Purple Heart recipient who walked around with shrapnel in his leg until the day he died, for me standing with our veterans, service members, and their loved ones is standing with family.

Our brave veterans put their lives on the line to serve our nation. Unfortunately, partisan politics have let them down. The lip service must end. These heroes deserve the utmost dignity and respect in their care and services, and I believe it is our duty to ensure that they receive the benefits they have earned.

In Congress, I’ll fight to increase access to healthcare services and economic opportunities for veterans.

We must streamline communication between VA and non-VA healthcare providers so that any veteran seeking healthcare treatment, mental or physical, is given the care they need. We must also support programs that give military families and caregivers training on post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction.

Our veterans need to have access to economic and educational opportunities when they return home. In Congress, I’ll work to expand access to capital for veterans seeking to start a small business, and I’ll support funding for the GI Bill.

Fighting for Working Families

Iowans are working harder than ever but wages have grown too slowly over the last decade. Women still earn less than their male counterparts and parents too often have to choose between a paycheck or staying home with their newborn. Washington politicians continue to side with corporations and the wealthy over hard-working Americans. And the damage is clear: wages are lower, union membership is down, and the middle class is shrinking.

It’s time for everyday Iowans to have a voice in Washington. I’ll prioritize expanding economic opportunity and security so that families can thrive right here in Eastern Iowa. In Congress, I will fight for equal pay, the unions that support our families, and a fair, living wage for every hard-working American.

Strong unions
My father was a union pipefitter welder and has been a proud union member for over 40 years. I grew up in a union household, and I understand how important good union jobs are to families across Eastern Iowa. I will always fight to defend unions so that we can strengthen our families and our workers across the 1st district.

Strong organized labor builds a thriving middle class. Across the county, and here in Iowa, unions have raised wages for countless hard-working Americans. Nationally in 2014, the typical union worker made almost $200 more a week than an average non-union worker.1 But attacks on labor are decreasing union membership across the country.

Here in Iowa we have always been proud of our unions, and I’m honored to be endorsed by a number of them including the Iowa Teamsters and AFSCME Council 61. Unions deserve a strong voice in Washington. In Congress, I will always support pro-labor legislation and oppose efforts to put big corporations over American workers.

Equal Pay
In Iowa, women are paid 77 cents for every dollar that men earn, which means Iowa’s women – and their families – lose out on an average of $11,034 every year.2 That’s simply not acceptable.

As a state legislator, I fought hard for equal pay and introduced an amendment to require all businesses that contracted with the state to certify that they paid the same wages to men and women with the same education level and experience.3 Equal pay is a moral issue and a working families issue and I plan to continue this fight in Washington. In Congress, I will support equal pay legislation to close the wage gap that continues to hurt women and families across the country.

Living Wage
When American workers are paid a fair, living wage, our economy and middle-class flourish. Republicans in Washington continue to put corporations and their executives over hard-working Americans. In Congress, I’ll fight to ensure all American workers are paid a fair, living wage on which they can support a family.

At its heart, this is a family issue. We need to ensure Iowans have access to good-paying jobs at fair wages so they are able to settle down where they choose or remain in their hometowns, instead of being forced to move elsewhere to raise a family. By paying every worker a living wage, Iowans will be able to live close to their parents and grandparents in towns across our state, maintaining the strong family and community ties that have broken down as younger generations have been forced to leave too many places.

Paid Family Leave
The time for enacting an effective paid family leave policy is long overdue. No working American should ever have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of themselves or a loved one. Unfortunately, this is a reality for too many parents and family members: in 2016, only 14% of civilian workers had access to paid family leave.4 It’s a disgrace and we must do better for American families.

In Congress, I’ll fight to expand paid family leave because, when working families are given the time they need to care for themselves or their loved ones, our economy, our workforce, and our families thrive.