Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), introduced legislation to end the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Connect Grant program before Senators left Washington, D.C., last week. The Community Connect Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist.
While the bill text for S. 2610 is not yet available, Ernst says on her website her goal is “to cut wasteful spending and make Washington squeal.” She has lobbied for spending cuts across federal programs.
“We both know that Washington’s reckless spending is spiraling out of control, and today, we are more than $30 trillion dollars in debt! That means every Iowan’s share of the national debt exceeds $67,000,” Ernst says on her site.
Ernst continues, “Rather than using those hard-earned dollars for education, food, or agricultural needs, Iowans are forced to pay for Washington’s repeated reckless spending habits. We must put an end to this radical spending.”
The USDA says Community Connect helps “rural communities extend access where broadband service is least likely to be commercially available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for people and businesses,” says USDA on its website. “The projects funded by these grants help rural residents tap into the enormous potential of the internet for jobs, education, healthcare, public safety, and community development.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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