IOWA’S FIRST DISTRICT:
Abby Finkenauer, Fighter for Working Families
vs. Rep. Rod Blum, an Obstacle Who Stands in Their Way


Paid Leave Champion Abby Finkenauer

c4.finkenauer.png

Abby Finkenauer has pledged to fight for working families in Congress, including for policies to provide paid family leave, equal pay and higher pay. She says:

“The time for enacting an effective paid family leave policy is long overdue… 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.”[1]

Read more about Abby Finkenauer’s working families platform here.

In addition, Abby Finkenauer has served in the Iowa state legislature since 2015, where she has consistently introduced and supported legislation to support the health and economic security of women and families. Legislation she has sponsored and championed recognizes that Iowa families need paid family leave, makes it easier for working families to get childcare, provides pregnant women with reasonable accommodations that allow them to protect their health and the health of their pregnancy at their jobs and much more.[1]

Iowa’s first district needs a representative — and a paid leave champion — who will stand with women and working families and not stand in their way.

[1] https://www.abbyfinkenauer.com/issues/fighting-for-working-families
[2] Abby Finkenauer: Bill Sponsorship (2017-2018) https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/findLegislation/findBillBySponsorOrManager?ga=87&pid=14811 and (2015-1016) https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/search/document?fq=id:853437&q=%22paid%20family%22


Rod Blum, the Republican Obstacle

c4.blum.png

In Congress, Rep. Rod Blum stands in the way of working families, robbing them of income and basic protections.

  • During the past two years alone, he’s voted to take away working people’s longstanding right to receive overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours per week,[3] and he voted to take away paid sick time from long-haul truckers.[4]

  • He also voted to make it harder for employees to hold employers responsible for labor violations.[5] And he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act[6] and voted in favor of huge tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and big corporations while leaving working families behind.[7]

As a Member of Congress, Rep. Blum has failed to support policies to advance working families’ economic security and make our lives easier.

  • He does not support raising the minimum wage; expanding access to paid family and medical leave, paid sick time, child care or fair work schedules; ensuring access to equal pay; or helping pregnant workers protect their health and the health of their pregnancy at their workplace.[8]

  • The American Association of University Women gives Rod Blum a score of “0” for failing to support equal pay, women’s health, tax fairness and more.[9]

Rod Blum is dramatically out of touch with the health care needs of women.

  • He callously remarked at a Dubuque town hall that a 62-year old man should not have to pay for a health plan that includes maternity care coverage, prompting a letter to the editor from a constituent that went viral. Read it here and more analysis here.

[3] “Comp time”: H.R. 1180, Roll Call 244, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll244.xml
[4] “FAA Denham amendment”: H.Amdt.563 to H.R. 4 (FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018), Roll Call 159, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll159.xml
[5] “Joint employer”: H.R. 3441, Roll Call 614, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll614.xml
[6] “ACA repeal”: H.R. 1628, Roll Call 256, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll256.xml
[7] “Tax bill 1”: H.R. 1, Roll Call 699, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll699.xml; “Tax bill 2”: H.R. 6760, Roll Call 414 http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll414.xml
[8] Congressman Rod Blum is not a co-sponsor or supporter of any of these bills:

[9] AAUW Action Fund (n.d.), Congressional Voting Record for the 115th Congress (January 2017-September 2018), retrieved 14 October 2018 from https://www.aauwaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/115thCVR-Web.pdf

Find a list of all paid leave champions here and learn more about the issues that matter most to women and families at www.nationalpartnership.org.