DES MOINES, Iowa – Today, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, announced the launch of her Iowa COVID-19 Response Tracker, a clearinghouse of data that details how many taxpayer dollars have been spent in Iowa in response to the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis.
The launch of the tracker comes after she received a detailed response from the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management – one of eight federal and state agencies that Axne wrote to two weeks ago requesting detailed accounting of COVID-19 response efforts.
“Ensuring that federal funding is available for Iowa families, businesses, and communities is not just about a vote in Washington – it’s about following that critical support every step of the way and ensuring that federal and state agencies are using that funding to help those in need,” Axne said. “With this new tracker, I hope to give Iowans the data to see the response efforts so far – as well as see what agencies have not yet been transparent about their spending. Transparency and accountability are essential for Iowans to see how their government has responded to this crisis.”
Using publicly available agency data, the tracker details $9,245,387,198 that has been obligated for COVID-19 mitigation and response efforts in Iowa, including $103,365,569 specifically for health systems, colleges, and other entities in Iowa’s Third Congressional District.
The tracker will be updated with additional funding spent in Iowa as additional details become available either through public disclosures or replies from federal and state agencies.
On May 19, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management replied to Rep. Axne’s transparency request – detailing $144,861,544 in funding they have received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond to COVID-19.
She is still awaiting responses from FEMA, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Iowa Department of Management, and Iowa Department of Human Services.