Loebsack: Put policy before politics

By Dave Loebsack

In Iowa, we believe in hard work and Midwestern values. Based on these principles, the Iowa congressional delegation is able to come together and find common ground on issues that affect Iowans. It is distressing that Washington as a whole cannot do this.

Over the last month, Iowans have watched Washington at its worst. Political posturing, squabbling and game-playing have devolved to a new low.

I come home to Iowa on the weekends, and it is troubling that the concerns I hear at home, concerns about our economy and our future, are often not the same concerns that are echoed in the halls of Congress.

Last month, a bipartisan jobs bill, written by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, was introduced. The bill contained targeted investments and tax credits aimed at stimulating our economy and giving Main Street some much-needed support. This bill included an extension of a $1 per gallon tax credit for biodiesel, which was allowed to expire at the end of 2009, despite the House of Representatives voting to extend it.

Restoring this tax credit is critical to helping Iowa's 15 biodiesel plants, many of which have closed or laid off workers in recent months due to the lapsed tax subsidy. Members of Iowa's delegation from both sides of the aisle have worked to extend the biodiesel tax credit and urged action on an issue that would positively impact jobs in Iowa.

Unfortunately, this bipartisan bill has been tossed back and forth, in varying pieces, for weeks while both parties play political football. Because of the politics-before-people ideology that plagues Washington and allows bipartisan bills to stall, Iowans are still stuck waiting for biodiesel tax credits, disaster assistance and tax credits to help struggling small businesses. Clearly,

the sense of urgency necessary to make government work for everyday people is missing in Washington.

This frustrating scenario has become business as usual in Washington. Instead of embracing a bipartisan jobs bill that was introduced with approval from both sides of the aisle, Democratic leadership chose to cater to factions within the party and allow the debate to devolve into petty bickering and pandering. They chose politics over policy at a time when unemployment is at a 25-year high. This is deplorable.

As a former political science teacher, I understand politics, and I understand the need to promote the ideals of your respective party. However, what happened with the bipartisan jobs bill went beyond what is acceptable. While the American people are suffering, politics have gotten in the way of governing, and both parties are guilty.

It is time to put policy before politics. Iowans are known for their ability to work hard, find common ground, and get things done. It is time for Washington to learn from Iowa.

Let's start with extending the biodiesel tax credit.

David Loebsack, Democrat from Mount Vernon, represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.