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Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D-IA3) raised eyebrows within the district last week when she declined an invitation from Vice President Mike Pence to tour the flood damage in parts of her district.
The Omaha World Herald said U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, joined Gov. Kim Reynolds with Pence. Axne was absent, however.
Pence reportedly accused congressional Democrats of playing politics with disaster aid.
Axne was invited by Pence’s office to tour the damage, but she declined.
Grassley has the longest consecutive vote history in the U.S. Senate. When former President Bill Clinton toured the flood damage in 1993, Grassley skipped voting to attend the tour.
The National Republican Congressional Committee put out the following statement:
“Socialist Democrat Cindy Axne put politics ahead of her constituents yesterday, declining an invitation from Vice President Pence to tour flood damage with him, Gov. Reynolds and Iowa’s senators. Rather than advocate for folks in her district, Axne opted to snub the Republican officials in a clear play for the affection of her far-left base. Iowans deserve a representative who will put them first, not a shameless political hack.”
Gov. Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation on March 14 due to the flooding. Axne toured the area on March 22. The congressional calendar for the week of March 18-22 set aside those days for a “district work period.”
From the time Gov. Reynolds issued the disaster proclamation (March 14) to the time Axne toured the flood damage (March 22), the congresswoman raised $45,350. She also had a rare period of no social media activity from March 16-18.
An email from The Iowa Standard to Congresswoman Axne’s office was sent Thursday. So far there has been no response.
