Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01) released the following statement upon successfully securing Dubuque’s metropolitan status. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that the agency would not be moving forward with a proposal to change the definition of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); the threshold for an MSA will remain at a population of 50,000. Hinson actively fought against the proposed change, as it would have caused Dubuque, IA, to lose its status as a metropolitan area and negatively impacted its access to federal dollars and other critical resources.
I am thrilled that following my efforts, OMB has agreed to keep the current population threshold in place so that Dubuque can maintain its status as a metropolitan area. Dubuque’s metropolitan status is critical to attracting new business and obtaining federal resources for the community, and OMB’s proposed change would have jeopardized economic development opportunities in Dubuque. I will continue fighting for, and securing, policies that will allow our communities to grow and thrive.” –Congresswoman Ashley Hinson
In addition to speaking directly about this with OMB Acting Director Shalanda Young on several occasions, including during a House Budget Committee hearing, Congresswoman Hinson took several steps to preserve Dubuque’s status. Among these efforts, she wrote to the agency expressing her formal opposition to the change and cosponsored legislation to prevent it. Most recently, she succeeded in including a provision directing OMB to rescind the proposal in the Appropriations bill that funds the agency.
