Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) changes the lives of nearly one in eight people in central Iowa, around 25,000 people per year. Poverty isn’t unique to us–it touches nearly every town and county in the U.S., but what is happening in Tama County, Iowa, isn’t the same as in Dallas County, Texas, which is why local control is essential.

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) empowers Mid-Iowa Community Action and our local communities to identify our own priorities, directing a modest federal investment into results-driven solutions. In Tama County, CSBG supports key strategies to assist families in meeting their needs, building on their strengths, and achieving their goals. CSBG supports Mid-Iowa Community Action, helping over 1,500 Tama County residents work toward independence and financial stability. Even better, every federal dollar is matched with state, local, and private resources –a textbook example of fiscal responsibility and good governance.

In 2022, the House voted to reauthorize CSBG with strong bipartisan support–because this program works. The idea that it’s pushing a partisan agenda couldn’t be further from the truth. Here, priorities are set by local leaders, nonprofits, and community stakeholders, and outcomes guide the work.

CSBG reflects core Iowan values: limited government, local control, personal responsibility, and a strong return on taxpayer dollars. Gutting it won’t fix the federal budget, but it will hurt families and communities, eliminate efficient programs, and force local taxpayers to pick up the slack.

CSBG is exactly the kind of lean, locally managed solution we should be protecting — not cutting.