Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind, along with Minnesota Representatives Angie Craig and Betty McCollum, announced they have secured emergency funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The funds will help the Corps to address the impacts of this spring’s devastating floods on the Mississippi River. As a direct result of the flooding, the Mississippi River and many others in the Inland Waterway System have higher sedimentation levels in their riverbeds. The system is responsible for one-sixth of the nation’s intercity cargo and 25 percent of foreign exports. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to increase dredging to overcome those rising sediment levels, allowing barges to navigate successfully. “I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues across the Mississippi River to obtain the funding,” Kind says. “How, the Corps will have the resources they need to make sure the Mississippi remains open for business. Craig points out that farmers, families, and communities depend on the Mississippi River to export goods and to drive economic growth. McCollum says, “This disaster aid will help agricultural businesses fully recover so they can look to the future.”