My Weekly Column
Agriculture is the economic engine of our state and the backbone of our thriving main streets. It generates billions in economic activity and supports thousands of jobs. That’s why, last week, I officially launched my Feenstra Agriculture Tour to hear directly from our farmers, producers, and agricultural community about their suggestions to protect the productivity of Iowa agriculture and their priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization.
Over the last few years, Iowa families and farmers have been forced to empty their wallets at the gas station as fuel costs soared nationwide. Between federal restrictions on domestic energy production and record inflation, the average price of gas eclipsed nearly five dollars last summer, draining family budgets and stretching paychecks thin. Fortunately, in Iowa, we have a homegrown solution to meet our energy needs: E-15.
China represents the greatest threat to our national, economic, energy, and food security. From buying up American farmland to stonewalling investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, China cannot be trusted.
In the United States, we are blessed with an abundant supply of energy – from ethanol and biodiesel to natural gas and oil – to power our nation and fuel our economy. Regrettably, just months ago, President Biden sold oil from our reserves to China to compensate for his war on American energy production. No price, no matter how high, justifies supplying China with American-made energy.