WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a lifelong family farmer and member of Senate Agriculture Committee, made the following comment on President Trump’s speech today on the future of the U.S. agricultural economy at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I appreciate President Trump’s recognition of the role that U.S. agriculture plays not just in the heartland, but for the economy, security and health of the entire country. The President has helped make U.S. agriculture more competitive by cutting tax rates and reforming the code to help farmers finance their operations. His Administration also repealed burdensome regulations like the Waters of the U.S. rule that would have hurt American farmers and small business owners. President Trump’s support for biofuels and commitment not to undermine the integrity of the RFS program have proven critical.
“President Trump has done a great deal of good for the American farmer in his first year in office. As the Administration continues to renegotiate NAFTA, I expect President Trump to keep the pledge he made today to make trade deals that don’t harm agriculture, including value-added agriculture and manufacturing. That will be a major test of his presidency’s impact on rural America going forward. Every third row of soybeans grown in Iowa is exported. More than a quarter of tractors made by John Deere are sold in foreign markets. The livelihood of farmers across the nation depends on access to markets abroad, and I’m working to make sure the value of exports to farmers in Iowa and throughout the nation is well understood as NAFTA is renegotiated.”
In December 2017, Grassley wrote about the importance of tax reform to U.S. agriculture. In May 2017, Grassley wrote about the importance of NAFTA to U.S. agriculture.
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