Oldest U.S. senator, Grassley of Iowa, is hospitalized with infection
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the oldest serving senator, was in a Washington hospital for treatment of an infection, said his office on Tuesday. Grassley, 90, is a bulldog advocate of corn ethanol and a longtime proponent of stricter limits on farm subsidy payments.
Senators propose a $250,000 ‘hard cap’ on farm subsidies
With the farm bill in mind, two Midwestern senators called for a "hard cap" of $250,000 in crop subsidies per farm, coupled with rules to limit the money to working farmers on Thursday. It would be an about-face in policy from recent years of easier access to USDA supports and emergency programs that paid up to $750,000 to corporate entities.
Senate bill requires packers to buy some cattle for cash
Meatpackers would be required to buy a portion of their slaughter cattle on the spot market or risk a $90,000 fine under legislation outlined by four senators on Monday. The bill, intended to increase market transparency, also would create a contract library that discloses the terms the packers offer for cattle, so producers would know if a fair price is being offered.
Lawmakers shrug at Grassley call for livestock reform
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley urged reauthorization of mandatory price reporting, telling the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday that it is the ideal vehicle for ensuring cattle producers get a fair price from meatpackers. But few committee members got on board with the idea, preferring to switch topics and complain that the USDA's proposals for fair play in the marketplace would boomerang and mean lower sales prices.
Iowa Sen. Grassley runs for eighth Senate term
While many Republicans were swamped by the Watergate tide, Republican Chuck Grassley won election to the House in 1974 and will surpass half a century in Congress if elected to his eighth Senate term in 2022. Grassley announced for re-election on Friday and is regarded as the heavy favorite by political handicappers.
Coronavirus infection ends Grassley’s 27-year voting streak
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday that he was quarantining himself at home while awaiting results of a test for Covid-19. The quarantine ended a 27-year streak, dating voting in every Senate roll call — a record 8,927 in all — since 1993.
Trump visits derecho-hit Iowa, talks about China
President Trump spoke of large corn exports booked for delivery to China while assuring Iowans of “the full support of the federal government” in recovering from a derecho in a Tuesday visit. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said agriculture — flattened crops and wind-blasted farmsteads — accounts for …
Grassley says he will blow the whistle if Chinese backslide on trade deal
As soon as President Trump and Chinese vice premier Liu He sign a “phase one” agreement to de-escalate the China-U.S. trade war today, Senate Finance chairman Chuck Grassley will be on watch for Chinese compliance with provisions such as large purchases of U.S. farm goods. “If they aren’t, …
Grassley has good words for ‘Tariff Man’
Two years ago, President Trump declared on social media that he was “a Tariff Man” and that import duties “will always be the best way to max out our economic power,” a sentiment that was widely disputed. Senate Finance Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday that Trump was right …
Consensus elusive for Senate reform of ‘national security’ tariffs
Senate Finance chairman Chuck Grassley conceded one point this week: Steel and aluminum will be excluded from any reform of presidential power to impose tariffs based on national security interests. Even so, there is no agreement among senators on how Congress should reassert its authority over international trade.
Midwestern Senators ask, ‘Where’s our ethanol deal?’
Roughly ten days ago, Midwestern senators left a meeting with President Trump believing they had an agreement to solidify corn ethanol’s share of the gasoline market. Yet Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday he had no idea why the administration has not announced the plan, arguing “it …
September is for USMCA deal-making, says Grassley
Congress “ought to take action early this fall” on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) so the trade pact can take effect before the end of the year, said Senate Finance chairman Chuck Grassley on Tuesday. Grassley told reporters that U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer …
Largest ethanol maker closes Indiana plant, blames EPA waivers
At the same time that POET, the largest U.S. ethanol maker, said it was forced to shut down an Indiana plant due to EPA “mismanagement” of the ethanol mandate, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said that “farmers feel the government isn’t keeping its word” on biofuels.
Senators mull limits on ‘national security’ tariffs
Senate Finance Committee chairman Chuck Grassley has lots of company in considering limits on the president’s power to impose tariffs on national security grounds. In the coming weeks, Grassley expects to introduce a bipartisan bill to reform these so-called Section 232 tariffs.
Subsidy reform gets short shrift in farm bill
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley feigned shock on Thursday that House and Senate negotiators did not want his farm subsidy reform in the final version of the five-year farm bill. “Surprise, surprise, surprise,” he said scornfully.
As Finance chairman, Grassley wants ‘more middle-income tax cuts’
When he used the power of seniority to claim chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee in the new session of Congress, Iowa’s Chuck Grassley said he wanted greater tax fairness for Americans. Many farm groups share his goal of additional tax relief.
Sen. Grassley heads to finance committee
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley used the power of seniority to claim chairmanship of the tax-writing Finance Committee on Friday, saying he would pursue a pro-growth agenda of “additional tax relief and tax fairness” and making health care more affordable. As Finance chairman, Grassley could play …
EPA should move faster on E15, says Grassley
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to begin work in February to allow year-round sale of E15 and complete the regulation in May, just ahead of the usual June 1 cutoff of summer sales. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, from the top corn and ethanol state, said on Tuesday that the agency "ought to speed it up" to be sure the fuel will be available for the summer driving season.
Less leverage for farm payment reform, says Grassley
The USDA has a "glaring loophole" in its farm subsidy rules that allows people to collect up to $125,000 a year in subsidies for providing farm management, said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is trying to get a tougher set of rules into law.