WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Five on five with the Waterways Council to discuss free trade, the future of biofuels, its work to create certainty for America’s farmers, and more.
Download the full video HERESubject-specific excerpts follow.
Reducing the cost of prescription drugs:
“Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are the middlemen between companies and you as a consumer. They have a lot of influence and nobody knows what they’re doing. There are about four bills from four different committees on this issue… (there’s) no indication that they’re going to come up, and that’s a sad commentary because I think our bills, making public what’s secret in the PBM negotiations, are going to drive prices down.”
The need for a five-year agricultural law is growing:
“I think we’re going to get another extension (of the 2018 Farm Bill). I don’t think the Democratic leadership in the Senate wants to take into account the inflation that has occurred since the 2018 Farm Bill in the prices of seed, fertilizer, chemicals, interest rates and diesel. That has to be taken into account to get our benchmark prices to a higher level. We have big holes in the safety net and they need to be patched.”
Improving agricultural prospects through free trade:
“It doesn’t look like this administration has done anything, and in fact, they probably don’t want to do anything, when it comes to free trade agreements. So when there are such high tariffs around the world, I think negotiating to reduce them is the most important thing to achieve increased trade in our agricultural products.”
Growing market opportunities for ethanol producers:
“Governor Reynolds and other governors have asked EPA in the eight Midwestern states to make E-15 available year-round, but it’s complicated when you have one requirement for eight states and a different one for the other 42 states. That’s why it’s necessary to pass my bill, which would make E-15 available year-round and nationwide.”
“The next generation is sustainable aviation fuel. There are tax incentives in the bill passed by the Democrats Inflation Reduction Act this would give more credibility to imported feedstocks in the production of sustainable aviation fuel. We should not subsidize imports into the United States and harm American soy producers.”
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