Farm Bill

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, my last point that I would like to make this morning is to take a minute to discuss what is going on in the other body. So I take a little while here now to thank Iowa Members of the House of Representatives--Congressman Feenstra, Congressman Nunn, and Congresswomen Hinson and Miller-Meeks--for their very good efforts, fighting for Iowa farmers during the farm bill negotiations in the House of Representatives; and part of that discussion involved the biofuel issue of E15.

E15 is a top priority for not only Iowans but for people generally in the Midwest, where we have abundant corn crops that make the ethanol that ends up being E15.

E15 will expand markets for farmers, help consumers at the pump, and, according to the economists for the Iowa Corn Growers, add $14 billion to an already hurting ag economy--and when I say ``already,'' already for the last 3 or 4 years.

Now, E15 is a no-brainer that is supported by President Trump. In fact, when President Trump visited Iowa in early March, he said he would like to have Congress present an E15 bill to him to sign.

So I hope the leadership of the House of Representatives keeps its word to get E15 a floor vote and do that in very short order.

In fact, I don't really know what all the problem is about E15, because by Presidential waiver, we have had E15 the last 2 years of Trump 1, 4 years of the Biden administration, and now 2 years in this Trump administration; and I have never heard any controversy about that.

Then, secondly, we have had the Governors of eight Midwestern States petition the EPA for E15 year-round and throughout all those eight States; and I have never heard any controversy about that.

But when we want to pass legislation that would avoid a Presidential waiver and allocate E15 in the other 42 States that don't have it year-round, all of a sudden, it becomes quite a controversial issue, something I just don't understand.

I think it is the case that now we are having some legislation to bring certainty to the issue of E15, and it is going to make it possible for retailers to invest in the very expensive pumps that it takes to distribute E15, and that certainty is very necessary for that investment. But, all of a sudden, it becomes a very controversial issue, where it has not been a controversial issue by Presidential waiver or by those eight State Governors petitioning EPA to have it in those States.

It ought to be done now and help American agriculture and reduce the price of gasoline tremendously through E15.

Now, I hear from some States that don't have E15 that their people don't want it because it is going to raise the price of gasoline.

Come to Iowa. Come to other Midwestern States where we have E15 year- round, and you will find the gasoline that has ethanol with a 15- percent mixture cheaper than any other grade of gas that you can buy.

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