U.S. Senator Joni Ernst is confident the Ag sector will be included in any upcoming COVID-19 relief legislation.
The Iowa Farmers Union held a virtual Q&A forum with Ernst Tuesday afternoon to provide IFU members the opportunity to ask the senator crucial questions on the current state of the agriculture industry. One IFU member asked Ernst for clarity on additional pandemic relief for those in agriculture.
?I do think we will have another package put forward,? Ernst responded. ?This would actually be phase four in entirety, not just addressing the agriculture sector. I would anticipate that there would be some supports in place for agriculture based upon what Chuck (Grassley), Amy Klobuchar and I are doing.?
On the topic of pandemic relief, Ernst was also asked if fossil fuel companies should be eligible for COVID-19 relief funds.
?I?d rather they weren?t,? Ernst said. ?We could see additional support for our ethanol producers and I think that is really important. That?s one thing we continue to push both through our work in a potential fourth package, but then also we have approached USDA about that as well ? making sure that those supports are going to those tied into agriculture. That would be for our clean energy sector whether that?s biofuels, biodiesel, advanced biofuels, ethanol and so forth.?
Ernst stated that she anticipates a potential phase four relief package to be pushed out of the senate towards the end of July.
Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman said farmers are facing extremely difficult challenges and that IFU was excited to give its members the chance to ask Ernst about the tough issues faced by family-scale farmers and rural Iowans.
More information about the Iowa Farmers Union can be found on their website, iowafarmersunion.org.
