Grassley talks trade and farm bill

March 27, 2025 | Kriss Nelson

Last Friday, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley’s tour of Iowa Central Community College’s new Fuel Testing Laboratory in Fort Dodge included a roundtable discussion with local and agricultural leaders.

Grassley shared a mix of good and bad news as he sent a message to Iowa farmers.

“First, I would like to be able to say we will have a five year farm bill. Second, hopefully, tariffs can be done without hurting agriculture, but I am very questionable about saying that. I think it will have a detrimental impact,” he says. “The president is always saying he won’t forget the farmer and will get money out of the Treasury to the farmer, but farmers want to make money from the marketplace, not from the taxpayers.”

Farm Bill

Grassley expressed confidence in Congress’s ability to pass a farm bill this year. However, he stated that extending the tax cuts from Trump’s first term is the main priority to prevent a significant tax increase.

“We can’t talk seriously about an ag bill until the tax bill is finalized,” says Grassley. “Hopefully, that will be done before midsummer. It is moving too slowly right now. However, that doesn’t mean anything is not being done on the farm bill. We have had two to three hearings already.”

According to Grassley, Congress is eighteen months ahead of schedule on farm bill proposals, thanks to last year’s groundwork.

“I think we are in a position to get a five-year farm bill done this year,” he says. “The 2018 five-year farm bill is now a seven-year farm bill.”

Trade and tariffs

With an April 2 deadline looming for the potential of enacting tariffs, Grassley says unknowns surround the issue.

“I am somewhat questioning what the president is doing,” he says. “He ran on this platform and he is keeping his promises after the election. We shouldn’t be surprised about what he is doing. I am a free and fair trader and have been my entire career in Congress negotiating trade agreements and negotiating tariffs down. The president will say I have negotiated environments for manufacturers to move overseas. If he is right, I will say praise the Lord. If he is wrong, I will say I told you so.”

---

Back