I hear from folks every day who are being crushed by the prices in grocery store check-out lines and at the gas pump.
I know the financial burdens many are facing right now are stressful and time-sensitive, which is why I voted for a number of pieces of legislation that address the skyrocketing prices of food and gas while supporting agricultural communities in Iowa. I also helped announce a comprehensive action plan to fight inflation.
Recently, I helped lead efforts to pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which increases access to biofuels to lower costs at the pump, shores up the food and agriculture supply chain, addresses rising input costs for Iowa farmers, and increases competition in the meat and poultry sectors that have long been dominated by the four largest meatpackers.
The legislation includes priorities I’ve long fought for to expand the availability of biofuels and ensure more Iowa families have access to lower costs fuels. My bill, the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Investment and Market Expansion Act, would invest $200 million to expand the nation’s biofuels infrastructure to increase the availability of E15 and higher blends to more Americans.
The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act also includes a provision I fought for to allow E15 to be sold throughout the summer driving season. These are common sense, bipartisan solutions to increase America’s energy independence, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and lower costs at the pump.
Iowa families can’t wait any longer as dollars continue to be stretched thin. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act is a bill Iowans need and deserve, and I’m calling on the Senate to act quickly and send this bill to the president for his signature.
My colleagues and I also passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act this week, which will address congestion at U.S. ports, lower prices, and protect Iowa’s agricultural exports from supply chain disruptions.
This legislation promises the first major update of federal regulations for the global ocean shipping industry since 1998 and levels the playing field for Iowa’s exporters while shoring up supply chains to protect American consumers and companies from the 300% price increases foreign-owned companies have been charging to import goods.
President Joe Biden has already signed the act into law, and I look forward to seeing how this critical legislation will support consumers and agricultural communities in Iowa and across the country. I’ve been pushing for this bill as part of my Supply Chain Solutions Agenda since November, and I’m glad to see this signed into law.
While these two pieces of legislation are steps in the right direction, I’m working to get more done to help fight inflation and lower the cost of living for Iowans with my House colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition.
We created an action plan to combat inflation that outlines steps federal policymakers can take to reduce prices on essential goods and services by continuing to strengthen global supply chains, lower energy and food prices, and get more people back to work by supporting workforce training. This is the product of months of work as part of an Inflation Working Group.
The plan includes action items that would provide immediate direct relief to Iowa families such as reducing the cost of prescription drugs and enacts legislation to extend school and summer meal flexibilities to ensure no child goes hungry. More information on this plan is available at axne.house.gov.
—Cindy Axne, an Iowa Democrat, represents the state’s third congressional district.
