U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra spoke about tariffs, USDA and a reconciliation bill Wednesday morning at the Boone County Economic Development Breakfast.
“There’s a lot of turmoil in the federal government right now, that concerns me, that should concern you a bit,” Feenstra said.
With tariffs, Feenstra said the government has a plan.
“I believe in the next six weeks there’s going to be a deal with India, with China, with other countries,” Feenstra said. “This is going to open up an incredible opportunity for us to grow as a nation, to grow as a state, to grow as a county.”
Feenstra also said growing manufacturing is important, which will be achieved by creating incentives.
“We’re trying to put more money in businesses’ pockets, more money in small businesses’ pockets, so they can grow and expand,” Feenstra said.
In terms of the reconciliation, Feenstra said to “be patient.”
“We understand how uncertain things are right now, and we all talk about how we gotta create certainty and growth in our markets,” Feenstra said. “And long term, I think we’re going to be able to do that.”
Feenstra said with funding cuts, the government is trying to “decentralize” money.
“The state knows best how you disseminate grant dollars,” Feenstra said. “Your county knows best. And that’s what I think this administration wants to do is sort of decentralize FEMA, decentralize some of these other grant programs and say, let’s pass the money down to the state level and let them decide how it’s going to play out.”
Feenstra also emphasized the importance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to Iowa and the agriculture community. According to previous reporting from the Daily, several USDA sites across Iowa State and Ames have been impacted by federal government layoffs.
“USDA is so important and close to my heart and does so many great things for our areas when it comes to economic growth, and we got to make sure we keep that, absolutely,” Feenstra said.
Feenstra also emphasized the importance of biofuels for the state and the country. Biofuels are a clean energy source that are made from corn or soybeans.
“Biofuels has a fantastic place and opportunity to have clean energy from our nation, from our farming community,” Feenstra said.
Feenstra encouraged anyone with questions to reach out to his office.
The Boone County Economic Growth Corporation (BCEGC) is a 501(c)4 organization focused on boosting economic development in Boone County. BCEGC is a member of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance.
The BCEGC also highlighted Ames and Boone County’s feature on the Discovery Channel’s travel show “RV There Yet?”
The show episode explored Ledges State Park, the Rail Explorers, touring Reiman Gardens, main street businesses in Ames and tailgating at an Iowa State football game. The episode was released at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
