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Sen. Grassley visits Mitchell County constituents on tour of North Iowa – ABC 6 News
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(ABC 6 News) – Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) was on the move in Mitchell County Tuesday speaking with constituents at a St. Ansgar oat processing plant on a number of topics, but namely agriculture.
Grain Millers, Inc. in St. Ansgar is one of the largest oat processors in the world and the largest in the United States.
If you’ve ever bought something with oats in it, there’s a good chance Grain Millers, Inc. has had its hand in it.
Considering most of their oats come from Canada, international trade is a big ticket item for them.
“It’s a challenge to grow oats in the U.S.,” said company president and CEO Todd Stohlmeyer. “You know the infrastructure is set up for corn and soybeans and wheat and so most of the oats have been grown in Canada as a result of that. And so we need to have free trade between the borders, particularly with Canada, for our products.”
Grain Millers, Inc. has so far avoided tariffs to its key product to its exemption under the trade deal between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
That deal however is up for renegotiation next year, meaning companies like Grain Millers, Inc. are keen on maintaining their ability to trade freely.
That’s where Grassley, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, comes in.
“I come at trade as a free trader,” Grassley said following a tour and Q&A with employees of the plant and other members of the surrounding community. “But I think the President has been making great accomplishments and if it continues then I think he’s doing the right thing.”
That hasn’t stopped the senator from wanting to be more cautious about tariffs.
In fact, Grassley, along with Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell, recently introduced a bill to give Congress the ability to review tariffs before they go into effect.
“This comes from the power of Congress to tax as well as regulate foreign commerce,” Grassley said. “It’s something that Congress should be very jealous about.”
Though Grassley doesn’t expect the bill to pass, he hopes it sends a message to Congress about its role in foreign trade.
A message that gets through to Grain Millers, Inc.
“We clearly have an advocate in Senator Grassley in free trade,” Stohlmeyer said. “I think to that extent it was highly successful for us.”
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