John,
It was a busy week on Capitol Hill, but I wanted to take a moment to update you on what we are doing to deliver on President Trump’s America First agenda.
This week, I managed floor debate for four important bills, including H.R. 2931, the Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced by my friend and colleague, Congressman Brad Finstad. This bill sends a clear message: if your city refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, you won’t be hosting a taxpayer-funded federal office. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it would relocate offices from sanctuary cities like New York, Chicago, and Seattle, and this bill codifies that order. As I said during the debate, "Sanctuary cities need to be held accountable, and they need to see the consequences of their disregard for federal law."
My Republican colleagues and I wrote a letter to urge United States Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer to improve market access for American agricultural exports in India. These exports would include soybean meal, distillers’ dried grains, and most importantly, U.S. ethanol. India has made it clear that they want to pursue high-volume agricultural negotiations with us. This would be a substantial win for American farmers through increased demand for all of these products. The opportunity to sell distillers’ dried grains to India would be valued at $500 million per year, making it the second largest export market behind Mexico. With ethanol, reducing current market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. Needless to say, our economy, farmers, and consumers would benefit greatly from improving trade access with India. One of President Trump’s America First promises was to increase the exports of American agricultural products, and that’s exactly what we’re pushing for.
Over 100 Members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, and I are teaming up to save family farms in the United States. We wrote a letter to House Appropriations requesting an H-2A visa guestworker wage freeze in upcoming appropriations legislation. The freeze would lower input costs for family farms and agricultural communities across the country. The required wage that farm industry employers must pay H-2A workers has more than doubled since 2005, negatively impacting agricultural production and labor costs. For example, in Michigan, they are required to pay $18.50 an hour, whereas it’s only $12 per hour in nearby Canada. This wage disparity is an obvious financial burden on family farms. The temporary wage freeze would level the playing field, give farmers a chance to compete in the open market, and continue to put food on the dinner tables of all Americans.
As always, thank you for your continued trust and support. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with anything.
