Reminder: Zach Lahn Told Iowa Farmers Tariffs “Worked as Intended”
DES MOINES – As Iowans see prices skyrocket on everything from gas to groceries, don’t forget that career political operative and Kansas carpetbagger Zach Lahn told Iowa farmers that cost-raising tariffs “worked as intended.”
Chaotic tariffs have pushed Iowa’s agriculture industry to the brink of another farm crisis, as farmers are already struggling under the weight of a four-year downturn and filing for bankruptcy at the highest rate in the nation. Tariffs have also destroyed corn growers’ access to export markets and cost Iowans $566 million in 2025 alone, as farmers “face some of their toughest times since [the] 1980s crisis.”
Lahn has a well-documented history of making out-of-touch comments dismissing the pain Iowa farmers are feeling:
- Lahn claimed tariffs don’t raise costs, even though tariffs cost the average household more than $1,700, inflation has hit a three-year high, and Iowans are paying higher prices on everything from groceries to medicine.
- Lahn lectured Iowa farmers cut off from export markets, telling them to “diversify crops and livestock” instead of selling their goods overseas.
- Lahn downplayed farmers struggling with high input costs, saying “the tariffs are not the issue.”
From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:
“Zach Lahn is so out-of-touch with Iowans that he supported reckless tariffs and downplayed farmers’ concerns about rising costs. It’s no surprise that a political operative who lives in Kansas doesn’t understand the challenges facing Iowa’s agriculture industry, which is exactly why farmers know they can’t trust Lahn.”
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