This morning, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price was joined by a group of rural Iowans to discuss their concerns with Trump’s trade war and Governor Kim Reynolds’ lackluster response.
“I’ve been a farmer all my life. There are a bunch of unhappy farmers out here now. Trump says he’s going to make it up to the farmers, but he needs to be pressured to say how. Governor Reynolds, Senator Grassley, and Senator Ernst need to get with it and stand with us, and stand up for rural Iowa. I’m proud to be a farmer, I’m proud to be from rural Iowa, and we need to be heard.” – Chris Petersen, Hog farmer from Cerro Gordo County
“What we’re seeing out of Reynolds and Trump is disrespect for rural Iowa and especially small businesses that make a living with agriculture. This trade war and its negative impacts are all preventable. Trump and the Reynolds Administration can easily prevent this. They can stand up and be a voice for farmers and rural Iowans and small businesses, but instead they’re going to point fingers and hope that it gets swept under the rug before the election. Well it won’t. We’re going to stand up and get loud and make our voices heard so we can have a better way forward.” – Bryce Smith, Small business owner from Dallas County
“I think one of the main reasons that farmers and others have concern over the trade policy that we are pursuing is that no one is really sure that there is a plan. No one is really sure what is going to be gained in the end. I think we’ve seen that the administration is pretty good at breaking things, it’s get to be determined whether they’re able to put things back together in a way that is beneficial for everyone.” – Tim Gannon, Democratic Candidate for Secretary of Agriculture
Listen to the full audio of the call here.