DES MOINES, IOWA (August 26, 2019) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles "Chuck" Grassley and former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today toured AE Dairy, a Des Moines dairy plant that stands to benefit from the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Sen Grassley and Sec Vilsack spoke about the importance of passing USMCA for US agriculture, the trade deal’s bipartisan appeal and the need for Congress to act.
“When everybody thinks everything in Washington is partisan, and there’s the opportunity to stress bipartisanship — and with somebody of Governor Vilsack’s background, particularly as Sec of Agriculture for eight years in the previous administration — it brings credibility to the chance that this is something that we can get done, it’s something that must get done, and we will get it done. So I thank Gov Vilsack…,” Sen Grassley said. “Governor Vilsack and I are here today because this is very important to Iowa, as agriculture is very important to Iowa. But it’s not just agriculture. There’s going to be tens of thousands of jobs created as a result of this agreement.”
Audio of Sen Grassley’s remarks at the event can be found here and here. Sen Grassley’s tweet following the event can be found here and photos can be found here.
“Securing markets for Made-in-America agricultural products means increased economic opportunities for our dairy farmers, manufacturers and rural communities here at home,” Sec Vilsack said. “USMCA makes vital improvements to NAFTA and its passage is necessary to modernize trade in North America. According to a recent International Trade Commission Report, USMCA could mean up to $314 million in additional dairy sales.”
Information from Vilsack, CEO of the US Dairy Export Council, can be found here.
