Grassley Praises Iowa House Members for Fighting for Farmers on Farm Bill, E15

Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore “Iowa Delegation is Fighting for Family Farmers” Thursday, April 30, 2026 VIDEO [I’m taking] a little while here now to thank Iowa members of the House of Representatives, Congressman Feenstra, Congressman Nunn and Congresswomen Hinson and Miller-Meeks, for their very good efforts fighting for Iowa farmers during the Farm Bill negotiations in the House of Representatives. And part of that discussion involved the biofuel issue of E15. E15 is a top priority for not only Iowans, [but] for people generally in the Midwest, where we have abundant corn crops that make the ethanol that ends up being E15. E15 will expand markets for farmers, help consumers at the pump and, according to the economists for the Iowa Corn Growers [Association], add $14 billion to an already hurting ag economy. And when I say already, already for the last three or four years. Now, E15 is a no-brainer that is supported by President Trump. In fact, when President Trump visited Iowa [in] early March, he [said] he'd like to have Congress present an E15 bill to him to sign. So, I hope the leadership of the House of Representatives keeps their word to get E15 a floor vote and [does] that in very short order. In fact, I don't really know what all the problem is about E15 because, by presidential waiver, we've had E15 the last two years of Trump One, four years of the Biden administration and now two years in this Trump administration. And I have never heard any controversy about that. Then, secondly, we've had the governors of eight Midwestern states petition the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for E15 year-round and throughout all those eight states. And I never heard anything controversial about that. But, when we want to pass legislation that would avoid a presidential waiver and allocate E15 in the other 42 states that don't have it year-round, all of a sudden [it] becomes quite a controversial issue. [It’s] something I just don't understand. I think it's the case that now we're having some legislation to bring certainty to the issue of E15, and it's going to make it possible for retailers to invest in the very expensive pumps that it takes to distribute E15. And that certainty is very necessary for that investment, but all of a sudden it becomes a very controversial issue where it has not been a controversial issue by presidential waiver or by those eight state governors petitioning EPA to have it in those states. It ought to be done now and help American agriculture and reduce the price of gasoline tremendously through E15. Now, I hear from some states that don't have E15 that their people don't want it because it's going to raise the price of gasoline. Come to Iowa. Come to other Midwestern states where we have E15 year-round, and you'll find that gasoline that has ethanol with a 15% mixture [is] cheaper than any other grade of gas that you can buy. -30-