WASHINGTON – Iowa’s Congressional Delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday urging them to reopen major southern border rail crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas as soon as possible.
The letter signed by U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn, and Randy Feenstra, as well as, U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst called the Biden Administration’s decision to close the rail crossings “shortsighted” stating it “punishes Americans and American small businesses—particularly farmers in Iowa—for your administration’s failure to secure the border.”
“More than one third of the nation’s business with Mexico is exchanged between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. Further, 45 percent of Union Pacific’s U.S.-Mexico business is conducted through these railways. For every day the railways are closed, 60 trains sit idle and 4,500 Union Pacific rail cars face delay, contributing to the embargo of grain and other goods,” the letter states.
“Iowa proudly leads the country in agriculture, with our farmers working day in, day out to feed and fuel the world. The importance of rail for transporting Iowa’s grain and agricultural products across the country cannot be overstated. Furthermore, one of every three planted acres in the U.S. is exported. Our agricultural exports support roughly one million U.S. jobs and 31 percent of our American farm income,” the members of the Iowa Congressional Delegation state.
Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed support for the letter.
“The Biden Administration is punishing Iowa farmers and American consumers by ignoring their constitutional duty to address the invasion of our country at the Southern border. Not only is the Biden Administration’s failure to act harming our national security, but now its directly harming our nation’s economy as well. These railways must be reopened to allow the export of high-quality agriculture products,” she said. “I fully support and want to personally thank the delegation for their work on defending Iowa agriculture.”
Read the full letter below:
2023-12-20-IA-Delegation-Letter-to-President-Biden
