[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 112 (Monday, June 28, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H3160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     STOP ATTACKS ON RURAL AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa 
(Mr. Feenstra) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FEENSTRA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge President Biden and 
his administration to back off on the attacks on rural America and 
rural Iowa.
  The administration has proposed changes to the stepped-up basis tax 
policy, which is, effectively, the death tax with a new coat of paint.
  I have heard from farmers all across the Fourth District who are 
concerned about these changes, and they would be financially 
devastating, especially when it comes to passing on that family farm to 
the next generation.
  This was confirmed in a recent study by Texas A&M and the Agriculture 
and Food Policy Center. It noted that the stepped-up basis changes 
would impact 98 percent of family farms and impose an additional $1 
million tax on farms in the Midwest.
  It is simple. The hardworking men and women of the Fourth District 
and those who feed the world should not have to foot the bill for the 
Democrats' reckless spending agenda.
  The Biden administration isn't just looking at penalizing rural 
Americans with higher taxes. They are also looking at implementing 
burdensome regulations that will crush rural Main Streets and our 
agricultural community in the Midwest.
  Administrator Regan of the EPA recently announced that the EPA would 
look into undoing the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which 
replaced waters of the U.S. as a smarter, more efficient, and more 
straightforward approach to defining what waters warrant Federal 
regulation.
  A return to WOTUS, which allowed the Federal Government to regulate 
water on 97 percent of the land in Iowa, would force unnecessary and 
costly government regulations on the backs of Iowa farmers. There are 
many places the Federal Government bureaucrats just don't belong, and 
specifically, they don't belong on our family farms.
  When the executive branch's power exploded under the Obama 
administration, we saw ridiculous rules implemented and enforced, 
leading to rising costs in the ag industry and snuffing out economic 
growth on our rural Main Streets and in our rural communities.
  This attempted power grab ultimately proved why water regulation is 
best left to States and localities.
  Put simply, the Biden administration's Big Government agenda for 
rural America includes higher taxes and more regulation, but this 
administration isn't stopping at this one-two gut punch. President 
Biden is also looking to undermine the RFS and lowering biofuel 
blending requirements. This will hurt both crop growers and biofuel 
producers, two industries that are so critical to our economic activity 
in rural Iowa.
  At the same time, the administration is laughing as they propose 
spending $174 billion on electric vehicles and charging stations. A 
study by Biden's own Department of Energy found that four out of every 
five vehicles will still require liquid fuels by 2050. Think about 
that. Four out of every five cars in 2050 will still need liquid fuels.
  Why is President Biden taking aim at this critical industry? It seems 
the Democrats are shrugging their shoulders, comfortable with turning 
their backs on the rural Midwest, farmers, our rural Main Streets. I 
say enough is enough.
  Rural Iowans are already suffering from high gas taxes and grocery 
prices due to this incredible inflation, which is a direct result of 
Democrats' massive and reckless spending. Gas prices are over 50 
percent higher than they were a year ago. Our food and energy prices 
continue to rise because of inflation.

  In May 2021, the Consumer Price Index increased at a rate that has 
not been seen since the 2008 recession. On top of the Biden inflation 
tax, our farmers can't afford additional taxes, more regulations, and 
other policies that will hinder the most important industries and will 
stifle growth in the rural Midwest, creating a disaster for rural Main 
Streets, our producers, and our family farmers.
  Iowa is the breadbasket to the world. That is why President Biden 
must back off rural America. Please back off agriculture.

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