[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H3977-H3978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IOWA BUSINESSES INNOVATE DURING PANDEMIC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on an issue 
that has directly impacted businesses and farmers across Iowa's Second 
Congressional District.
  The last few years have been challenging for all of us. Manufacturing 
has been hit hard, with rising costs and supply chain disruptions 
impacting numerous sectors of our economy.
  Although much of life has returned to normal since the pandemic 
began, the slow movement of goods through our economy is creating major 
headaches for American families. Empty

[[Page H3978]]

shelves are becoming all too common at stores, goods from overseas are 
being delayed by weeks or even months, contributing to higher shelf 
prices, and we are facing an unprecedented supply chain crisis.
  Even though the administration and the Transportation Secretary don't 
seem to know what to do about supply chain problems, our companies in 
Iowa do. In Iowa, agricultural producers are also feeling the crunch 
with their capacity for goods being hampered by a combination of 
surging demand for containerized shipping and a massive backlog at our 
Nation's ports. This inefficiency has downstream effects on commodity 
prices, hurting farmers and ranchers across the country.
  As global competition has increased, control over our supply chain 
has fallen into the hands of fewer and fewer countries, most notably 
China. Such geographic concentration of supply chains has left many 
U.S. companies vulnerable to disruption, something we are now acutely 
experiencing.
  Vermeer Corporation in Pella has been working overtime to produce 
their famous yellow iron at a record pace despite supply chain issues. 
Vermeer has even gone above and beyond during this difficult time, 
working to help out their customers and partners. Last fall, a group of 
Vermeer team members, working at a supplier in Minnesota, worked for 6 
weeks at their own cost away from their families to make the harnesses 
necessary to keep that beautiful yellow iron moving out the doors. 
Vermeer did whatever was necessary to keep their job done despite the 
supply chain challenges they were facing.
  Kent Corporation, headquartered in Muscatine, is a family-owned 
corporation that manufactures several food and beverage products. They 
have faced supply chain issues similar to all companies, but working 
mainly with agricultural products, impairment in their industry adds on 
to the difficulties our agriculture producers and farmers face every 
day. All the while, our farmers continue to deal with increased input 
costs.
  CNH Industrial, located in Burlington, their biggest facility by 
square footage in the United States, also faced supply chain issues.
  During our visit, we heard firsthand about their difficulty getting 
essential parts for their equipment, but their employees innovated and 
started producing the much-needed stabilizer bar on their backhoes. It 
was not felt that this little part could be produced in the United 
States. It was being imported from Brazil. They designed, cut, and 
welded in 2 weeks in order to meet their customers' needs. The industry 
did not think it could be done here in the United States. It was 
inspiring to see what the people of Iowa are capable of doing during 
these difficult times, but these visits showed me how much of an impact 
the supply chain disruptions have on everyone throughout southeastern 
Iowa.
  Lomont Molding in Mt. Pleasant does custom plastic design and molding 
for HVAC and agriculture businesses, concrete accessories for roads and 
buildings, and chemicals with a market that reaches every corner of the 
world. Plastic shortages have led them to use cast-off plastic, and now 
99 percent of their regrind is reformulated and placed in their 
products. They also purchased a corrugator machine to make their own 
cardboard boxes and dividers for shipping. By reducing imports from 
foreign companies, their customers have more reliability and 
dependability.
  Delays in deliveries have forced manufacturers across the country to 
resort to unorthodox and expedited methods of getting critical 
supplies. All these companies have adapted and improvised and 
demonstrate the critical need for reliance on home-grown products and 
solutions by in-house innovation or on-shoring. Pretending the supply 
chain crisis doesn't exist isn't going to make it magically go away. It 
isn't just a high-class problem. This should not be a partisan issue. 
Let's get to work and deliver real results that support businesses and 
farmers across the country.
  I would also like to wish a happy birthday to my good friend, Ashlee.

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