D.C. Dispatch: Aviation fuel, college student aid, disaster assistance

A push for sustainable aviation fuel production was a major focus for lawmakers this week, as well as revisiting changes on the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. 

Read about the crop production expectations and more in this week’s D.C. Dispatch:

Grain growing and GREET model update

The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) Model has new requirements for farmers to qualify for tax credits when producing grains sold for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

For the remainder of 2024, farmers must use specific methods of producing their corn or soybeans used for the fuel, including efficient tiling and cover crops to qualify for 40B tax credits. 

Requirements for producers to qualify for the 45Z tax credit available in 2025 will be developed at a later date, according to the Department of the Treasury. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley said the formula will be easy to violate and without certain grain in the formula, there will not be enough feedstock to make enough fuel to meet requirements. 

“This GREET Model update is a stupid approach,” Grassley said in a video announcement. “Widespread use of sustainable aviation fuel will help fight global warming, but rejecting grain feedstocks will impede efforts to produce that fuel on a commercial scale.”

The GREET update comes during planting season and more than a month after the announcement had been planned to be made by President Joe Biden’s administration. 

“The Biden administration is deciding to play politics with what crops can be used in the SAF market and unfairly penalizing domestic producers for their farming practices,” Sen. Joni Ernst said in a news release. “This decision will ultimately hinder America’s ability to compete in this new alternative fuel market and force our country to be more reliant on foreign feedstocks for expanded biofuel production.”

Biden GREET Model update relies on political science > real science

Does any1 in Washington deciding this rule understand that grain on the farm is co mingled at local elevator?? Come 2real world IOWA for elementary lesson on farming corn/soybeans Stop harming our grain farmers

— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) May 1, 2024

Midwestern members of Congress have held GREET discussions over the past year, most making efforts to advocate for the adoption of the model. A news release from Ernst’s office said she works to ensure the GREET Model “qualifies as an eligible methodology when calculating SAF credits.” The update, the news release states, is an unfair penalization on certain domestic feedstocks. 

“While I am glad farmers can now be rewarded for their good conservation practices. I am disappointed the Administration chose a one-size-fits-all approach that will disadvantage many Iowa farmers,” Rep. Ashley Hinson said in a news release. “Rather than mandate a bundle of conservation techniques that will leave many Iowa farmers behind, conservation practices should qualify on individual merits.”

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a news release the updated model is “an important stepping stone as it acknowledges the important role farmers can play in lowering greenhouse gas emissions and begins to reward them through that contribution in the production of new fuels.”

Pushing for FAFSA form change

Grassley, Ernst and Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska met with the Department of Education to pass along concerns about asset calculations in the updated FAFSA. 

The senators argue that one of the questions on the form does not clearly define how assets, including family farms, should be calculated to determine aid eligibility. 

“Between this year’s FAFSA delays and the application’s vague farm reporting requirements, Washington bureaucrats have sown confusion for American families facing a significant financial investment in their kids’ futures,” Grassley said in a news release.

Ernst and Grassley made a request for an analysis to be conducted regarding the 2024-2025 aid process. 

“As I have long suspected, the Biden administration left our farm families in the dust while developing their new, flawed FAFSA form,” Ernst said in a news release. “Folks who have never stepped foot on a farm shouldn’t be writing policies that impact thousands in our ag communities.”

Ernst emphasized bipartisan legislation she introduced in April 2023 to address the needs of farm families and small business owners when completing the FAFSA. 

Disaster declaration desired

The Iowa delegation wrote a letter to Biden asking for a major disaster declaration for the state. The call for Biden to grant Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request for activation of the Individual Assistance Program and the Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Program came after storms hit southwestern of Iowa. 

The counties included in the request are Clarke, Crawford, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby and Union. 

If the request is granted, it would enable Iowans to apply for low-interest disaster loans and allow access to recovery services. 

Granting lead pipe replacements

A $30 million investment to replace lead water lines in Iowa was granted by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $30 million grant will be administered via the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. 

“Every Iowan should have access to clean, safe drinking water,” Grassley said in a news release. “These federal dollars will help our communities and ensure water coming out of the faucet is lead-free. I supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill with the health and safety of Iowans in mind, and I’m glad to see this investment continue to benefit our great state.”

Grassley and former Rep. Cindy Axne supported the legislation. The other Iowans in Congress voted against the 2021 bill. 

Feenstra bills in weather package

The National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act and the Weather Innovation for the Next Generation Act passed the House as part of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act.

The two bills were initiatives by Rep. Randy Feenstra. The National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act would update NWS Chat, a system that informs the public about dangerous weather conditions. 

“The powerful tornadoes that struck parts of Southwest Iowa last week were tragic,” Feenstra said in a news release. “As our community has come together to take care of our neighbors, it is vital that the National Weather Service has the capability to use every tool available to keep our families and communities safe from severe weather. When it comes to dangerous storms, every second matters and can be the difference between life and death.”

The Weather Innovation for the Next Generation Act would require research to improve weather radars obstructed by physical structures, including wind turbines. 

Feenstra reintroduced the bills in November after they were passed in the previous Congress.

TikTok trepidation

Hinson released a statement regarding a safety roundtable discussion in Cedar Rapids hosted by representatives of TikTok. 

“If TikTok truly cared about supporting American businesses and entrepreneurs, they would cut ties with Communist China-controlled ByteDance,” Hinson said in a news release. “As long as TikTok is owned by ByteDance, Communist China controls the content we see and the Chinese government can access Americans’ data, passwords, and keystrokes with the click of a button.”

Ernst wrote a letter with Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, calling on the Biden-Harris campaign to stop using TikTok to support their reelection efforts until TikTok has been sold by ByteDance. 

“You signed into law H.R. 815, legislation formalizing what we have known for a long time—TikTok is a national security threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Ernst wrote in a letter to Biden. “Yet your presidential campaign defiantly continues to use TikTok, ignoring the serious concerns your own administration’s officials have raised.”

Ernst and Hinson both voted in favor of banning TikTok if it is not sold by its parent company to an American-controlled company. 

Low-income pre-kindergarten funding

Rep. Zach Nunn introduced a bill that would fund state-led pre-kindergarten programs for children who live in low-income communities. 

The bipartisan bill would support state education agencies providing pre-kindergarten programs for households making $30,000 or less. 

“Every Iowan, regardless of zip code or income deserves access to affordable education opportunities,” Nunn said in a news release. “We have an obligation to ensure that public education is meeting the needs of every single child.”

Nunn introduced the bill alongside Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat from Washington. 

Perry police awarded

Nunn presented Perry police officers with the Iowa Medal of Merit at a ceremony in Perry on April 26. 

“In January, our community was rocked by the tragic attack at Perry High School. The Perry Police Department helped save lives with their courageous and rapid response,” Nunn said in a news release. “It’s my privilege to honor these men and women in uniform for their willingness to run into danger to keep our community safe. We can’t say thank you enough!”

In January,the Perry community experienced a tragic shooting at Perry High School. I stopped by the Perry Police Department today to show our appreciation to those who responded to the shooting. We can’t say thank you enough for your willingness to run into danger to keep us safe pic.twitter.com/Rzm36COzGu

— Congressman Zach Nunn (@ZachNunn) April 26, 2024

The Iowa Medal of Merit is presented to community heroes honorably serving their community. 

Sexual violence awareness

Grassley led a bipartisan resolution to highlight sexual assault prevention measures and to encourage support for survivors of sexual assault. 

“Far too many Americans have suffered physical and psychological trauma as a result of sexual assault,” Grassley said in a news release. “We must make certain these brave survivors know they are not alone in their struggle.”

The bill was introduced in late April, sexual assault awareness and prevention month. 

Gaza refugee rejection

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the Biden administration is “constantly evaluating policy proposals to further support Palestinians who are family members of American citizens and may want to come to the United States.”

Ernst led Grassley and 33 other senators in a letter to Biden, saying allowing Gazan refugees to come to the U.S. is a national security risk and doubted the federal government’s ability to “vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States.”

“We are confused as to why the United States is willing to accept Gazan refugees when even nearby Arab countries supportive of the Palestinian cause refuse to take them in due to security reasons,” the senators wrote. 

Feenstra on foreign digital trade

Feenstra led a letter with nine other representatives criticizing digital trade policy decisions. The letter was sent to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and emphasized the “harmful and economic and deficit impacts of the Biden administration’s digital trade policy decisions.”

Data-localization requirements were among the concerns of the letter-writers, saying certain practices could result in a taxable presence for U.S. companies participating in digital trade in foreign countries. 

The letter is a follow-up to a November letter from a bipartisan group expressing opposition after the U.S. trade representative’s office announced it would alter how it approaches digital trade rules. The decision was a reversal from the Trump administration’s approach to digital trade. 

“We’ve seen how foreign countries have targeted the American economy to collect additional tax revenue,” Feenstra said in a news release. “The next iteration of this trend could occur following the U.S. Trade Representative’s reversal on digital trade policies that would allow foreign countries to require American businesses to either invest in those countries or lose access to those markets.”

Proposed poultry definition change

Ernst led a letter, which Grassley signed, advocating for a change in the definition of “poultry” to better classify between commercially raised poultry and backyard flocks or wild birds in light of the effect of bird flu on trade. 

The letter was sent to the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Michael Watson. 

The lawmakers advocate for a discrepancy between non-commercial “backyard” flocks and commercially raised birds, citing foreign trade bans from other countries on U.S. states because of diseases in localized, noncommercial flocks. 

“America’s agricultural competitiveness depends on having fair, up-to-date global animal health rules, which would provide our producers with a level playing field,” the lawmakers wrote. 

The letter has more than 50 lawmakers signed on. 

Feenstra surgery

A social media post indicated Feenstra had a scheduled surgery Thursday to treat a blood clot. 

Today, Congressman Feenstra had a scheduled, outpatient surgery that successfully treated a blood clot in his leg. At his doctor’s request, and to ensure he is best able to fulfill his official responsibilities, he’ll remain in Washington & limit his travel until fully recovered.

— Rep. Randy Feenstra (@RepFeenstra) May 2, 2024