More chaotic tariffs threaten Iowa jobs, families and farmers

Reps. Nunn and Miller-Meeks do nothing to stop tariffs hurting farmers and Iowa businesses

President Trump announced Monday that the United States will raise tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts and steel to 50% on January 1, 2027, doubling top-line duties on Canadian auto imports overnight and continuing a reckless trade war with Iowa's largest trading partner. 

Canada has already responded with retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion of U.S. goods,, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to retaliate "dollar for dollar".

For Iowa, this is not an abstract trade fight. Canada is the state's biggest export market, and nearly $9 billion in goods flow between our two economies each year. Around sixty percent of the corn raised in Iowa goes to ethanol, and Canadian buyers purchase a wide swath of the agricultural products our farmers work on all year.

Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union and a farmer from rural Polk County, said that he is disappointed that Iowa’s Representatives have done nothing to lower costs as the chaotic tariffs policy has raised costs, damaged farm markets, and gotten no closer to fair trade terms.

“Our members of congress have voted for chaotic tariffs and voiced their support for them all along,” Lehman said.  “But now our farmers and all Iowans are feeling the pain of increased costs and decreased farm revenue. Farmers have been losing money on every acre of crops we grow. Rural communities are losing jobs that depend on a strong farm economy. Our representatives need to reassert their authority and stand up for fair trade for family farmers."