DES MOINES, IOWA (December 20, 2023) — Governor Kim Reynolds released the following statement in support of the Iowa Congressional Delegation’s letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging them to reopen major rail crossings between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas as soon as possible:
“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.
“I fully support and want to personally thank the delegation for their work on defending Iowa agriculture.”
The delegation’s letter reads in part:
“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 US-Mexico business is conducted through these railways. For every day the railways are closed, sixty trains sit idle, and 4,500 Union Pacific rail-cars face delay, contributing to the embargo of grain and other goods.
“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 US is exported. Our agricultural exports support roughly one million US jobs and 31 percent of our American farm income.
“Let us be clear: this punitive move to harm America’s farmers will exacerbate the pain already felt by families across the country because of the border crisis you caused. We, therefore, urge you to establish operational control of these passes to reopen the flow of legal goods as quickly as possible. We appreciate your prompt response to this request.”
You can find the full letter here.
