After Hearing from Iowa Farmers, Ernst Makes Their Voices Heard with Army Corps Leaders, Stresses Importance of Mississippi River Dredging Project

Statement

Having heard from a number of Iowa farmers, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) met with the Assistant Secretary of the Army, R.D. James--who oversees all aspects of the Army Corps (Corps) Civil Works program, including flood control and navigation--to stress the need for the Corps to fund a key dredging project on the Mississippi River.

The project would deepen the Mississippi River Ship Channel, a stretch of the river from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico, from 45 feet to 50 feet. More than half of all U.S. corn and soybean exports are shipped through this channel. With the Corps in the midst of developing the list of projects it will fund and begin work on this year, Senator Ernst, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, expressed her strong support for the project, which is broadly-supported by Iowa's agriculture community.

"Completing this project will put more money in the pockets of our hardworking farmers and help make Iowa's agriculture products more competitive in the global market," said Senator Joni Ernst. "I made it clear to Secretary James how important this project is for Iowa, and I hope to see the Army Corps prioritize it in 2020. Farmers received welcome news with the recent passage of USMCA and the signing of the U.S.-China phase one trade agreement, and getting this project underway would be another "win' that will position them for success for years to come."

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