National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, like many Iowans, for the first time in my life, I wasn't able to share a meal with my family this Thanksgiving. That doesn't keep me from being thankful for the essential workers of our country who have also missed many Thanksgiving meals. Still, these essential workers provide and continue to provide for and keep our country safe.

An essential job that often gets overlooked is that of the 86,000 Iowa farm families who produce the food that we consume on Thanksgiving and the 364 days out of the rest of the year. That is why I am proud to see Ron and Susie Kardel from Walcott, IA, get well-deserved recognition this past week. You see, Ron and Susie, along with their two turkeys, Corn and Cob, participated in a time-honored White House tradition. That tradition is the National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony at the White House. This ceremony helps connect the dots for many Americans, showing them that the food they put on the Thanksgiving table isn't grown in a grocery store.

So I want to thank Ron, Susie, and President Trump for highlighting Iowa agriculture this Thanksgiving. In a year that has been so very difficult for most Americans, it is nice to see traditions like this carried on.

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