by U. S. Representative 4th District Randy Feenstra
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a powerful address to Congress amid Putin’s reckless invasion of Ukraine. The images of death and destruction are heartbreaking.
Last week, I was proud to support more than $13 billion in aid for the Ukrainian people, but we have to do more. The Biden Administration needs to authorize the transfer of MiG-29 planes and other critical military supplies to Ukraine so that they can protect their sovereignty against the Russian onslaught.
Ukrainians are freedom-loving people who will not back down from this fight. We need to be with them every step of the way.
HOLDING RUSSIA ACCOUNTABLE
I was proud to join my colleague from Oklahoma, Rep. Stephanie Bice, in introducing the Make Russia Pay Act that would allow our Treasury Department to seize Russian assets and use those funds to aid Ukrainian refugees and provide humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.
By draining Putin’s war chest and redirecting that money to the brave Ukrainian people, we can defeat this unlawful invasion and deliver immediate relief to the people who need it most.
SECURING AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
During my 39 county tour stops, Iowans tell me that they want America to be energy independent again. I completely agree. We need to unleash American energy production now.
President Biden’s policy decisions to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline and end federal oil and gas drilling are impacting us all at the pump. But, with the help of Iowa-grown biofuels, we can lower gas prices and secure our energy independence for decades to come.
ADVOCATING FOR BIOFUELS IN THE UPCOMING FARM BILL
On Tuesday, the House Agriculture Committee held another hearing on the upcoming Farm Bill. As the top biofuels producing district in the country, I took the opportunity to urge my colleagues to support measures in next year’s Farm Bill that would incentivize and increase biofuels production in Iowa.
In my remarks, I expressed my disappointment that the Biden Administration has completely ignored how biofuels can help make our country energy independent, lower gas prices, and reduce emissions.
Iowa can lead the way in domestic renewable energy production if this Administration lets us.
MEETING WITH MID-WEST ELECTRIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION
This week, I met with the Mid-West Electric Consumers Association, which advocates for federal power consumers in the Missouri River Basin.
We talked about how we can work together to lower energy costs for Iowa families and mitigate power outages across Northwest Iowa, particularly when we have devastating storms that roll through our communities.
It’s critical that we utilize renewable energy like hydropower, wind, and solar to secure American energy independence for future generations.
MAINTAINING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
As Ranking Member of the House Research and Technology Subcommittee, I helped lead a hearing on maintaining American leadership in setting technical standards for groundbreaking technologies worldwide.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recently released a national strategy for technical standards, usurping American leadership and announcing their intentions to set global standards for next-generation technologies. We cannot allow China to dominate international standards for the technologies of tomorrow.
That’s why I supported the bipartisan National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Future Act to ensure that America is leading the way in setting international technical standards for all sorts of technologies. Unfortunately, this legislation was delayed and hijacked by partisan poison pills and has no path forward in the Senate.
These partisan games have to end. We cannot afford to play politics with our global competitiveness and national security.
We are government together, and I am here to serve you. Your thoughts, concerns, and comments are very important to me. Always feel free to call (202) 225-4426 or visit my website at feenstra.house.gov.
