GOP senator 'pleads' with Trump to rethink tariff as farmers fear devastating prices

03.02.2025 20:57

Raw Story

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is publicly pleading with President Donald Trump to protect U.S. farmers from the damaging effects of his trade tariffs with Canada.

Grassley posted on social media Monday, "Biden inflation increase the input cost to farming by 20% incl particularly high prices on fertilizer. So I plead w President Trump to exempt potash from the tariff because family farmers get most of our potash from Canada."

Iowa is the country's top producer of soybeans and corn, and farmers use potash as a fertilizer to increase crop yields. The state has close to 85,000 farming businesses that generate $34.7 billion in revenue each year, according to a company that tracks Iowa's farming statistics.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory 25% tariffs on up to $155 billion in U.S. imports after President Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports over the weekend.

"Trudeau urged Canadians to 'choose Canadian products' when shopping, effectively urging a boycott of U.S. goods. Locally, multiple premiers of Canadian provinces said they would be removing American alcohol brands from government store shelves altogether," the Associated Press reported.

Trump posted to social media Monday, "Canada doesn’t even allow U.S. Banks to open or do business there. What’s that all about?Many such things, but it’s also a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of people have died in the U.S. from drugs pouring through the Borders of Mexico and Canada." Trump added, "Just spoke to Justin Trudeau. Will be speaking to him again at 3:00 P.M."

Trump also imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican goods and an additional 10% for Chinese goods. On Monday, Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and agreed to pause the tariffs in exchange for 10,000 members of the Mexican National Guard sent to the border to deter drug trafficking.