D.C. Dispatch: E15 waiver restrictions, AI safety and prison contraband

(Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

This past week, Iowa’s congressional delegation focused on economic growth, military matters both in state and afar, and celebrated a waiver allowing the summertime sale of E15. 

Approaching a scheduled week off for both chambers, the House is now looking at an uncommon Saturday vote for an Israel-Ukraine-Taiwan aid package. 

Here’s a look at what the delegation was up to this week:

Summer E15 waiver celebrations

The EPA announced Friday the issuance of an emergency waiver permitting the nationwide sale of E15 fuel during the summer.

E15 will now be sold for its sixth consecutive year in Midwestern states. The waiver allows for continual sales in 2025 and beyond, as announced by the EPA in February. 

“This summertime waiver is good news and will preserve access to E15 in the immediate term,” Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a news release. “However, EPA’s tradition of issuing stopgap E15 authorizations must come to an end. There’s no reason to disrupt the industry by withholding year-round, nationwide E15.”

Sen. Joni Ernst criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for the “last-minute” nature of the waiver, which will go into effect June 1 for retail stations. 

“As everyone is feeling the pain at the pump, they should have E15 year-long, instead of waiting for the whims of the administration to issue a last-minute waiver,” Ernst said in a news release.

Iowa delegates and delegates representing other Midwestern states have sent several letters in the previous months, asking for such a waiver to be issued. 

“Expanding access to biofuels is a win for consumers, producers, and the environment,” Rep. Ashley Hinson said in a news release. “EPA’s waiver is a step in the right direction, but it’s crucial that Iowa drivers and biofuel producers have long term certainty, so I will continue working to make the year-round sale of E15 permanent.”

Rep. Zach Nunn introduced a bill earlier in the week to authorize the sale of E15 in the summer, and Grassley and Ernst sent a letter to Biden earlier this week asking for year-round E15. 

“I’m glad to see this administration relent their stubborn opposition of E15 by issuing an emergency waiver for this summer,” Nunn said in a news release. “This waiver wouldn’t have been necessary if the administration hadn’t delayed permanent implementation of year-round E15 until 2025, but this is the right thing for the economy, climate, and families that will benefit from cheaper fuel this summer.”

Des Moines airport lands $2.2 million grant

New terminals at the Des Moines airport have received funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bill Grassley supported in 2021. 

Grassley and former Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat, supported the bill, while all other Iowa lawmakers opposed the measure. The $2.2 million grant will support the construction of several common-use terminal areas. 

“The Des Moines International Airport, being the largest airport in Iowa, is critical both for passenger travel, and for moving our products to market,” Grassley said in a news release. “I backed the bipartisan infrastructure law with Iowa’s future in mind and recognizing the need to set the wheels in motion on important projects like this one.”

Nunn now sits in Axne’s seat, and also represents the land on which the Des Moines airport sits. 

“This investment in critical infrastructure will continue to make the travel experience better for all visitors to the Des Moines airport,” Nunn said in a news release. “I’ll continue to fight to bring back these investments to our community at every opportunity.”

Calling for firmer contraband penalties

Increased penalties are on the table for those who smuggle contraband cellphones into federal prisons under a Grassley-introduced bill. 

“Prisoners are increasingly using contraband cellphones to coordinate illegal activity from within correctional facilities,” Grassley said in a news release. “That’s an obvious safety risk to prison staff, other inmates and the public.”

A 2010 Grassley bill designated cellphones as contraband. His 2024 bipartisan bill would make the smuggling of contraband cellphones a felony offense rather than a misdemeanor. 

Illicit drug precursor chemical seizures

A bill to work with Mexico, Colombia, Peru and other countries to seize precursor chemicals for illicit drugs was introduced by Grassley this week. 

The bipartisan bill would create the Precursor Chemical Destruction Initiative to partner with counties to increase the rate that precursor chemicals are seized and destroyed. 

“Our bill would target the first link in the illicit drug supply chain in order to cut off this poisonous pipeline,” Grassley said in a news release. “By working with global partners to root out precursor chemicals, we can help stop the flow of drugs and save lives.” 

The bill comes after concerns from Grassley that Mexico does not destroy seized precursors and does not accurately report the seizures. 

Small business training

Nunn helped introduce a bill that would require the federal government to increase education for small businesses on federal government reporting requirements.

 “These businesses are drowning in bureaucratic red tape – making it harder every single day for these businesses to turn the key in the door,” Nunn said in a news release. “It’s even harder for a business to comply with reporting requirements when they haven’t been informed. This is a commonsense solution to help roll back the bureaucratic paperwork and reduce the burden on small businesses.”

The bill would prevent small businesses from being penalized if the federal government has not informed them of reporting requirements. 

Manufacturing new jobs in manufacturing

Grants for communities and groups to prepare sites for manufacturing projects are the focus of a bipartisan bill recently introduced by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. 

The bill would establish a grant program to encourage the development of manufacturing opportunities for industries deemed strategically important by the secretary of commerce. 

“This program not only empowers regions to attract investment and create jobs in Iowa but also ensures our nation’s strategic interests and economic security are safeguarded,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release.

Artificial intelligence and youth safety

Hinson helped introduce a bill that would establish a commission to prevent and prosecute crimes against children that are generated through artificial intelligence, or AI.

The bipartisan bill calls for an evaluation of how AI can be used to exploit children as well as an analysis of the efficacy of the current legal framework in pursuing charges in AI-related child sex abuse cases.

Hinson said as a mother, she is concerned about the misuse of AI to exploit her children.

“We’ve already seen heinous uses of AI – protecting our kids needs to be a top priority as this technology gains traction,” Hinson said in a news release. 

Military child care access

Ernst has introduced a bipartisan bill to improve child care in and around military installations. 

If the bill were to pass, the Department of Defense could partner with private and public child care centers. The bill would also require training by those centers from the Department of Defense. 

“By boosting training and recruitment efforts, this bipartisan bill will ensure military kids are safe and loved while their parents diligently train and prepare to protect our nation,” Ernst said in a news release.

The bill was introduced with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire. 

Food supply protections

Hinson, Miller-Meeks and Nunn introduced a bipartisan bill Hinson said will “ensure Communist China does not have the power to restrict American food production.”

The Securing American Agriculture Act would require the Department of Agriculture to research policy ideas to mitigate threats China could pose to American food production. 

Hinson’s office warns the production of vitamins and amino acids used to produce animal feed, if controlled by China to a large extent, could increase animal production costs or cause shortages. 

“China has captured significant market share for agricultural inputs that are vital to our domestic food supply, ceding our top adversary leverage and control,” Hinson said in a news release. “Iowa farmers have told me firsthand that if China decides to shut off U.S. access to these inputs, food production could slow to a halt.”

Solidifying antisemitism definition

Grassley joined a bipartisan bill that would use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism in federal anti-discrimination laws on college campuses. 

The IHRA definition would be permanently adopted under this bill. The definition is “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

According to Grassley’s office, the adoption could clarify and identify manifestations of antisemitism. 

“The Education Department is charged with investigating antisemitism at higher-ed institutions, and it should be using the most effective methods to do so,” Grassley said in a news release. “We must be uncompromising in our efforts to call out and condemn antisemitism.”

Sioux City refueling wing upgrades

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall committed to holding the branch accountable to a timeline to finish a project in Sioux City.

Newer airplanes will not be compatible with the 185th Air Refueling Wing runway in Sioux City. The airfield has been waiting for an upgrade since 2003. 

In an Armed Services Committee hearing this week, Kendall said the process has already been initiated.

Data requests for abortions at the VA

Ernst introduced a bill to increase transparency on abortion procedures conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

“As a mom, new grandma, and 23-year combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of our great United States Army, I firmly believe that the VA should be focused on improving American lives, not destroying them,” Ernst said in a news release.

The VA Abortion Transparency Act is a response to a 2022 decision by the Biden administration to permit abortions in the VA health care system. The bill would require quarterly reports on the number of abortions done by VA, including the method and gestational weeks. 

Contesting transgender athlete participation

Miller-Meeks signed onto a letter to the NCAA calling for a rule to ban “biological men” from participating in women’s sports. Eligibility for transgender women to participate in NCAA sports is “dangerous” and “erodes critical Title IX protections,” according to Miller-Meeks’ office. 

Miller-Meeks said collegiate women’s sports will remain under attack unless such a ban is enacted by the NCAA. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and various states have issued rulings preventing transgender women from competing in sports. 

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