Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Iowans from Fort Dodge and Webster County to our nation’s capital to discuss opportunities and challenges facing our families, farmers, and businesses. We had an extensive and productive conversation on a wide range of issues from education and agriculture to infrastructure and tax policy.

The delegation to Washington included Fort Dodge Mayor Matt Bemrich, Fort Dodge City Manager David Fierke, City of Fort Dodge Chief Development Officer Chad Schaeffer, Director of Aviation at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport Rhonda Chambers, CEO of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Astra Ferris, Webster County Supervisors Niki Conrad and Austin Hayek, President of Iowa Central Community College Dr. Jesse Ulrich, ICCC Vice President of External Relations and Government Affairs Relations Jim Kersten, Wade Greiman with Snyder & Associates, Luke Hugghins with McClure Engineering, and Fort Dodge City Councilmembers Dave Flattery and Jen Crimmins.

This is truly a dedicated group of people who want to see Fort Dodge and Webster County continue to grow and thrive – as do I. Their insights are invaluable to my work on behalf of our communities in Congress, and their voice is critical to advancing priorities important to rural Iowa. An important matter that we covered was education, specifically discussing policies that can help the next generation of Iowans reach their career goals. As a father of four, I know the power of education. We must ensure that our kids have the tools and resources that they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. It’s why I helped introduce legislation to make federal Pell Grants completely tax-free. I have long supported Pell Grants because they offer academic opportunities to our students and ensure that Iowans who might otherwise skip higher education because of the cost can pursue advanced studies. These grants are an important investment in the next generation of leaders, farmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who will support our communities and power our economy forward. However, current law still requires some students to pay taxes on their Pell Grants, reducing the financial support that these grants are intended to provide. Under this legislation, dollars spent on non-tuition related items like childcare and technology purchases that are currently taxed as income would no longer be – allowing students to focus on their studies.

We also discussed my strong support of the Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act, which would restore the decades-old standard that exempts the value of assets found on family farms and at small businesses from being assessed as part of a family’s net worth when Iowa families submit the Federal Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) for college aid purposes. Counting assets — like farmland and equipment that cannot be easily liquidated — against farm families when applying for FAFSA punishes farm kids for no reason. By getting this legislation across the finish line, we can ensure that our kids in rural areas have the same shot at getting a college degree just like their peers in urban centers.

Another topic that we talked about was the Farm Bill. I noted that Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee – on which I serve – passed the Farm Bill out of committee last May with bipartisan support. However, Senate Democrats were never serious about getting this legislation signed into law, forcing us to pass a second one-year extension of the Farm Bill at the end of 2024. I have introduced several pieces of legislation – like lowering the cost of crop insurance for the next generation of Iowa farmers, building refrigeration infrastructure to ship perishable Iowa agricultural products across the globe, and keeping China away from our farmland – which were included in last year’s Farm Bill. I’m working to include these provisions, along with many others, in the next five-year Farm Bill that we assemble. With the farm economy softening, we need to get this must-pass legislation signed into law by President Trump as soon as possible to deliver certainty and relief for our producers. I remain committed to this goal so that the backbone of our economy – agriculture – can thrive. Finally, we had time to chat about local infrastructure projects in Fort Dodge and across Webster County, including Des Moines River improvements, investments in the Fort Dodge Regional Airport, and expansion of the very successful agricultural park.

Additionally, we covered the Sept. 30, 2026, expiration of the current surface transportation authorization, which helps fund federal highways and highway construction projects nationwide.

Being accessible to and transparent with Iowans is important to me. I enjoy having dialogues about policies that can help our communities thrive, our economy grow, and our families, farmers, and businesses succeed. I appreciate everything that these local Fort Dodge and Webster County leaders do, and look forward to their next trip to Washington, D.C. As always, please never hesitate to contact our office online at Feenstra.House.Gov or by phone at 202-225-4426 if we can ever be helpful with navigating the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District.