D.C. Dispatch: Biofuels, baby formula and noncitizens voting

Fuel pumps at a gas station. (Photo by Perry Beeman/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Iowa lawmakers voiced concerns this week about noncitizens voting in federal elections as well as delays to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision on new biofuel standards.

Members of Iowa’s delegation also introduced new bills aimed at eliminating potential political biases in the Office of Inspector General and increasing the production of baby formula.

Here’s what Iowa lawmakers have been up to in Washington, D.C. this week:

Grassley introduces Office of Inspector General partisanship bill

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters are looking to further restrict employees of the Office of Inspector General from engaging in partisan activity.

The office is a nonpartisan government agency that aims to prevent government waste, abuse and fraud. 

“OIGs are the independent watchdogs protecting Americans’ taxpayer dollars and fighting waste, fraud and abuse in the executive branch. Their efficacy depends on their objectivity,” Grassley said in a press release. “Our commonsense, bipartisan bill would seal any gaps that might allow for political influence to creep in and skew OIGs’ invaluable work.”

Under the bill, the Office of Inspector General would be added to the Hatch Act, which bars some executive employees of nonpartisan government agencies from actively participating in political campaigns.

Agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigations are included in the Hatch Act.

Iowa lawmakers criticize EPA’s ‘inexcusable’ delay on biofuel standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would finalize biofuel blending volumes, also known as renewable volume obligations (RVOs), for 2026-28 sometime late next year. 

Iowa lawmakers argue that 18 months without new biofuel standards will cost producers and could result in lost jobs.

Grassley told Brownfield Ag News the EPA’s “irresponsible” decision will cost customers and businesses alike.

“It’s ridiculous to lose a whole 18 months to get RVOs,” Grassley told Brownfield. “I think it’s going to lead to more plants being shut down, more unemployment, and more harm to soybean prices.”

Rep. Randy Feenstra said further delays economically hurt those reliant on biofuel for work.

“Our farmers and biofuel producers are already facing inflation, high interest rates, low commodity prices and regulatory burdens that place pressure on their bottom lines. The EPA’s decision to waste an additional 18 months before finalizing biofuel blending volumes just adds salt to the wound,” Feenstra said in a news release.

Republicans push bill through House targeting noncitizen voting

All four Iowa House representatives voted in favor of a bill that would require all voters to show proof of citizenship before voting.

The bill, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), would also require states to examine their voter rolls to find noncitizens who are registered to vote.

According to supporters, the bill would prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something which is currently neither legal nor a prevalent issue. According to The Associated Press, less than 50 reports of noncitizens voting were found from state audits of voter rolls from states like Georgia and Arizona between 2016 and 2022.

Feenstra said the bill was crucial legislation that was needed to prevent noncitizens from voting.

“Illegal immigrants should never be allowed to vote in American elections. It is a privilege reserved only for American citizens,” Feenstra said in a press release. “That’s why I voted for legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and to ensure that states remove illegal immigrants from their voter rolls.”

Rep. Ashley Hinson posted on X about the concern of noncitizens voting in federal elections.

“The Biden Administration has allowed millions of illegal immigrants into our country, and we must ensure illegals cannot register to vote and sway our elections,” Hinson wrote.

Opponents of the bill argue noncitizens voting is a non-issue and that this will only make it harder to vote for citizens.

Iowa Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks also posted about their support for the SAVE Act and the need to ensure only citizens can vote in federal elections.

New bill aims at producing more baby formula

Nunn, alongside Pennsylvania Democrat Chrissy Houlahan, introduced a bill that would provide tax credits to small domestic producers of baby formula.

If passed, the bill would give companies a tax credit of $1.50 per pound of baby formula produced.

Nunn said in a press release that Congress needs to act to ensure the nation doesn’t see another baby formula crisis like what happened in May 2022 when the out-of-stock rates of baby formula skyrocketed.

“Just two years ago, millions of parents were scrambling to feed their babies – some even traveling miles or paying out-of-this-world prices just to get the formula their child needed,” Nunn said in a press release. “By supporting small-sized American manufacturers, we can prevent another shortage and keep children fed and happy.”

The bill would also require the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure department programs are promoting competition in the baby formula industry.

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