Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds sent Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg to a ribbon-cutting in her place today in Muscatine, so she could be in Washington, DC for a meeting with President Trump.
Reynolds says she'll be there with other governors and members of Congress, talking at the White House with President Trump over the president's decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. It's action that prompted China to announce its own tariffs on ag imports, and the Governor's expected to make the case that the trade war with China could cost Iowa farmers dearly.
The President is expected to announce that he'll take advantage of a seldom-used Commodity Credit program to borrow up to $30 billion dollars to help farmer hit in the crossfire between countries.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the Iowa Senate are preparing to send President Trump a letter urging him to call off his tariff war. The Democrats say Iowa farmers will be hurt by the action and it is "needless". We'll learn later Thursday how many Senate Democrats added their names to the letter.