U.S. Congresswoman Cindy Axne
As COVID-19 has infected more than 1,600 workers at meatpacking plants in Iowa, U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (D) is asking President Donald Trump to utilize the Defense Production act to produce the needed Personal Protective Equipment for workers.
President Trump recently ordered the reopening of the country’s meat packing plants to maintain its food supply chain, and Axne says the agriculture industry is critical to Iowa’s economy, but that a strong economy depends on a healthy population. She says since the outbreaks in meatpacking plants began she has been in communication with agricultural and business leaders across her district, “Recently many have emphasized the importance of maintaining the food supply chain and of course I know how important our packing plants are and feeding this whole country and the world as a matter of fact. But if we’re compelling the workers at these plants to go to work because we view them as critical, then there needs to be an ironclad assurance that they’ve got those protections that they need that are critical for essential workers.”
Axne sent a letter with fellow Iowa Congress members Abby Finkenauer and Dave Loebsack to the President asking to invoke his power under the Defense Production Act to ensure plants have enough PPE to operate. You can hear more from Axne in Thursday’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program online at raccoonvalleyradio.com.