John Block Reports from Washington

Hello everybody out there in farm country.  This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association.  They are all friends, supporters, and allies of healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America.

Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary –

After 2 long years of distraction and political attacks, Special Counsel Muller released his report.  “The Trump campaign did not conspire or coordinate with the Russian government.”  “The Witch Hunt” is over and done with.  The cloud is lifted.  Attorney General William Barr ruled- “No evidence to support obstruction of justice.”  It is time for our elected government officials to focus on the real issues facing our country.  I don’t suggest we should not hold Russia accountable, but we do have other things to do.  We have a crisis of 1 million illegals crashing our southern border.  Each day border patrol officers are releasing into our country 1,000 immigrant family members. (each day – 1,000.)  Some members of Congress are saying it’s nothing – Don’t worry about it.  They are wrong.  Laws are being broken and our border security is failing.  Our elected officials – both parties should negotiate a legislative solution.  We need legal workers to butcher the hogs and pick the strawberries.  Citizens of this country should demand action.

We have other work to do.  How about fixing our roads and bridges and especially locks and dams?  If we are going to be a world leader, we need an infrastructure that will deliver the goods.  Think about it this way.  To get this done will be costly.  But for those of us that use roads, bridges and waterways, we should pay a “users fee.”  How about raising the gas tax?  It has not been increased for more than 35 years.  Be creative.

I was on a conference call yesterday with AG leaders across the country.  It was the Trump AG team.  The governor of Nebraska updated us on the damage the storms have inflicted.  In Nebraska and surrounding states more than 5 million baby calves were drowned.  Millions of acres under water.  Our waterways are so old.  They need a lot of work.

Another very important piece of work for our Congress – get to work and pass our new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada (USMCA).  It’s good for agriculture and good for our country.

Finally, thank you to the Trump Administration for their decision to delist the gray wolf as an endangered species.  We have more than 5,000 gray wolves in the U.S. and Canada has 50,000. And the Canadian wolves don’t even have to get a passport to cross the border.  Maybe we can prevent them from killing our baby calves and sheep.  That does it for this week.

Until next week, this John Block reporting from Washington, D.C.  If you would like to review my radio shows going back more than 20 years, just go on-line to www.johnblockreports.com.