����vlog

Coming up on ����vlog 8 news close up, Iowa could go hands-free. The momentum the governor's no cell phone while driving bill is gaining in the state house in the next steps to get it passed. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack joins us in studio for *** conversation on potential cuts to USAID and USDA programs, the impact he says farmers could see, and changes to the Department of Education are coming. The executive order President Donald Trump signed in Washington DC and the anticipated impact here at home. This is Iowa's news leader. This is ����vlog 8 News close up. Good morning and thank you for joining us for ����vlog 8 News close up. I'm Ophelia Jacobson. We begin today with President Trump's executive order to dismantle the US Department of Education and the reaction from some of our political leaders here in Iowa. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was in Washington DC for the signing of the. Executive order Thursday in *** post on X, she thanked the president and the Secretary of Education and wrote that education decisions should be made by parents, teachers, and local communities. House Minority Leader Jennifer Confurst reacted to her trip during *** press conference ahead of that signing. I think it's pretty scary because it's very clear. That Iowa families cannot trust Kim Reynolds and Republicans in the legislature to handle public education in the way that it deserves. Here in Iowa, we reached out to Iowa student loan CEO Stephen McCulloch tells ����vlog he doesn't anticipate any impacts to his organization. I also reached out to the Iowa State Education Association. In *** statement, the organization's president noted that more than $800 million annually are awarded to Iowa school districts. Brown says the abolition of programs in the Department of Ed will directly impact communities and the education of children. Well, it could soon be illegal in Iowa to use your cell phone while driving unless it's in *** hands-free or voice activated mode. *** bill laying out those restrictions passed through the Iowa Senate and will be up for debate next week in the House. It's something lawmakers have been trying to pass for years. Speakers of the House. of the House Pat Grassley says Iowans are regularly impacted by the issue. We've heard from more and more Iowans, and I think we all just see it on *** daily basis, the usage of phones while they're driving, and we have enough members now that have really pushed leadership in *** position to that. We need to have this full discussion. The Iowa Senate passed the bill Tuesday. House Minority Leader Jennifer Connor says Democrats have been waiting for Republicans to join in on the effort to get it passed. This is critically important for safety, critically important to make sure that people who are working on the side of the road are safe, bicyclists, other passengers. It is *** common sense move to ensure safety on the roads. For the sake of all our loved ones. This bill was one of the priorities Governor Kim Reynolds laid out in Condition of the state in January, the Iowa House advanced sweeping restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts last week. Three bills would ban Iowa's public universities from requiring coursework related to DEI or critical race theory. They would create new general education requirements for those universities, and local governments and state agencies would be banned from spending any money on DEI offices or staff. The *** Legislative Black Caucus says they'll fight to stop the bills from getting across the finish line as they now head to the Senate. One of Governor Reynolds' bills to address health care funding across the state passed unanimously out of committee. House Files 754 would boost funding for programs that offer incentives for providers to stay in Iowa. It would also make changes to support rural healthcare providers, especially OBGYNs and pediatricians. Still to come on Close Up, we hear from former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack about his new role with the World Food Prize. Plus he addresses the latest developments at the federal level with USAID and how Iowa's agricultural industry would be affected by potential cuts. Welcome back to Close Up. The Trump administration conduct *** sweeping review of the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID earlier this year that led to the layoffs of thousands of employees in the shutdown of programs worldwide. But just this past week, *** federal judge ruled the dismantling of the agency likely unconstitution. indefinitely blocking the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOG from making further cuts. Here to react to the latest developments surrounding USAID is former US Secretary of Agriculture and the former governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack. You now serve as the CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Happy to be with you. So I just want to start out by asking, as the CEO of this foundation, what is your reaction to all of this action surrounding USAID? Well, look, elections have consequences, and every administration has the right to make its own policy decisions and obviously they've got to follow the Constitution and the rules, but at the end of the day, the key here is whether you do away with USAID or reform it or however you're going to approach it, the issue of global food insecurity remains. Uh, you don't solve it by eliminating *** department of government. Yeah, you maybe direct the resources in *** different way. Uh, perhaps maybe even more effectively we'll we'll see. But at the end of the day there's 733 million people in the world today that are food insecure. Uh, nearly 1 in 10 are malnourished. Uh, those statistics are not impacted and affected in *** positive way at all by what the administration has decided to do. We still have the issue, still have the problem. And I think it's incumbent upon the rest of us who are in this space to understand that we now have an additional added responsibility to focus on this problem and figure out ways in which we can either at the local level or the state level or the federal level or the global level make *** difference and talk about that responsibility. The foundation plays *** key role in fighting food insecurity. the globe, what are your next steps or initiatives that maybe you're taking in reaction to all of this action? Well, fortunately we have the help of 153 Nobel laureates and World Food Prize laureates. These distinguished scientists and people who have been acknowledged for great achievement. Authored *** letter last year, an open letter to the rest of the world, and essentially said that we needed to accelerate significantly our effort on producing enough food to be able to meet the needs of that 733 million who are food insecure, as well as the 1.5 billion that will inhabit this earth as we increase our world population. Uh, these laureates basically have said, uh, we've got to step up our research and development. We've got to step up productivity. We've got to figure out ways to reduce food loss and waste. Uh, all of this has, uh, each of us has *** responsibility in this space. Uh, now we will be convening, uh, uh, *** number of folks in Washington DC, uh, next week, uh, in an effort to have *** dialogue about that letter, uh, and expect and anticipate *** number of organizations that will add their name and endorsement to the letter. So this is one way in which the World Food Price can lift up uh the issue uh and to challenge the rest of us uh to pick up uh the pace uh to do what we can to make *** difference, uh, regardless of what the federal government's decisions might be or any state government's decision might be. And you have *** wealth of knowledge serving as governor of this state and also the Secretary of Agriculture on the federal level. Can you talk to us *** little bit about the role that Iowa farmers play in some of these USAID programs so that our audience can understand? Well, the reality is that there are *** number of different programs and. In addition to USAID, the Department of Agriculture also has *** series of programs, the McGovern Dole feeding program, which helps feed children, uh, in schools, uh, in *** number of countries around the world. There's, uh, the Food for uh Peace program that USDA and USAID were co-administering. uh, obviously, uh, if in fact USAID is out of existence, uh, then the question is who will pick up that program, uh, will it be USDA and if it's USDA, uh, are they prepared to make the decisions about where. Uh, those resources are most needed. Here's *** fact that I think your viewers need to know. 85% of all the areas of conflict in the world today are also food insecure. So if we solve global food hunger and food insecurity and nutrition insecurity issues, we will go *** long way to making *** much more peaceful world. So we all benefit, if you will, uh, by the aid and assistance. Now Iowa farmers uh provide much of the food that goes into the packages and into the uh into the crops that are basically provided, the commodities that are provided to these countries and then those are distributed to people in need, uh, hopefully, uh, or they go into the feeding program as I mentioned earlier. Uh, the question is if we, if we take the USAID out of, out of the process, what replaces it? Uh, does the, does the US government totally retreat from this area or does it come up with *** different approach? And I think the Trump administration may have some different ideas about, about foreign aid. Uh, and so we'll see what those ideas are, uh, but at the end of the day, the key note here is you can do away with programs, you can reform programs, but the problem still exists, and the question then is what is our responsibility for trying to resolve it if you talk about the timing of all of this uncertainty. Farmers, as you know, are already planning for the next planting season, purchasing seed. Talk to me about the timing of all of this and how that could impact farmers in the agriculture sector in our state. Well, I think farmers are faced with *** number of different challenges. First, they're faced with low commodity prices. Secondly, they're faced with the impact and effect of tariffs. The administration is in the process of administering, not so much the tariffs that we administer, but the retaliatory tariffs that countries that have been impacted by our tariffs respond with. That's obviously going to impact and affect the level of of supply within the United States of these commodities which can obviously continue to lower the price of the commodity, which makes it more harder for farmers. Farmers are also faced with the weather patterns that are are very challenging as we know here in Iowa. Uh, and so there, so it's *** very risky business at this point in time. Uh, when you impact and effect aid programs, you're impacting affecting the amount of commodities that will be shipped out of the United States. Uh, one of the great things about American agriculture and Iowa farmers and ranchers and producers contribute to this. we're *** food secure nation, which means we produce everything we need to actually feed ourselves now we like to have, uh, choice and we like to have, uh, fruits and vegetables over *** 12 month period, but the reality is to feed ourselves we produce everything we need and so it's *** great, great gift that farmers give to us. That's not true for *** lot of other countries. Uh, they are, uh, dependent on exports, uh, dependent upon, uh, receiving from uh *** country like the United States, uh, exports. So if exports get dis disturbed, if you will, if they get uh if the amount of exports gets impacted and it is reduced, then that creates more supply here at home but the reality is there's no place for that supply to go, so that basically creates *** storage situation, uh, that's *** cost associated with with crops. It's also depresses the prices. The challenge here is to find the right balance between what we need to feed ourselves and what the world needs to feed itself and to do it in *** way that tries to address the food insecurity challenge that we globally face. Well, thank you, Mr. Secretary. When we come back, we will discuss your new role at the World Food Prize Foundation as well as some cuts to some USDA programs. Welcome back. I'm once again joined by the CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation, Tom Vilsack. He formerly served two terms as the governor of Iowa in *** total of 12 years as the US Secretary of Agriculture under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Thanks for being with us this morning. It's good to be here. I want to talk about your new role. You officially took that role on. March 1st, as CEO of the foundation, how has that transition been like for you? Well, look, there's *** great staff that's really dedicated to the mission of the of the World Food Prize Foundation and what *** great mission it is really to focus on innovation that allows us to produce enough to be able to feed the world, focus on the great people who are engaged in providing the food and fiber for the for the world, so it's, it's *** great program, it's *** great opportunity for us to lift up the, the challenge of global food and nutrition and security. 733 million people, food insecure. 1 in 10 people in the world today malnourished, nearly 60 million children under the age of 5 who are stunted because they don't get adequate nutrition. So it's *** major challenge, and 85% of all the areas in conflict basically food insecure. So there's *** direct correlation between food security and nutrition security and peace and stability. Uh, so the mission, uh, is incredibly important. Most people think, uh, most of what we do is the award that is issued every, uh, October. It's *** wonderful opportunity. It's *** unique event to Iowa. It only happens one place in the world. It only happens once, uh, in ***, in *** year, and we are fortunate to have it because of the Ruhan family and the and Doctor Borlaug, um, and so, uh, people think that's what we do. Well, we do *** lot more than that. Uh, we have youth institutes. People don't know about this. We have 20 different states where we bring. And convene young people in high school and we challenge them to think about global food security in *** country and what would you do to how would you solve it? We bring some of the best and brightest of those groups that meet in the 20 states to uh to Des Moines, uh, in October, uh, during the Borlaug dialogue that surrounds the uh award ceremony, opportunity for those young people to mix and mingle with ministers and presidents of countries and uh secretaries of agriculture and, and great scientists. Then the best of the best, uh, have an opportunity potentially to be uh linked to several of those great researchers, uh, in, uh, countries far, far away from Iowa or from their home state. So that's youth institutes. We, we have *** number of dialogues, *** number of convenings where we bring people together. We've got one in Washington DC, uh, focused on the laureate letter, uh, where 153 food prize laureates and Nobel Prize laureates have come together and essentially challenged the world to really get serious about this issue of food insecurity. Um, so we have convenings, uh, we have awards and recognition beyond the World Food Prize. We acknowledge some of the up and comers, uh, and, and innovators in ag, uh, and food production. We recognize some of the great researchers and, uh, you know, in fact we have uh several opportunities for folks to nominate, uh, uh, for the, uh, the TAPPA award that we. Is the top producer program. April 15th is the deadline. Uh, we also have the Iowa uh shares uh program where we announced *** hunger fighter in Iowa who's done *** tremendous job during the hunger summit, uh, the deadline for making nominations of individuals who have had *** real impact on hunger here in the state, April 15th as well, so it's. Recognition it's convening it's inspiring young people, so it's *** it's *** full scale opportunity here to to really focus on food security. Food security seems to be something that you're very passionate about um in in your personal life. You have *** lot of years of public service. um, what made you want to take on this role and continue serving the state, the nation globally? Well, I, I think when you've had the opportunities and the experiences I've had, um, the question is what do you do with that experience? What do you do with those, uh, relationships, um, you know, I, I obviously I'm in an age where, uh, most people might have thought about the possibility of retiring. I just couldn't see myself being very successful at that. I think to retire you have to, you have to want something or want to do something better and more than you than you than work, so you, you maybe you're, uh, you've got *** hobby that you really enjoy. I've just never been that kind of person, um, uh, so to the extent that I can make *** contribution I wanna be able to do that. Look, I started out life in an orphanage uh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and what I know about my very, very early life was that I was fed by the community. I was fed by that orphanage. I was taken care of by the community, so I think as *** result of that life experience, uh, I've always had, uh, the belief, uh, and my faith tradition. That you gotta give back and so to the extent that I have uh uh something to give back uh through the World Food Prize, I'm obviously anxious to do that. I want to touch on some cuts to USDA programs that we've seen in recent weeks, um, specifically the local food for schools program and the local food purchases assistance program. What is the foundation's reaction to those cuts? I know we were talking earlier about how you can do away with these programs, but what it's what you do after. Yeah, I think the the best way for me to answer that isn't so much in the context of the foundation, but as the secretary that put those programs in place, so the folks understand the purpose and reason for them. Uh, on the surface, it appears as if it's designed to provide assistance and help to schools and food banks, and that's certainly part of it. The other part was really to create market opportunities for small and mid-sized farming operations. There is *** tendency on the part of many of us in this space to think that farmers are all alike, that they're all in the same boat, uh, economically, but they're not. The reality is the top 10% of our farms throughout the country are those who sell more than $350,000 in sales every single year. Now during the best of times or the worst of times they, they do pretty well. I'll just give you an example uh during the best year in farm income in 2022 ever in the history of the country, those top 10% of farmers got 85% of the income. 85% of the income, which meant that 90% of farmers that aren't in the top 10% had to share 15% of the income and so the reality is that nearly 50% of farmers don't make money at all. The 40% that are left out of that 90%, they make money, but the majority of money that they make for their farm for their family comes from off-farm income. So the question is, is that *** system that's working for all farmers? So what we decided to do was to create opportunities for new income streams and better income streams for farmers, for small and mid-sized farmers. One better income stream is the local and regional food system. Why is it better when you buy your groceries at High V or Fairway or wherever you shop. Uh, the farmer gets on average about 20 cents of every food dollar, and somebody else gets the other 80 cents. It's the people who package, the process, who transport, who retail, all of those folks in the supply chain. But when that farmer sells directly to *** customer like *** school or *** food bank, well, that farmer gets 50% to 75% of that food dollar, so it's *** better deal for small and mid-sized producers. And we need to be concerned about that as *** country because we lose too many of these small, uh, small and mid-sized firing operations and the result of that is our rural communities suffer from population declines. The schools have to merge. They can't support *** hospital. The small businesses have to give way to box stores and the and the reality is it has an impact on the psychology if you will, of, of rural places and the people there who are these people? These are the people that feed us. These are the people that provide most of the electricity and the power that we have. These are the people who send their sons and daughters disproportionately into the military and isn't it interesting that as rural America has had challenges because we've lost so many of these small and mid-sized farming operations now the military is having *** bit of *** hard time filling its recruitment needs. Where's the correlation here? So when you put programs like this together, it's really designed to do multiple things. It's designed obviously to help people who are in need and to make sure that our children in schools have access to nutritious and fresh and delicious items, but it's also designed to provide market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers. Now, uh, every administration has the right to make decisions for themselves and they have the right to decide that they want to do something different. The question is whether or not as they do something different, is it gonna impact all farmers, the 100% or is it only just gonna impact the 10%? I mean, I think that's the question and, and what we thought was we needed to make sure we were doing something for all the farmers, not just the top 10%. Well, thank you so much for your time this morning. Certainly an insightful conversation. We appreciate you coming on. You bet. Thank you. When we come back, Iowa Secretary of State says the audit results are in for non-citizen voters in the state, the resource that helped them get *** more accurate count in how the state is handling the cases. Welcome back. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says his office has completed the additional audits of Iowa's voter registration lists and identified dozens of non-citizens who have either already voted or are registered to vote. Access to the Federal safe program allowed Pate's office to reduce the former estimate of 2100. non-citizens identified from the Iowa DOT's list to 277. It was determined 35 non-citizens cast ballots that were ultimately counted in the November general election, and 5 non-citizens attempted to cast ballots that were rejected. This is considered *** felony, and all of these cases are now in the hands of the. Attorney General's office in the Iowa DPS for investigation. Now Pate filed several bills related to voting and elections this legislative session. One would allow the state registrar to work with state and federal agencies, as well as private entities to verify voter eligibility. So far that bill has passed out of its Senate committee hearing. Thank you so much for joining us for ����vlog 8 news close up. We will see you back here next Sunday. Have *** great day.