(Washington, D-C/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa’s federal delegation is calling for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide financial relief for turkey farmers impacted by the spread of avian metapneumovirus (Meta-new’moh-virus).

In a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Farm Service Agency Acting Administrator Kimberly Graham Tuesday, Iowa’s U.S. senators and representatives asked for avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), also known as turkey rhinotracheitis (Rye-no’trah-kite’us), to be classified as an eligible adverse event under the Livestock Indemnity Program. The classification would give farmers who have had many of their livestock die from the disease access to financial compensation.

In Iowa, the lawmakers wrote, turkey farmers have reported flock losses between 30% to 50% because of aMPV, killing an estimated 569,700 turkeys in the last year and leading to a loss of $18 million in farm income. U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn was the lead author of the letter, saying that support for turkey farmers was needed as the process of vaccine approval and distribution for aMPV is still underway. The Iowa Turkey Federation thanked Nunn for bringing attention to the impact of aMPV on farm families.

U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst also sent a letter to Rollins in February asking for USDA action to stop the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has been detected in four Iowa commercial bird flocks in 2025.

(Photo by Stephen Ausmus/Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Iowa representatives back flood relief bill

Nunn and U.S. Rep Randy Feenstra also backed legislation introduced by Rep. Don Davis, D-North Carolina, that would expand the scope of flood-assistance programs to direct funding toward flood protection and flood-prevention infrastructure. The Flooding Prevention, Assessment and Restoration Act would update guidelines for programs like the USDA’s Emergency Watershed Protection, which currently only provides assistance for land restoration to pre-disaster conditions. Feenstra said in a news release that the legislation would provide “greater flexibility” by allowing these assistance programs to fund repairs and improvements for infrastructure.

Feenstra said that after major flooding in northwest Iowa last summer, many homes, farms, schools and other buildings were left severely damaged. Nunn said in a news release that after the 2020 derecho, Iowa farmers’ crop losses totalled more than $490 million. Larry Weber, co-founder and director of the Iowa Flood Center, said in a news release that the legislation would help flood-mitigation efforts in the state.

Hinson calls for action on trade crimes by China

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson reintroduced a proposal to establish a new task force in the U.S. Department of Justice that would focus on investigating and prosecuting trade-related crimes, saying that the measure would help protect American workers and industries from Chinese entities that violate U.S. trade laws. The Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act would appropriate $20 million in fiscal year 2026 if approved for this effort, and require the Attorney General to submit an annual report to Congress on the efforts taken by the DOJ to tackle trade crimes, and how these funds were used.

Hinson said in a news release Friday the legislation will help President Donald Trump’s administration tackle trade law violations by Chinese entities. The measure was co-sponsored by Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Michigan who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, who serves as the ranking member of the committee.