Despite the political divisions often seen in Washington, Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Jordan Dux says one thing continues to stand out: lawmakers remain accountable to the people who elect them. Dux says that gives farmers and ranchers an opportunity to help shape policy and keep agricultural issues front and center.
“Ultimately the stuff that gets me excited every time is when I have the opportunity to travel to Washington, the fact that we can sit down and talk with our members of Congress and work through issues. And they’re always thinking about the next thing. Now, we get stuck on a lot of the same issues because a lot of our issues are cyclical. We talk tax reform. We talk farm bills. We talk about E15. We talk about all these things. But members of Congress are also always thinking about the next thing also. They have to be. This is a big country. We still are a global superpower. We are still the world’s currency. We’re still the world’s grocery basket. Whatever you want to say, I think members of Congress are always listening to their constituents because they have to. They come from there.”
Dux says that direct access to elected officials remains one of the strengths of the American political system, particularly for agriculture.
“And I think the willingness and our ability as a country that we still have the freedoms we have to go in and talk to members of Congress, lay out the issues that farmers and ranchers have, that’s never lost on me. Every time we have the opportunity to do that, we are very blessed to be able to go in and have a face-to-face conversation with our elected leaders, making sure they hear. Whether we agree with what they’re doing or not, we have that ability to do so. I think that continues to be at the forefront of our political system where the American people can continue to weigh in, create policy, have new ideas, whatever it may be, but they still have that one-on-one interaction with their elected officials. That’s a pretty positive thing we need to remain pretty happy about.”
Dux says maintaining that direct connection between constituents and lawmakers is critical as Congress continues tackling issues ranging from farm policy to energy and tax reform.