American leadership abroad provides vital benefits for Iowans

Mary Kramer and Jay Byers

Iowa View contributors

One of us is a former ambassador, the other, a business association CEO who leads the fourth largest chamber in the U.S. and serves on the World Chambers Federation General Council. Though we have different backgrounds, one of the things that unite us is our firm belief that American leadership abroad is vital to us here in Iowa. Together, we believe that it is in our nation’s interest, and the interest of all Iowans, to fully fund our diplomatic and development programs.

Afghan women harvest tomatoes on Oct. 26, 2009, after farm crops were damaged by a spell of cold weather at a farm run by the private National Organization of Women and funded by U.S. Agency for International Development on the outskirts of Kabul.

Iowa has a reputation of being first in the nation in many respects, and the U.S. looks to us for leadership. It is time for Iowa to continue to lead and secure our future by reaffirming America’s leadership position in the world.

Reinforcing America’s role as a leader in the world irrefutably promotes the welfare of those in Iowa, which is more important now than ever before. By offering a hand up to those in need across the globe we promote our national security and help American businesses access new, lucrative markets overseas.

When communities are freed from the debilitating effects of chronic hunger, we see poverty decline and local economies grow. When entire regions find greater stability as a key ingredient for peace, it significantly reduces the likelihood of violent conflict and the need for American boots on the ground. And those who have defended our country in uniform are often the first to say that military might is not enough to maintain peace and stability.

Our own Sen. Joni Ernst, herself a combat veteran and steadfast supporter of American diplomacy and development, has said that “The military cannot do it alone. We have to have partners such as USAID, the State Department and our non-governmental organizations all running in parallel with our military efforts.”

With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside our borders, any plan to bolster our domestic economy must include a robust investment in developing new markets overseas. One of our largest economic competitors, China, has recognized the value of investing in emerging markets and has increased official development assistance in Africa by nearly 800 percent in less than 15 years.

With nearly half a million jobs in Iowa tied to international trade and exports bringing in more than $13 billion to our state every year, the strength of Iowa’s economy hinges on our ability to create new opportunities for our businesses abroad. Businesses rely on overseas markets: 89 percent of exporters in Iowa are small and medium-sized businesses, while agricultural exports total more than $11 billion a year.

Our diplomacy and development programs enabled 12,200 international students to attend our universities, which added an additional $351 million to Iowa’s economy. Diplomacy and development play a crucial role in keeping our state’s businesses competitive in the global marketplace.

President Barack Obama, left, talks with workers as they pack boxes of foods during a tour of Faffa Food, which produces low-cost and high-protein food, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 28, 2015. Feed the Future, Obama's global hunger and food security initiative, invests in agriculture to spur economic growth and reduce poverty and hunger.

Fortunately, when it comes to fostering new markets for American goods, Iowans are on the frontlines. Feed the Future, our country’s signature global hunger initiative led by USAID, has partnered with Iowa State University to develop disease-resistant chickens and improve the common bean. When a family can breed its own chickens and produce a larger crop, it can feed itself and sell the surplus, generating much-needed income that can be used to send kids to school.

Feed the Future’s programs are succeeding. More than 9 million smallholder farmers were empowered to boost their production, while 18 million children were reached with nutrition support in 2015 alone. These programs are making a difference in countries like Malawi and Tanzania, where poverty is declining.

This is proof positive that American foreign assistance works and is helping to establish new markets for American goods by fostering stability and economic development in countries across the world.

Programs like Feed the Future are critical. Millions will go to bed hungry tonight and severe famines are threatening the lives of millions more. Given the potential for crisis-induced conflicts and failed states, cutting funding for aid could severely impact our country’s security and ability to develop new trade partners.

Funding for USAID and the State Department is just 1 percent of our country’s budget, making the return on investment for Iowa an incredible bargain. As Congress hammers out the details of next year’s budget, we urge Iowa’s congressional delegation to maintain current funding levels for American diplomacy and development. We must stand together and remember that leading globally matters for folks here at home.

MARY KRAMER was the U.S. Ambassador to Barbados in 2004, served in the Iowa State Senate from 1990 to 2003 and was elected president of the Senate in 1997.

JAY BYERS is the CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership and serves on the World Chambers Federation General Council.