A Republican senator from Iowa wants to “make Minnesota become Iowa again.” Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, introduced a bill that could allow Iowa to purchase nine counties in southern Minnesota.
Why buy Minnesota?
Senator Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, Iowa, proposed the bill on Tuesday, January 14th, at the Land Investment Expo, as reported by the Des Moines Register.
Minnesota borders Iowa to the north and the senator wants to start negotiations. The senator explained on his X account that the proposal has the support of his colleagues in the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate.
"Let's make Minnesota become Iowa again!" Bousselot said in a post on X. "Our new Iowa residents, former Minnesota residents, will have lower income, sales, and business taxes. A state more favorable to farmers and better managed state."
Donald Trump and his relationship with Iowa
President-elect Donald Trump had a similar idea when he suggested that the United States should take over Greenland and Canada, but Bousselot pointed out that his bill was written long before the Republican made those comments.
"I have a lot of respect for President Trump, but we were talking about buying Minnesota long before he started talking about buying Greenland," Bousselot said. "I want that on the record."
"We can make Iowa grow"
The senator said at the Land Investment Expo that this could benefit Iowa: "This is something we can grow in Iowa."
"We can get more investments in agricultural lands and in buildings for pigs and all kinds of agricultural investments... and Minnesota can get the money it needs to operate the state in a very different way than we do," said the senator.