Earlier this week, the Co-Chairs of the Agriculture Trade Caucus, United States Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Adrian Smith (NE-03), Jim Costa (CA-21), and Dusty Johnson (SD-AL) led 24 of their colleagues in the House urging the Biden Administration to make agriculture a priority in its trade agenda by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers for American agricultural exports.
The Members encourage the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to seek enforceable agreements that open markets and reduce existing barriers through bilateral and multilateral engagement. The lawmakers emphasize the need for agreements that lower tariffs, ensure sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations are science-based, transparent, and consistent, and eliminate the abuse of geographical indicators in the food sector.
“U.S. farmers and ranchers can feed the world, but tariffs and discriminatory barriers aimed at undermining American competitiveness remain a challenge,” the Members wrote. “There is much work to do around the world to expand market access for U.S. producers and raise global sustainability, environmental, labor, and nutrition standards. The Administration should lean into these agreements and demonstrate leadership using all the tools at its disposal, including negotiating agreements that lower tariffs and empower real enforcement.”
The Members conclude, “Maintaining the status quo will only put American agriculture further and further behind as our competitors aggressively pursue such opportunities.”
The recently launched Agriculture Trade Caucus is actively working to advance and promote policies vital to U.S. agriculture, including boosting agricultural exports, facilitating food and agriculture trade, and knocking down unnecessary trade barriers.
Additional signers include; Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), Josh Harder (CA-09), Don Bacon (NE-02), Don Davis (NC-01), John Duarte (CA-13), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mary Miller (IL-15), Elissa Slotkin (MI-07), Mark Alford (MO-04), Dan Kildee (MI-08), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Kelly Armstrong (ND-AL), Drew Ferguson (GA-03), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Darin LaHood (IL-16), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Gregory Murphy, M.D. (NC-03), Jim Baird (IN-04), and Zach Nunn (IA-03).
Read the full letter here.
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