Rep. Adrian Smith, U.S. Representative for Nebraska's 3rd District | Adrian Smith Official Website
Rep. Adrian Smith, U.S. Representative for Nebraska's 3rd District | Adrian Smith Official Website
Washington, D.C. – Co-Chairs of the Agriculture Trade Caucus, Reps. Adrian Smith, Jimmy Panetta, Dusty Johnson, and Jim Costa, along with 24 House colleagues, have urged the Biden Administration to prioritize agriculture in its trade agenda by reducing trade barriers for American agricultural exports.
In a letter addressed to the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Members emphasized the importance of seeking enforceable agreements that open markets and reduce existing barriers through bilateral and multilateral engagement. They highlighted the need for agreements that lower tariffs, ensure science-based sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, 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 Members called on the Administration to demonstrate leadership by negotiating agreements that lower tariffs and empower real enforcement. They warned that maintaining the status quo would only hinder American agriculture's competitiveness against aggressive global competitors.
The Agriculture Trade Caucus, which aims to promote policies vital to U.S. agriculture, is actively working to boost agricultural exports, facilitate food and agriculture trade, and remove unnecessary trade barriers.
Additional signers of the letter include Reps. Mike Thompson, Glenn “GT” Thompson, Josh Harder, Don Bacon, Don Davis, John Duarte, Andrea Salinas, Mary Miller, Elissa Slotkin, Mark Alford, Dan Kildee, Ashley Hinson, Kelly Armstrong, Drew Ferguson, John Moolenaar, Darin LaHood, Brad Finstad, Doug LaMalfa, Michelle Fischbach, Randy Feenstra, Beth Van Duyne, Gregory Murphy, M.D., Jim Baird, and Zach Nunn.
The full letter can be found [here](#).
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