President Biden and Democrats’ delay in prioritizing and enforcing free trade policies is keeping American farmers, workers, and businesses on the sidelines.
Following a full committee hearing with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, Republican Leader of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) wrote an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, where he outlined a strategy to lower barriers and pursue agreements that put American agriculture products first.
Rep. Smith writes that an aggressive trade agenda to sell American would help our farmers and producers by ensuring their products reach the world’s consumers:
- “As we continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty, we should also take steps to open new avenues for trade, including pursuing comprehensive trade agreements with our allies and lifting nontariff barriers to agriculture.”
- “I’ve always been a supporter of an aggressive trade agenda, and as the Republican leader of the Trade Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, I strongly support opening new markets to American producers. My congressional district is the top agriculture-producing district in the country; roughly 30 cents of each dollar going to Nebraskan farmers can be attributed to agriculture exports.”
- “Unfortunately, the Biden administration has not prioritized trade, leaving critical posts in the administration unfilled at a time when we need to be able to move food around the world.”
- “U.S. producers are well-positioned to help alleviate some of the pressures on our global food supply, but trade barriers and infrastructure obstacles hamper efforts to get these products to consumers. We cannot afford to let barriers to American goods stand in the way of feeding the world.”
CLICK HERE to read the full op-ed.