Trade policy

From withdrawing from TPP to renegotiating NAFTA to imposing new tariffs on steel and aluminum, the president’s trade policies have led to widespread support and opposition.

In his 2018 Trade Policy Agenda, President Trump outlined a bold strategy to put America first. Promoting the success of our nation’s farmers and ranchers is key to this strategy.

Annually, U.S. producers ship more than $38 billion in agricultural products to Canada and Mexico. There’s no understating the value of the agreement to America’s heartland – the world needs American-made products.

We all want to secure American jobs and increase opportunity in our economy. Yet, raising wide-ranging tariffs, like those recently raised on steel and aluminum, is the wrong strategy.

United States’ producers are unable to fully tap into the Cuban market because federal law prohibits private financing for agricultural trade with Cuba. This misguided policy creates a major roadblock to trade.

American steel jobs are under attack from Chinese cheating. It’s past time we fought back. That’s why the administration’s steel tariffs are long overdue.

Free trade is a real success story for U.S. agriculture. Twenty percent of our products are exported, and with a $21 billion surplus, agriculture is a bright spot in our nation’s overall trade balance.

There’s no question that foreign agricultural subsidies have grown and it impacts trade. While the U.S. and E.U. have lowered support over time, less developed countries haven’t.

The Beer Institute and our member companies appreciate President Trump’s commitment to protecting American jobs and his pledge to defend American workers.

Nearly 30% of American agricultural exports go to Canada and Mexico. So, yes, U.S. farmers are concerned about NAFTA renegotiations, or, more pointedly, about termination of that 23-year-old agreement. But the entire U.S. economy ought to be worried.

U.S. dairy products companies support nearly 3 million American jobs, generate over $39 billion in direct wages and have an overall economic impact of more than $200 billion.

NAFTA dramatically increased grain trade between Canada, Mexico and the United States, spurring deep integration of our feed and livestock sectors.

I’ve grown soybeans for 47 years, and one thing I can say for certain is without export markets, my farm and community will fail.

Intended to protect and grow the U.S. economy by providing a counterweight against foreign producers of aluminum and steel, the introduction of tariffs by the Trump administration may well achieve the opposite by disrupting those firms, industries, and states whose production relies on steel and aluminum imports.

We live in a globally integrated world where parts are made in different countries and assembled in another one before coming here. Development of these global supply chains has kept our companies competitive, and with 95 percent of the world’s consumers beyond our borders, global competitiveness is essential to our survival.