Commerce Secretary-nominee Howard Lutnick on Wednesday defended the administration’s proposals to adopt sweeping tariffs on key trading partners, arguing a more targeted approach would leave U.S. farmers worse off, and lamented ongoing challenges producers face accessing foreign markets.

In a hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Lutnick took aim at several barriers limiting U.S. farm exports in foreign markets, arguing that a trade agenda that levies broad tariffs on partners could secure more reciprocal trade relationships.

Canada, Lutnick charged, “treats our dairy farmers horribly. That's got to end.” The Cantor Fitzgerald CEO also took issue with barriers U.S. meat exporters face in the European Union, arguing the new administration “needs to “end the disrespect that our farmers, ranchers and fishermen have to suffer.”

The U.S. dairy industry has longstanding complaints with Canada’s exclusion of dairy retailers, food operators and other entities from its tariff-rate quotas – which allow a certain volume of U.S. dairy products to enter Canada duty-free. A U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement dispute settlement panel in 2023 divided over whether Canada had violated its market access obligations under the agreement, but there is no appeal mechanism.

Similarly, U.S. high-quality beef exports are struggling to fill their EU TRQ. During Trump’s first term, an agreement extended the quota to 35,000 metric tons over the following seven years, but the U.S. industry argues non-tariff barriers continue to depress imports.  

Erin Borror, vice president of economic analysis at the U.S. Meat Export Federation, told Agri-Pulse in an email that “onerous restrictions” continue to hinder exports to the bloc, and that forthcoming EU regulations on deforestation could add to export complexities.

Multiple lawmakers from both parties pressed Lutnick on Wednesday over the administration’s plans to impose new tariffs on Mexico and Canada, warning that U.S. farmers could bear the brunt of any retaliation.

President Donald Trump has threatened 25% tariffs across all imports from Canada and Mexico and suggested they could be adopted as soon as Saturday. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, reiterated Tuesday that the president is also still considering a 10% tariff on Chinese products for the same day.

Those tariffs, Lutnick said, are linked to very specific domestic policy priorities around stemming the flow of illegal migrants and drugs. Lutnick suggested that both countries could still avoid new duties.

“As far as I know, they are acting swiftly, and if they execute it, there will be no tariff,” Lutnick said.

Separately, on his first day in office, Trump issued a trade policy memo that directed the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Commerce to examine the causes of, and recommend policies for cutting, the U.S. trade deficit. That analysis is due April 1.

Lutnick said that these studies could lead to further “ordinary” tariffs.

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“The ordinary tariffs need to be studied and examined,” Lutnick said, but told senators that he preferred using broad tariffs to slash the trade deficit, rather than a narrower, industry-specific approach.

“My way of thinking, and I've discussed this with the president, is country-by-country, macro,” Lutnick said. A targeted approach, he said, could lead to an even greater singling out of U.S. farmers.

“I think when you pick one product in Mexico, they'll pick one product; we pick avocados, they pick white corn; you pick tomatoes, they pick yellow corn. All you're doing is picking on farmers,” Lutnick said.

Trump has already suggested tariffs on semiconductors, pharmaceutical products and some metals could be forthcoming. Before taking office he also threatened duties on the EU unless it ramped up its purchases of U.S. oil and gas.

In a hearing in which senators from both parties found common ground over the need to reshore U.S. manufacturing and bolster innovation to compete with China, one of the few fiery moments came over preserving a program to expand rural broadband.

The bipartisan infrastructure law signed in 2021 provided funding for the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. In the intervening years, states and territories have contended with shifting requirements and, so far, the $42.5 billion allocated has not resulted in a single new home connection.

The program has drawn the attention of the Senate DOGE caucus, with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, suggesting the it could be axed.

Multiple Democrats, including Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., sought reassurances that the program would be preserved, even if some in the administration were to endorse its closure. While Lutnick said he agreed with the program’s aims, and expressed an interest in facilitating rural connectivity, he refused to commit to maintaining the program.

“If it has been rigorously done and deeply efficient, and is the most efficient use to get broadband to your constituents,” Lutnick said, then he would preserve the program.

Trump, Lutnick said, shares his view that improving rural connectivity is important.

“In my conversations with him, he thinks that's important,” Lutnick said.  But added that “wasted money and abuse of our resources has got to end.”

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., asked Lutnick to answer yes or no, would he stand up to the president if wanted to cut congressionally approved broadband infrastructure funding?

“I work for the president,” Lutnick said.