A group of House Republicans is urging the president to keep U.S. ag producers front of mind as he pursues more reciprocity in U.S. trade relationships and ensure tariffs are coupled with negotiations to open new markets.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that next month he will unveil an effort to hike tariffs on countries that subject U.S. exports to higher duties or trade barriers than the U.S. imposes. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business this week that countries will receive an individual score that will help determine their reciprocal tariff rate.
In a letter to the president on Thursday, the lawmakers commended him for his project to inject more fairness into U.S. trade relationships, but urged the administration to pair any tariffs with discussions to open new export markets for U.S. agriculture.
“The steep and nonreciprocal barriers imposed by foreign nations suppress demand for American products, harming our farmers,” the letter reads. “[A]s you aim to bring back fairness to our trading relationships … we ask that you continue to keep our farmers and ranchers in mind and negotiate strong and effective trade agreements.”
Among the 20 lawmakers that signed the letter led by Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, eight sit on the House Agriculture Committee – Reps. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Mark Messmer, R-Ind., Austin Scott, R-Ga., Iowa’s Randy Feenstra, Brad Finstad, R-Minn., and Illinois’ Mike Bost and Mary Miller.
The group lamented the higher duties U.S. trading partners charge agricultural products and railed against the myriad trade barriers U.S. ag producers face in international markets – in some cases under the guise of food safety, but with little grounding in science.
“The removal of these unfair trade barriers would significantly increase market demand and revenues for our producers who have faced a difficult four years,” the lawmakers said.
Several U.S. agricultural groups signaled their support for the letter, including the American Soybean Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Corn Growers Association and USA Rice.
“[S]ome trade partners unfairly target U.S. beef with high tariffs and arbitrary non-scientific barriers,” National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein said in a statement on the letter. “For the past few years, the U.S. has done little to resolve these issues, while approving beef imports from other countries.”
The letter comes a day after leaders of the congressional Agriculture Trade Caucus marked National Agricultural Trade Day by introducing a resolution in support of market access negotiations, trade enforcement, reducing trade barriers, trade promotion programs, and the pursuit of science-based standards.
Caucus co-chairs Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Adrian Smith, R-Neb., Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., and Jim Costa, D-Calif., led the resolution, which had more than a dozen cosponsors from both parties.
In comments at Agri-Pulse’s Ag and Food Policy Summit earlier this week, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy Julie Callahan said that as part of its push for fairer trade relationships for U.S. agriculture, the administration would assess where negotiations could occur.
“The president intends to create leverage to make possible these sweeping changes that are really needed to ensure that U.S. farmers and ranchers are treated fairly,” she said.
“Ag market access is a major priority for this administration,” she added.
