Fighting for American Corn Growers
When the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in 2020, it received widespread bipartisan support. The USMCA was a historic achievement for trade relations between the U.S. and two of our most significant trade partners, and the United States’ strong posture throughout USMCA negotiations should serve as a model for future trade agreements. Trade has long been a critical component of our domestic economy, particularly when it comes to agriculture, and this trade agreement laid the groundwork for the market predictability that is critical for the prosperity of American producers in Nebraska and across the country. USMCA enhanced the ability of American farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers to plan effectively for the future and successfully deliver their products to eager consumers in America's two largest neighboring markets.
We negotiate trade agreements, in part, because they are binding and enforceable. A key part of having a strong trade strategy is holding our trading partners to their commitments. That’s why USMCA included clear enforcement mechanisms to do just that. In December 2020, in a flagrant violation of its USMCA commitments, the Mexican government announced plans to phase out imports of U.S. biotech corn, the number one agricultural product exported by American farmers to Mexico. Mexico buys more than half of our country's white corn export on average, over 90 percent of which is biotech corn.
Since this announcement, I have vigorously opposed this senseless, anti-scientific action because of its devastating consequences for consumers and producers alike. Nebraska is the nation’s leading producer of white corn, which is targeted in this decree by Mexico. The stakes are serious, not only for American corn growers and our economy, but also for those in Mexico who depend on white corn as a food source.
The United States must use every tool at our disposal to enforce Mexico’s USMCA commitments, which is why Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and I recently wrote the Biden administration to call on U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to initiate a formal dispute resolution process to stand up for the American agriculture producers who would be negatively impacted by this ban. This should have happened months ago, but I’m encouraged by the conversations I've had with Ambassador Tai and Secretary Vilsack. I believe they understand the importance of this issue and are committed to a swift resolution.
People unfamiliar with the agriculture industry may not realize how disruptive uncertainty can be to markets and producers. Corn growers have already selected and purchased seed for the upcoming planting season. With no signs Mexico will reverse its decision, the Biden administration must step up to the plate to prevent the loss of market access for many American farmers.
The precedent set by this lack of leadership from the administration on trade is unacceptable. If Mexico is permitted to renege on its commitments, the rest of the world will take notice. This will damage the United States' position as a world leader on trade and severely diminish our position to negotiate new trade agreements on behalf of hard-working producers.
We must push for enforcement of all elements of our trade agreements, especially the USMCA, and ensure U.S. industries receive fair treatment from all our trade partners. Nebraska's farmers and ranchers produce the best products in the world and have the ability to feed and fuel the world. They deserve leaders in Washington who will fight on their behalf. I will never stop working to hold our government and trading partners accountable – and I will keep fighting to maintain America’s position as the global leader.
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