March 18, 2025
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Costa, Mr. Panetta, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Harder of California, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Sorensen, Mr. Gottheimer, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Miller of Ohio, Mr. Newhouse, and Mr. Thanedar) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
Expressing the sense that Congress and the administration must work together, with urgency, to pursue effective food and agricultural trade policies.
Whereas the United States food and agriculture industries are critical to the prosperity of the United States people and vital to global food security;
Whereas United States food and agriculture production standards are among the most technologically advanced, highly efficient, safe, and sustainable in the world;
Whereas the United States food and agriculture industries accounted for $2,800,000,000,000 in total wages and generated over $9,600,000,000,000 in total economic output in 2023;
Whereas, in 2023, United States food and agriculture exports totaled nearly $200,000,000,000, supporting jobs and creating economic opportunity throughout the supply chain in every State of the country;
Whereas, in 2023, jobs in manufacturing of agricultural products accounted for almost 20 percent of all manufacturing jobs in the United States;
Whereas, in addition to its commercial exports, the United States plays an indispensable role in feeding millions around the world as the largest country donor of international food assistance;
Whereas, in 2023, the United States experienced a 9-percent decline in the value of United States food and agricultural exports;
Whereas the latest forecast by the Department of Agriculture for the 2024 fiscal year predicted a food and agriculture trade deficit of $37,000,000,000, a stark contrast to the United States historical trade surplus in agricultural exports, which have averaged approximately $12,500,000,000 over the past 10 years;
Whereas current food and agricultural trade exports are significantly below prior years, and the United States is losing its hard-won global agricultural trade dominance;
Whereas United States food and agriculture remains subject to unjustified, nonscience-based trade barriers across Asia, the Americas, and Europe;
Whereas United States food and agricultural exports still face trade-restrictive tariffs in key markets around the globe; and
Whereas United States food and agricultural exports have grown significantly in the past through the proactive engagement of the United States Government over multiple administrations using a myriad of tools to open and expand market access for United States farmers and ranchers including comprehensive trade agreements, enforcement of existing bilateral and World Trade Organization agreements through dispute settlement processes, trade promotion programs, and bilateral or regional negotiations to address tariff and nontariff barriers: Now, therefore, be it
Sec.
That it is the sense of Congress that Congress and the administration must work together, with urgency, to pursue effective food and agricultural trade policies that include the following components:
(1)
A renewed commitment to secure new and expanded market access and maintain global competitiveness for the United States food and agriculture industries.
(2)
Strong support for domestic trade promotion programs that benefit all sectors of United States agriculture.
(3)
Consideration of comprehensive trade agreements with key trading partners, focusing on new market access through lower tariffs on United States exports and resolution of unwarranted trade barriers.
(4)
Enforcement of the market access commitments in our existing multilateral and bilateral trade agreements and improved procedures to enforce United States trade laws for agricultural producers.
(5)
The elimination of longstanding unwarranted nontariff trade barriers through effective and efficient dispute settlement processes.
(6)
Pursuit of a global trading system in food and agriculture based on sound science through bilateral and regional agreements as well as the World Trade Organization and other international bodies.