Chuck Grassley: “There is also a lot of benefit in trade promotion authority and trade agreements for the American farmers and ranchers…”

“There is also a lot of benefit in trade promotion authority and trade agreements for the American farmers and ranchers, and it is beneficial to us because our farmers and ranchers are competitive and technologically advanced in the world. The United States has long been a world leader in agricultural exports. Dollar for dollar, the United States exports more meat than steel, more corn than cosmetics, more bakery products than motor boats, more fruits and vegetables than household appliances. One in three acres of agricultural production of the United States is exported. In 2000, the U.S. agricultural community exported $51 billion in products and supported at least 750,000 American workers. With 96 percent of the world's population living outside the United States, there is a huge market for food products of American farmers and ranchers. In the absence of trade promotion authority, other countries have entered into trade agreements that have driven foreign consumers from the U.S. agricultural market.”