Mark Kennedy: “I am a free-trader, a fair- trader, an original cosponsor of the bill to grant the President Trade Promotion Authority…”

“I am a free-trader, a fair- trader, an original cosponsor of the bill to grant the President Trade Promotion Authority, and I am a strong supporter of markets, if efficient markets exist. But our hard-working sugar producers are amongst the most cost efficient in the world. In fact, our sugar beet growers, including over 600 growers in my district in Southwest Minnesota, are among the lowest-cost producers of sugar in the world. They are willing to compete on a level playing field, but cannot compete against foreign governments that encourage excess production and dump that excess production on the world market. The world dump market price is well below the world cost to produce sugar and is not sustainable. We do need to continue to push for fair trade in sugar. With a level playing field, I am confident that our sugar producers cannot only compete, but they can prosper. But if we sacrifice our sugar farmers now and become ourselves dependent on a dump market price, we will become dependent on foreign producers. If they stop subsidizing those foreign producers, we are going to be paying higher prices for sugar than we are today. Let us not abandon an efficient, cost-effective industry that is providing jobs and incomes for our rural areas. I encourage Members to oppose the Miller-Miller amendment.”