Bob Schaffer: “U.S. shipping laws can add as much as $1 to the cost of a bushel of export wheat. These antiquated policies should be…”

“U.S. shipping laws can add as much as $1 to the cost of a bushel of export wheat. These antiquated policies should be repealed, and the sooner, the better. No sector of the U.S. economy is more susceptible to international trade barriers and foreign economic market conditions than agriculture. This fact has become increasingly evident for the past couple of years as Colorado's farmers and ranchers have struggled to market their goods to an ever-expanding global marketplace replete with faltering foreign economies and highly subsidized competitors. Compounding these profound challenges is a package of special interest laws that have been preserved in America's law books for almost 80 years. Along with my colleagues on the House Committee on Agriculture, I have worked extensively to pull these regulations out by their roots. U.S. shipping laws impose great costs and burdens on Colorado producers while providing the least benefits to our Nation. In many cases, these regulations have far outlived their original purpose, yet remain on the books, persistently chipping away at the profits and livelihoods of rural Americans.”