On the recordJune 13, 2019
Madam President, last week I came to the floor to discuss the agriculture economy. While the broader economy is thriving, our Nation's farmers and ranchers are struggling. A combination of low commodity prices, protracted trade disputes, natural disasters, and weather-related issues have meant a tough few years for farmers. Nationwide, net farm income is about half of what it was in 2013. One of the biggest things we can do in Washington to help our Nation's farmers and ranchers is to negotiate favorable trade deals that expand existing and open new foreign markets for American agricultural products. That is why I have been pushing for a speedy conclusion to the various trade agreements that our country is currently negotiating. I strongly support the effort the administration has been making to secure more favorable export markets for American products. We have made real progress in negotiations. Now we need to wrap up the various agreements we are discussing as soon as possible so that we can get farmers and ranchers certainty about what international markets are going to look like. Of course, there is one agreement that has already been wrapped up-- the United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement. This is a hugely important agreement that will boost almost every sector of the American economy, from automotive manufacturing to digital services, to dairy farming. It will create 176,000 new jobs and increase wages for workers.…
Source
govinfo.gov




