Ted Poe: “Our current U.S. sugar policy maintains that sugar will not become a solely foreign-grown product for the United States.…”

“Our current U.S. sugar policy maintains that sugar will not become a solely foreign-grown product for the United States. When we weaken our sugar and our sugar growers, it hurts America but it helps Brazil, it helps Mexico--the biggest competitors for the United States. Brazil's yearly $2.5 billion subsidy has led them to controlling 50 percent of the global sugar exports. Mexico has already unlimited access to the United States. And who is the biggest sugar producer and exporter in Mexico? The Mexican government. Mexico owns and operates 20 percent of the Mexican sugar industry. On top of that, Mexico already owes Texas 300,000 acre feet of water out of the Rio Grande. It is improperly taking that water out of the Rio Grande River--water that should go to Texas sugar growers, but it is not. House Resolution 378 will weaken the U.S. sugar industry, giving advantage to Mexico and Brazil. By allowing more foreign sugar into the United States we create unnecessary and hurtful competition. We prefer, if we pass this legislation, foreign farmers over American farmers. {time} 1700 Weakening our sugar program is not reform; it is crippling. It is crippling to the United States market, to the 140,000 sugar industry jobs. Once again, it only leaves us dependent on other countries for our sugar. Mr.…”