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Iowa Republican Randy Feenstra frustrated with USTR

A U.S. congressman is frustrated with Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai.

Iowa Republican Randy Feenstra tells Brownfield the USTR has failed to respond to a Brazilian tariff on U.S. ethanol that went into effect February 1st.

“We’ve got to hold Brazil accountable (so) shame on them, and Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative, is doing nothing. And that’s what frustrates me more than anything is that they should be very actively going against Brazil and they’re not.”

He suggests Ambassador Tai is also failing to defend U.S. agriculture during the dispute with Mexico over biotech corn imports.

“Same thing! We talked to her personally, she said she’s all over it, that they were starting procedures to hold Mexico accountable for the USMCA agreement that we have, that they cannot ban our corn. And yet there is nothing happening.”

Feenstra points out Mexico accounts for 25 percent of American corn exports and says the Biden administration should very actively be working to resolve the issue.