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More pressure on Congress to pass USMCA

Farmers and ag industry leaders are putting more pressure on Congress to pass USMCA before the end of the year.

During a call hosted by Farmers for Free Trade, spokesperson and former Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln says USMCA remains a top priority for American agriculture.  “Listening to farmers, ranchers, and all kinds of producers across this great country, this is a huge issue for them,” she says.  “This kind of certainty puts them back in the driver’s seat and be able to go back and do what they do best.”

This week Democratic ag leaders and more than 2,200 small farmers nationwide sent a letter to House and Senate leaders calling for swift passage of the USMCA, which was signed almost a year ago.

Farmers for Free Trade co-executive director Brian Kuehl says Rural America is hurting because of the trade wars and trade disruptions.  One of the ways to reverse that, he says, is to stabilize trade with Canada and Mexico.  “Farmers need this win and they need this win now,” he says.  “This is not something that can wait until 2020 or 2021.  This is not an academic discussion, or you know, a high falutin politics discussion.  This is about real people and real lives that really matter.”

He says if US agriculture isn’t exporting food – there will no longer be a farm economy to support.