Milwaukee City Wire

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and a group of Senate Republicans have come together to call on the Biden administration to ramp up agricultural exports and enhance the competitiveness of American products overseas. In a letter addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the senators expressed their concerns about the current state of U.S. trade policies.

“We expect trade to fluctuate in response to macroeconomic factors and market conditions. However, the current sharp decline in U.S. agricultural exports is directly attributable to and exacerbated by an unambitious U.S. trade strategy that is failing to meaningfully expand market access or reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade," the senators wrote.

The senators highlighted their disappointment with the Biden administration's approach to trade agreements, stating, "While the Biden administration continually refuses to pursue traditional free trade agreements, China, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and others continue to ink trade pacts that diminish American export opportunities and global economic influence."

Joining Sen. Johnson in this call to action were U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), along with 18 other Senate GOP colleagues. The letter was also signed by a group of additional Republican senators including Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), among others.

The full text of the letter can be accessed for further details on the senators' demands for increased agricultural exports and a more robust trade strategy.