Miller-Meeks Joins Letter Urging Administration to Support Iowa Producers and Nominate Officials for Key Trade Posts
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, April 6th, 2022, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) joined over thirty House Republicans, led by Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04), in a letter to President Biden urging him to quickly nominate two qualified individuals to the positions of Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Chief Agriculture Negotiator at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). These roles have been vacant since the beginning of the Biden Administration, leaving American farmers, producers, and their families behind.
“Iowa farmers have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years. Droughts, derechos, high prices, the pandemic, lower returns, and overregulation have all negatively impacted their bottom line,” said Miller-Meeks. “The Administration needs to act to support farmers immediately by nominating qualified individuals to these important positions at USDA and USTR. Our farmers could use certainty and stability right now and providing these nominations would be incredibly helpful.”
“Iowa’s farmers and producers feed and fuel our country and the world, but right now, they lack dedicated advocates at the highest levels of the federal government. President Biden needs to stand up for rural America and immediately nominate two qualified individuals to serve as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and Chief Agriculture Negotiator for the good of our farmers, our economy, and our country,” said Feenstra. “With a record $183.5 billion expected in agricultural exports this year alone, we must ensure that our rural communities have a seat at the table when negotiating trade deals to open foreign markets and sell their quality product to the world.”
To read the full text of the letter, click HERE.
Background:
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote “the United States consistently ranks as one of the world’s top producers of various agricultural commodities, such as corn, wheat, milk, and soybeans. To maintain its standing as a global leader, we must prioritize nominating individuals who represent U.S. agriculture at the international level.”
“We were happy to see the USDA is actively conducting trade missions, like its recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, but we fear that our farmers and producers are not being fully represented without a nominated Under Secretary. Our concerns grew last week, after four new trade missions were announced without any recognition of the need to fill these positions,” the lawmakers continued.
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