Heitkamp Statement on U.S.-China Beef Deal

Statement

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today released the following statement after the administration announced a deal with China to allow U.S. beef into the country--as Heitkamp called on the administration to push for to benefit North Dakota ranchers.

Last month, Heitkamp urged President Trump to bring up China's refusal to allow U.S. beef into its market at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jingping. Heitkamp's request was made alongside a broad, bipartisan group of senators.

"After pushing the president to stand up for our ranchers, I'm encouraged that China has agreed to open up its market to our high-quality beef," said Heitkamp. "While this deal is promising, China has made similar commitments before and has failed to follow through, continuing to block our beef since 2003. North Dakota ranchers can benefit from access to this huge market, which is why I called on the president to bring this issue up during his summit with the Chinese president last month. To make sure our ranchers and farmers have access to this market, it's vital that we hold China to its trade commitments--whether it's allowing imports of our beef or making sure China isn't unfairly subsidizing its domestic products."

Heitkamp has long fought to guarantee North Dakota farmers have fair access to China, including through a World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance case in December 2016. In September 2016, she helped announce an earlier compliance case to hold China accountable for over-subsidizing its domestic crops.

In March, Heitkamp also stood up for ranchers by calling on President Trump and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pause the importation of Brazilian beef into the U.S. until a scandal unfolding in the Brazilian beef industry is resolved.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Heitkamp has worked to stand up for North Dakota ranchers and American families. Heitkamp has worked to make sure that Americans have access to information about where their food comes from. After the World Trade Organization said that mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) does not comply with international trade commitments in 2015, Heitkamp worked with a bipartisan group of senators to introduce compromise legislation to allow for voluntary labeling.

Heitkamp has long fought to expand market access for North Dakota farmers and ranchers. Last year, Heitkamp called on the former U.S. Trade Representative to protect North Dakota grain growers from unfair treatment after a report she requested showed that Canada segregates North Dakota grain and offers unfair prices to U.S. producers at Canadian elevators.

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