Heitkamp Pushes Ag Secretary Perdue on Trade Policy at U.S. Senate Hearing on Rural America

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today questioned U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue about the administration's actions on trade and biofuels at a U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on the state of rural America.

"The first time I met Secretary Perdue, his first words were "trade, trade, trade' and he pledged to be a champion for rural America's ability to export its goods," Heitkamp said. "As the administration has taken action on trade and biofuels that have put our farm economy on edge, I told Secretary Perdue that I'll hold him to his commitment to be a champion for rural America. North Dakota farmers and ranchers have a deep understanding of these issues and are rightfully concerned about tariffs, the outcome of the NAFTA renegotiation, and the steps the administration has taken to undermine the renewable fuel standard. I made sure Secretary Perdue heard those concerns and pushed him to work within the administration to protect access to international markets for our hardworking agriculture producers."

Heitkamp is pushing against the administration's proposed tariffs on Chinese goods and potential Chinese tariffs on American agricultural products like soybeans. After the administration announced an additional proposed $100 billion in tariffs against Chinese imports earlier this month, Heitkamp sent a letter to the president expressing her continued concerns about the negative effects tariffs would have on North Dakota exports, and she warned of the potential agricultural crisis that would envelop rural America.

Click here to read Heitkamp's op-ed on why smart trade policies -- not tariffs -- are needed to support North Dakota farmers and ranchers.

Heitkamp has also strongly supported North Dakota farmers and biofuel producers by repeatedly pressing the administration to uphold its commitment to a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a recent bipartisan letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Heitkamp expressed deep concerns about the administration's actions to undermine the commitments the president has made to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a letter to Pruitt in March, Heitkamp reminded him of the commitment he made to support the RFS.

In North Dakota, nearly 50 percent of corn can be turned into ethanol, according to the North Dakota Corn Growers Association, reinforcing how important it is that we maintain a robust biofuels market through the RFS.

Background

After the administration announced new tariffs on aluminum and steel, Heitkamp warned of the potential for retaliation by our trading partners, which would hurt the ability of North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers to export their products. Heitkamp has cosponsored bipartisan legislation introduced by Republican Arizona Senator Jeff Flake to nullify the aluminum and steel tariffs announced by the administration on March 8.

Heitkamp has been fighting to protect and expand markets for North Dakota goods, pushing the administration to back off damaging threats to withdrawal from NAFTA and speaking out against tariffs that would put the state's economy at risk. Last week, she reiterated those concerns in a conversation with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer as she pressed him to protect North Dakota's agriculture and manufacturing sectors

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.

Last year, China agreed to open its market to U.S. beef after Heitkamp urged the president to press the issue at a summit with Chinese President Xi Jingping.

Exports are a critical component of North Dakota's farming, ranching, and manufacturing economy. For example:

60 percent of North Dakota's exports to China are agricultural products, according the U.S. Department of Commerce.
71 percent of North Dakota soybeans go to Asia, primarily China, according to the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. On the day the proposed Chinese tariffs were announced, there was a 40 cent drop in price, which would equate to a $99.4 million dollar loss to ND farmers. Or a loss of $16.60 per acre.
North Dakota exports 95 percent of its corn, 88 percent of its beef, 86 percent of its pork, and 100 percent of its poultry to our NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico, according to a recent Farm Bureau report.
North Dakota is in the top 10 most exposed states to new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, according to the Brookings Institution.
North Dakota is home to over 17,000 workers employed in industries that are particularly dependent on production and consumption of steel and aluminum, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
50 percent of North Dakota's exports to the European Union are agricultural and construction.

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