Letter to Donald Trump, President of the United States - Yoho Sends Letter to President Trump Asking to Halt All Ag Imports From Mexico, Central America, South America

Letter

Dear President Trump:

American farmers and ranchers are facing unprecedented circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic. The market conditions resulting from the coronavirus are further worsened due to decreasing farm revenues and testy trade relations with China. As such, I ask that you invoke a force majeure motion to stop the importation of all Mexican, Central American, and South American food products during this pandemic to support our nation's farmers and ranchers. The halt on food imports should include fresh fruit, vegetable, dairy, and meat products.

At this critical juncture in American agriculture, extraordinary measures should be taken to help preserve America's food producers. When we already have a glut of products within our borders, and our farmers are having to plow up their harvest-ready crops because of a market collapse and factors outside of their control, foreign agricultural products should not continue to be imported. This is not sound economic or agricultural policy.

No doubt, our farmers need assistance and we must continue to support them during this time. However, we must also ensure that markets continue to exist for American farmers during this global pandemic. Otherwise, we run the risk of foreign agricultural products flooding our domestic market and artificially lowering prices. This will only exacerbate the effects our American producers are suffering during this crisis. Florida fruit, vegetable, dairy, and cattle producers are already experiencing these challenges due to increased foreign agricultural products in our domestic market.

I respectfully ask that you invoke a force majeure procedure to temporarily halt imports of foreign food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Ted S. Yoho, D.V.M.
Member of Congress

Source