Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., last week urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick not to withdraw from the 2019 tomato suspension agreement with Mexico that Commerce said the United States will terminate as it imposes a tariff on Mexican tomatoes. 

In a letter to Lutnick, Gallego wrote, “The result of terminating this agreement will be higher prices for American families, fewer options at the grocery store, and fewer American jobs. Indeed, studies show that families could see a tomato prices rise by an average of 50% if your Department does not reverse course.”

Gallego added that “extremely importantly for Arizona border communities, the tomato supply chain from Mexico supports 33,000 American jobs, including grocers, truckers, and restaurants, warehouse operators, and others who move fresh tomatoes from the Nogales Port to American consumers. The termination of this agreement puts these good-paying jobs at risk.”

Gallego’s position reflects the difference between the Southwest, which imports tomatoes from Mexico, and the southeastern states which produce tomatoes and have long complained that Mexico sends tomatoes to the United States under unfair conditions.