Trade wins require diligence
As farmers conclude the harvest season, market access for high-quality American products is top of mind for the agriculture industry. Because Third District Nebraskans have an extraordinary ability to meet demand for consumers around the globe, advancing sound trade policy is at the forefront of my work in Congress. Despite good yields, high input prices and trade barriers have constrained margins for producers. It is more important than ever to secure a level playing field in markets around the world.
Recently, I was pleased to see President Trump and his trade team take pivotal strides to improve access in global markets for U.S. goods and services. Months of diligent work by President Trump and Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, have resulted in greater cooperation with Southeast and East Asian allies to the benefit of America’s farmers, ranchers, workers and innovation drivers. This includes vast reductions of tariff and non-tariff barriers for U.S. agricultural products. By strengthening strategic economic and national security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, the United States is better poised to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s influence throughout the region.
Following negotiation of the China Phase One Agreement during President Trump’s first term, China failed to uphold its commitments to purchase agriculture products and respect intellectual property protections, with little to no effort by the Biden administration to hold the CCP accountable. This year tensions have escalated as President Trump worked to address these failures. It hasn’t been an easy process, but I commend President Trump and his trade team for securing access for American agriculture products following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is just the first step in righting this relationship. I expect China to be held accountable to its purchase commitments for soybeans and sorghum and provide meaningful market access for additional commodities as negotiations continue.
Barriers to market access harm American producers as they work hard to deliver affordable products. However, when good policy decisions can create long-term certainty, producers are empowered with the confidence to make decisions to appropriately adjust to market changes. President Trump wants to leave a legacy of restoring balanced reciprocal trade. In order to do so, the administration must continue to deliver strong trade deals, and Congress must be ready to codify the agreements. Only through statute can we truly secure long-term, enforceable commitments from our trade partners and ensure trade progress persists beyond 2028.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is the gold standard for such enforcement mechanisms, and I am working to make meaningful improvements as we begin its 2026 review process. Additionally, to ensure productive and balanced trade relations continue, I strongly support renewal of lapsed trade programs such as the Generalized System of Preferences and African Growth and Opportunity Act. These programs will also strengthen supply chains for inputs needed for growth in the U.S. agriculture and manufacturing industries.
American producers are the most efficient and innovative in the world and deserve fair access around the globe. With thousands of products and hundreds of trade partners under consideration during negotiations, developing sound trade policy requires a lot of hard work, time and attention to detail. In my conversations with colleagues and administration officials, I will always advocate for the best interest of Nebraskans.
— By Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska
Statement on President Trump’s call for DOJ investigation into meatpacker conduct
President Trump announced today via Truth Social that he has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to immediately begin an investigation into possible anticompetitive practices by the meatpacking industry.
R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard, head of the nation’s largest cattle association exclusively representing cattle farmers and ranchers, issued the following statement in response to the president’s announcement.
“We greatly appreciate President Trump’s announcement that he’s directed the Department of Justice to investigate the beef supply chain to determine if there are any violations of our fair competition laws or antitrust laws.
“There has long been a disconnect between cattle prices and beef prices, and we believe this is evidence of market failure. We welcome this investigation to ensure that cattle producers receive competitive prices for their cattle, and that consumers pay prices set by a competitive market rather than a monopolistic one.”
— R-CALF USA
