AFBF: Trade Progress Can’t Wait

The American Farm Bureau Federation says farmers can’t wait for progress on trade deals, including USMCA and a deal with China.  Earlier this week, President Trump suggested there was no deadline to reach a final agreement with China, and that an agreement could wait until after the 2020 elections.  However, a Phase One agreement including agriculture provisions could still come this month.  In his comments this week, Trump said trade aid to help farmers cope with tariffs “got them whole.”

AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a statement that while the payments to farmers provide critical support, "trade aid payments are not making farmers whole."  Duvall said a trade agreement with China's must be a priority, adding further delay in reaching an agreement "would make it hard for struggling farmers to hold on in the face of rising bankruptcy rates."

Duvall also says passing USMCA would “send a message to the rest of the world that we are back in the game” of global trade.

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