During a trip to his home state, Vice President Mike Pence told Indiana farmers on Thursday that the Trump administration is “absolutely determined to see the USMCA completed and ratified by the U.S. Congress this spring.” The vice president heard complaints about tariffs on agricultural products from “numerous people” among the crop and hog farmers who spoke during his visit to 9,000-acre Lamb Farms Inc., reported WTHR-TV in Indianapolis.
One of the farmers urged speedy ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement because of doubts about a rebound in farm exports to China even if the Sino-U.S. trade war is resolved. “We need all of them,” the farmer said, according to WTHR. Canada and Mexico are the two largest foreign customers for U.S. ag products.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday that she would not allow a vote on the USMCA without additional provisions to assure labor and environmental language is honored. “No enforcement, no treaty,” said Pelosi. “Enforcement has to be in the treaty.”
Farm groups generally support the USMCA, which preserves duty-free access to Canada and Mexico for most U.S. ag exports and removes some barriers to wheat and dairy sales to Canada. The group Farmers for Free Trade said it would launch an 11-state “Motorcade for Trade” tour on April 12 in Manheim, Pennsylvania, with a final stop near Billings, Montana, on April 26. “Several stops will include meetings with member of Congress who will be considering the USMCA agreement,” said the group.