North Dakota Ag Connection - Hoeven Meets with USDA Undersecretary of Trade Nominee

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Hoeven Meets with USDA Undersecretary of Trade Nominee
North Dakota Ag Connection - 09/20/2017

Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, recently met with Ted McKinney, the nominee to serve as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. Hoeven served as a member of the Senate-House Conference Committee that crafted the final farm bill of 2014, which directed USDA to create the undersecretary of trade position. The senator stressed to McKinney the importance of opening foreign markets for farmers and ranchers, while also pushing back against unfair trade practices.

"Exports are a central piece of the ag economy, which is why we created this undersecretary for trade position in the 2014 farm bill," Hoeven said. "Nations like Vietnam and China continue to put in place restrictions that are based on questionable safety concerns. This is clearly to disrupt U.S. exports and protect their producers against competition. I urged Mr. McKinney to prioritize removing these barriers and ensure fair treatment of our farmers and ranchers in markets around the globe."

As Governor of North Dakota and now as U.S. Senator, Hoeven has worked to secure access to new markets for the state's ag producers. Hoeven recently announced the lifting of trade restrictions on U.S. pork in Argentina and beef in China. This follows Hoeven and a bipartisan group of senators pressing the administration to reach an agreement with China on imports of U.S. beef. The senator also urged Agriculture Secretary Perdue and Commerce Secretary Ross to reach a sugar agreement with Mexico that is fair to American farmers and ensure its strict enforcement.

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