MISS. SENATORS EMPHASIZE SUPPORT OF U.S.-MEXICO-CANADA AGREEMENT, URGE MARKET ACCESS FOR AMERICAN PRODUCERS
Wicker, Hyde-Smith Sign Bipartisan Letter of Support Ahead of Trade Pact Review
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) are among a bipartisan push to ensure that members of Congress, farmers, and ranchers are consulted as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) soon undergoes a mandatory six-year review process.
The Mississippi Senators are among 41 Senators who signed a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that emphasizes strong support for the USMCA and the expansion of market access and certainty for American agricultural producers.
“For many states, Canada and Mexico represent the largest and second-largest export markets. The market access achieved under USMCA is a critical component of the success of American agriculture and contributes to our secure food supply chain and to the global competitiveness of U.S. producers,” the Senators wrote.
“American family farmers and ranchers depend on the certainty afforded by a stable Agreement. The integrated supply chains facilitated by streamlined compliance requirements, effective rules governing food safety measures, and intellectual property protections have allowed the U.S. to build a fortified trading network here in the Western Hemisphere,” they wrote.
“As preparations begin for the upcoming joint review process, we encourage continued engagement with Congress, farmers, and ranchers to ensure the agreement is improved to support U.S. agriculture and maintain strong market access for American producers,” the Senators concluded.
The USMCA “joint review” to assess its performance and options for extending the trilateral free trade agreement is scheduled for July 1, 2026. The USMCA Implementation Act, which became law in January 2020, includes congressional consultation requirements related to the joint review process.
Canada and Mexico are among the leading importers of agricultural exports from Mississippi, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates to be valued at more than $2.4 billion in 2024. (Download: U.S. Agricultural Exports, State Detail by Commodity)
Spearheaded by U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Peter Welch (D-V.T.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Justice (R-W.V.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
Read the letter here.
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