International trade policy has been in the spotlight recently as President Trump advances his agenda to ensure American products are treated fairly in the global marketplace. Engagement with our trade partners is vital to our economic health and creating opportunity for Americans, and it is clear the president has the world’s attention.
This week, the president’s announcement of a 90-day pause in his reciprocal tariff regime was a step forward in the negotiation process. American producers, manufacturers, and service providers are eager to see improved market access for their products, and many of our trading partners have shown a willingness to engage with the administration to lower both tariff and non-tariff barriers. This international response stems directly from President Trump’s efforts to drive a hard bargain and level the playing field.
In many countries around the world, existing policies and practices—not just tariffs—unfairly discriminate against American products and make it difficult or impossible for our producers, manufacturers, and service providers to do business there. The long list of market obstacles includes unfair treatment of our beef in Australia, China, and Brazil, impediments to our digital services in Canada, Europe, and Korea, an 18 percent tariff on our ethanol in Brazil, regulatory barriers for our pork producers in India, and unscientific barriers to our agriculture products in Europe and elsewhere. These countries enjoy access to our markets, and we owe it to American farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and workers to address these imbalances driven by anti-competitive policies.
One of the best solutions to overcome these obstacles is to negotiate enforceable, rules-based agreements. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), enacted during President Trump’s first term on a bipartisan basis in Congress, is a great example of what can be accomplished. I am confident more deals under a similar framework would have support. Sadly, next to nothing was done to secure such agreements under the Biden administration, and our industries suffered because of it.
While USMCA provided mechanisms to address disputes such as Mexico’s unscientific ban of U.S.-grown corn, the Biden administration failed to sufficiently hold our partners accountable. Other violations of the agreement such as Canada’s digital services tax remain unresolved. As we prepare for the scheduled 2026 USMCA review, robust engagement on these issues will be very important.
This week, in a Ways and Means Committee hearing, I asked U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer about the administration’s efforts to secure agreements with partners who are eager to negotiate trade deals such as the United Kingdom and Kenya. Consumers in these countries would benefit from greater access to our agriculture products, and swiftly securing strong agreements would set our trade policy on a strong trajectory. This is why I introduced the UNITED Act to support the administration’s efforts to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with the UK.
I was also glad Ambassador Greer confirmed to me the Office of the USTR is working to fill the currently vacant Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator and Chief Agriculture Negotiator positions. Given the very vigorous trade agenda the Trump administration is implementing, there is certainly a need to fill these positions, which are authorized in statute by Congress. Under the Biden administration, the Chief Agriculture Negotiator position stood vacant for nearly 2 years, and the Chief IP Negotiator position has never been filled.
I continue to urge President Trump, members of his administration, and our trading partners to address these concerns and negotiate enforceable agreements in a timely manner. We have a lot of work to do, but I know firsthand there are many countries which are ready to come to the negotiating table. It won’t be a perfect process in the short term, but with more dialogue, vigilance, and common sense we can make meaningful progress to move our economy forward and secure better deals for hardworking Americans.