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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

“I hope I have a reputation of being a free trader... I wish our country would learn a lesson from the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs of 1930 that was supposed to help protect American agriculture and industry.

“[…W]e’ve learned since the Second World War, free trade has lifted millions of people out of poverty. I think I’ve read where free trade and capitalism together has probably reduced, in the last 60 years, the world poverty rate […] from 50 percent down to about 10 percent.”  

—Senator Grassley at a June 5, 2024, Finance Committee hearing 

Senator Grassley, a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, plays an integral role in developing our nation’s trade policy. As a lifelong family farmer, Grassley knows how important foreign markets are for Iowa corn, soybean, beef and pork prices. That’s why he works to reduce barriers for U.S. products abroad and foster international trade partnerships.

Following the farm crisis in the 1980s, Grassley organized an Ambassadors Tour to inspire goodwill for Iowa products among global ambassadors to the U.S. The tour welcomed ambassadors to Iowa for a week in August to meet the very farmers who grow the products that feed and fuel the world. Later, while at the helm of the Senate Finance Committee, Grassley championed landmark free trade agreements with Australia and Central America. Most notably, he shepherded through Congress the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – a pivotal measure for the agricultural and manufacturing industries. The USMCA modernized trade in North American marketplaces and serves as an updated template for future agreements.

Now, Grassley seeks to ensure the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) leverages the USMCA for American producers. For example, he pressed the USTR in 2023 to dispute Mexico’s plan to ban genetically modified corn from the United States, a move that lacked scientific basis and violated the USMCA. USTR took action to scrutinize Mexico’s decision as a direct result of Grassley’s insistence. He also advocates for bolstering U.S. competitiveness on digital trade, and has urged the USTR to go to bat for American ethanol in negotiations with Brazil to lower the hefty tariffs it’s levied on U.S. imports.  

Tell Senator Grassley what you think about this issue.

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