The U.S. House of Representatives on June 3 approved, 354-58, a bipartisan, bicameral provision offered by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to support America’s cherry growers struggling under China’s increased trade tariffs.
The provision, coauthored by Rep. Newhouse and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law as part of the bipartisan Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019, H.R. 2157, which received previous U.S. Senate and House approval in May.
“This fix is essential to ensure growers can continue to operate in this upcoming growing season while the Administration continues their work to level the playing field with China,” Rep. Newhouse said on Monday.
The provision will provide more cherry growers access to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Facilitation Program, which provides financial aid to growers impacted by China’s tariffs, according to Rep. Newhouse’s office.
Specifically, the provision will offer a one-time eligibility expansion of the Market Facilitation Program guidelines to let cherry growers receive financial aid if 75 percent of the business or individual grower’s income comes from farming, ranching or forestry related activities. The one-time payments would come from the administration’s Trade Aid Package.
“Cherry growers deserve the same aid available to other producers,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Central Washington producers want to grow and sell their high-quality cherries in strong domestic and international markets.”
China is Washington state’s number one market for sweet cherries. Due to China’s multiple rounds of retaliatory tariffs, Washington’s cherry sales to the country decreased to 1.6 million cartons in 2018 from 3.2 million cartons in 2017 at an estimated profit loss of roughly $60 million to $80 million, according to the congressman’s office.