Lucas backs nation’s agricultural groups in calling on Congress to quickly pass trade deal

U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) supports the roughly 1,000 agricultural groups that seek swift approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by Congress.

“As a rancher and a wheat farmer, I know how important fair trade and market access is for Oklahoma’s agricultural products,” Rep. Lucas said on Wednesday. “As a Member of Congress, I know how important reducing costs on the American consumer and revitalizing numerous industries across the country can be for economic growth.”

The organizations, which represent all segments of the U.S. food and agriculture value chain at the national, state and local levels, sent a June 11 letter to leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate seeking “strong support for swift ratification of the USMCA,” which they think “will benefit the U.S. agriculture and food industry while providing consumers a more abundant supply of high-quality, safe food at affordable prices.”

Rep. Lucas pointed out that many of Oklahoma’s agricultural leaders – including the Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council, the Oklahoma Cotton Council, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, the Oklahoma Pork Council, and Oklahoma’s railroad associations – also support quick approval of the USMCA by Congress.

“These groups are well aware of the economic impact that USMCA will have on our state’s economy but most importantly on the lives of Oklahoma’s producers,” the congressman said.

Rep. Lucas also cited data from the report, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and Specific Industry Sectors, released in April by the U.S. International Trade Commission, that says the previous North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) grew the nation’s agricultural exports from $9 billion in 1993 to nearly $40 billion in 2018. Oklahoma’s agricultural exports were valued at $1.8 billion annually, he said.

“The path for a stronger economy, fair and equitable trade, and better market access for our farmers couldn’t be clearer,” said Rep. Lucas. “Every day House Democrats delay the ratification, it adds even more instability in an already unstable marketplace.”