Members of the House Ways and Means Committee pressed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on their concerns regarding the U.S. trade agenda last week, issues that ranged from agricultural exports and digital trade policy to aluminum and steel investigations that could impact manufacturing jobs.
Committee members U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) were among those who discussed American trade policy under the Trump administration with Lighthizer during Thursday’s hearing.
Curbelo raised concerns about the impact of trade agreements on farmers from his congressional district in South Florida, noting that Miami-Dade County is among the largest ag-producing counties in the country.
“Most people think about our beaches, and we are very proud of those, but we also have a very robust ag-industry in South Florida,” Curbelo said. ”We have avocados, mangos, tomatoes and many other specialty crops which can be grown year-round. So as we renegotiate NAFTA, which I support, I am concerned with how the deal will affect our farmers across the country. We know a lot of farmers have benefitted greatly from NAFTA, however the story is a little bit different in South Dade.”
Specialty crops like tomatoes, squash, eggplants, strawberries and other handpicked produce face significant disadvantages when it comes to Mexican competition, Curbelo noted.
“Ambassador I have raised this issue multiple times as NAFTA is being renegotiated for the fair treatment of South Dade, these specialty crops, and the farmers who grow them,” Curbelo said.
Paulsen, meanwhile, highlighted the need for U.S. trade policy to reflect the world’s rapidly changing economies. Paulsen touched on digital trade and medical innovation, noting that Lighthizer has expressed support for enforceable digital trade rules.
“The movement of data around the world is essential for businesses of all types in the 21st century, from automobiles to airplanes to agriculture, access to data around the globe is paramount for businesses of all sizes in order to compete in the global economy,” Paulsen said.
“Data flows today have grown by 45 times since 2005 and are expected to grow another nine times by 2020,” Paulsen added. With no enforceable trade rules specifically protecting data flows, American companies may be vulnerable to digital manipulation by foreign governments, he said.
During her remarks, Walorski urged Lighthizer to focus trade investigations on the nation’s supply of aluminum and steel to help support American manufacturers.
“I am more than concerned about the impact on aluminum, and the aluminum industry, as it pertains to my district in northern Indiana and my state,” Walorski said.
The Trump administration is investigating whether unfair trade practices harm national security by limiting the availability of U.S.-produced aluminum and steel for military equipment.
“I would just ask [you] to consider the anxiety from my constituents about the prospect of tariffs and quotas on inputs that they depend on to make RVs, trailers, and all sorts of other products. I’ve already been contacted by some of these manufacturers, and they are already being impacted by price differences, and they’re very, very uncertain as to what’s going to happen, as am I …,” she said.